On Saturday, I had a really shitty run. I should not have run that day. I was so freaking tired and my legs felt like lead. Yet I had it in my mind that I was going to run, so I did. I planned to do 5 miles but ended up doing 6 at an 8:32 pace. It was pretty hilly and maintaining that pace was an effort. It was not enjoyable.
Some shitty runs just happen out of the blue. Mine was several days in the making. In fact, I set myself up for this shitty run....
HOW TO HAVE A REALLY SHITTY RUN:
1. Get horrible sleep for a few nights right before the run.
2. Go out to eat with friends at 11:00 pm the night before the run.
3. Drink a dirty martini...
4. ...and a glass of merlot.
5. Eat a HUGE grilled Rachel sandwich. So big, it's pretty much 2 sandwiches...
6. ... and a side of fries.
7. Stay out talking and laughing until 1:15 am.
8. Go to bed at 2:30 am.
9. Wake up at 7:00 am and toss and turn until 8:00 am.
10. Spend 3 hours on your feet with your parents making a garden in your back yard.
11. Finally run around 2:30 pm that day.
As you can see, there was no way the run was not going to be shitty. The only good thing about my run is what I ate afterwards....
I wrote about shitty runs before here, and I gave some tips on how to survive and learn from them!
1. First of all, if you are legitimately sick or injured, DON'T RUN! You will not get an award for your suffering, and the run will probably just make you feel worse.
2. Adjust your expectations and be okay with it. You may not run your normal pace or be able to cover your usual distance. Pick a reasonable goal your body can handle TODAY.
3. Break your run down into smaller portions by giving yourself a walking or stretching break. Mental games go a long way!
4. Try not to focus on the discomfort, but how wonderfully accomplished you will feel when you are finished!
5. After your Shitty Run, don't get down on yourself for not having a "good" run. There will be many more runs when you feel 100% and you will be able to challenge yourself the way you normally do.
6. Remember this run. Why? Because there will be more runs like it. And when a Shitty Run happens again, you can say to yourself, "Eh, it's just a Shitty Run. I've pushed through it before and I can push again!" Maybe you will feel shitty at the end of a race and the memory of your Shitty Run will motivate you to endure- because you've been there before and you know that you can do it!
How do you get through a really shitty run?
I love love love Lucky Charms.....I think that's what those are, right? Lol. I'm actually legitimately sick right now :( It just won't go away....all I want to do is run, so even a shitty run sounds super appealing right now...lol.
ReplyDeleteOh yuck, I am so sorry you are sick. It is so hard to get better when you have to teach all day long. :(
DeleteMmm Lucky Charms are my guilty pleasure. Technically oats are gluten free, so when I was in high school I used to eat them as a treat...even though American oats are almost definitely contaminated through processing.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm sorry your run was shitty! It's funny because 6 miles at 8:32 is freaking amazing to me, but I get how an entire run can be WORK and that can make it shitty.
EXACTLY. It was not enjoyable at all. 8:32 for all the hills is in no way a bad pace for me right now, it was just that I felt like death doing it hehe.
DeleteI hate shitty runs, but as soon as I can tell I am going to have one I downgrade my expectations and just do what I can. although I am still mad about it.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand. I think it's just our runner personality that makes us want to stick to the plan but get mad if we have to change it.
DeleteI've been sick for the past week and I know if I run it will just be a shitty one so I've been holding off. I'm starting to go crazy though!!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry! So many people are sick right now. I was sick two weeks ago and it last foreverrrrr.
Delete#8 Obsessively think about your delicious post-run meal and remember that you are quite literally running towards it! :D
ReplyDeleteYES!!! Good one!
DeleteAll of my runs since the race have been shitty. I think my legs are STILL mad at me. Yesterday, I only went 3.1 miles and quit. I am trying to listen to my body and keep myself sane. I don't need to be running high milage weeks right now because I don't have a race any time soon. Thank you for this!
ReplyDeleteNo prob! Yes just listen to your body. I bet a few days off will do WONDERS.
DeleteMeg... THANK YOU! So often during my bad runs I feel like "there is no way other runners have bad runs like this" lol. Great tips on how to overcome those bad runs.
ReplyDeletePerhaps another tip should be "Everyone has bad runs... I bet Meb Keflezhigi has them too!"
DeleteI think meb is half machine, no way he had bad runs lol. ... but yes I'm sure your right, I'm trying to be less hard on myself.
DeleteI just figure the shitty ones and the truly fantastic ones where everything feels easy and you can't help but repeat "I love running" the whole way balance each other out. I tell myself that I'm due one of the good ones on a bad day and maybe it means I'll get to have a good day race day if I have bad ones in training.
ReplyDeleteIt's like running karma!
DeleteOMG your pace of your shittiest run would be like my best run ever! :) Between 2 and 5 I can hardly do any exercise. It's my lowest point of the day and I'm usually dragging. And yes, lack of sleep pretty much makes everything shitty the next day! :)
ReplyDeleteI dragging then too! I always crave sugar. It wasn't that I was upset with my pace, it was just that I felt like DEATH while I was running lol.
Deletedeath marches. hate 'em.
ReplyDeletei'm the same way..there are just time when i decide i'm going to run come hell or high water so i go run. i'm currently avoiding the shitty run i should have done today and feeling uber guilty. so...i'm not sure which is worse. enduring the shitty-ness, or dealing with the guilt...
Death marches! lol. Hope your run today was better than mine. :)
DeleteHaha I love this post but what I even love MORE is the non-brand name Lucky Charms! I saw the red box and expected to see the leprechaun and then when I scrolled down I saw the evil wizard...hehehe he DOES look evil!
ReplyDeleteOh girrrrrl you know I love my Aldi brands! I'm saving for Hawaii, I can't be spending cash all willy nilly on name brand Lucky Charms!!! hehehe :) jk They taste the same
DeleteI'm mostly just impressed that you had dinner at 11 p.m. I would be sleeping in my sandwich. :) This is all good advice for "those" runs. :)
ReplyDeleteI know, I felt young and hip until I woke up the next morning!
DeleteLucky Charms and Mountain Dew? That is hilarious! Great tips on how to survive a bad really bad run.
ReplyDeleteIt was diviiiiiiine :)
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