After six months though, I started to get itchy feet, and when my family told me they planned to do the Race for Life again this year, I knew that was my route back in.
My first run of the year was the Liverpool 10k. Hard work, but goodness me it felt good to be running again! Me and my sister laughed our way round, and then laughed our way round a rather painful kids' race straight afterwards with my three nephews scattering in all directions like marbles.
So this year I already have two medals, and we've entered a local 13 mile trail race at the end of June.
I feel it too. I feel less boingy, less bright and willing to jump up and get outside. I've started to say things like 'nah, it's too late to go for a walk' or 'shall we just go to the cafe instead?' Legitimate sentiments, but not every time.
So, more running in my future (in a non-pressured way, of course). Paradoxically, exercise gives me more energy, and makes me look at my body as something other than a receptacle for cake. When I run, I want to run more, and I eat what I need rather than everything in front of my face.
I'm also trying to cajole myself out of bed on a Saturday morning for the local parkrun. I love parkrun - a free, timed, 5k race every Saturday morning in parks all round the country, for no purpose other than a love of running. Each week they email you your time (and, in my case, often a message saying 'you were 586th out of 586 parkrunners'), and when you've done 50 you get a free t shirt. I'm up to 42, and frustratingly I can't make a single one in June. Looks like it'll be September before I get my t shirt.
I'm not sure how we'll get on in the trail race, my sister and I, but I suspect we'll make it to the end somehow. The organisers have sensibly split it into 11 off road, timed sections, with the bits in between (crossing the roads) just walking and untimed. Ingenious really, and just the way I would usually do a race anyway. I'm rather excited at the thought of my third medal of the year.
In all the months of not running, I'd forgotten one of my favourite things about it - seeing the city and the surrounding countryside on foot, from a different perspective, finding new paths, new viewpoints, new trails. I'll miss round here when we move, but I'm excited all over again at finding new places to run too.