Apologies for the delay in replying. I disappeared from the forums for a few days, which has very little to do with the forums, nothing at all to do with you, and everything to do with me.
The relationship that I went back to, the first time that I went back to it, nothing had ever gone wrong in that relationship. I ran away because I was scared of making a commitment, and eventually came to the conclusion that it would be worse to miss out on the relationship that might happen than it would be to make a commitment and have my heart broken. It took me about six weeks to do that. Since then, I've run away (either literally, or by withdrawing) more times than I can count, but usually for shorter durations.
She was very clever, and didn't try to contact me after the first time I pushed her away - I came to the realisation that I missed her on my own. (And it was very important that I was the one who worked that out without help.)
There are some differences between my experience and what you've reported here that are worth noting:
- When I learned how to come back (which is a skill in itself), I didn't have to overcome any history in the relationship that I was returning to. My rational mind could tell the whole time that running away was wrong.
- The woman I returned to had a lot of experience in dealing with people being upset, and many years of background in dealing with people who were under severe stress
- I'd been in therapy for 6 years at that point
If I was to make the choice, based purely on the conversation here, then I'd give up. Or at least, I claim that I would - my emotions might not let me give up. Even so, pretending that you're giving up and getting on with your life might be the most effective way of being someone that she wants to return to. I can say with absolute confidence that the more you chase after her (even very gently), the more she'll run away.