Well, my last run didn’t go as I had hoped. I was pretty excited for it – having had so much fun on my one minute intervals. I was scheduled to do intervals of 3 minute run / 1 minute walk for 28 minutes. I made it, but it wasn’t pretty. I was too tired, had eaten too little, and was too sore. Instead of being fun, it was a drag, and I found myself looking forward to the end.
But, instead of beating myself up about it, I am trying something different. A couple of days ago I read a great post by Fit and Feminist: Advice from a celebrity is helping me cope with a crummy race. So, using the three-step program she wrote about, here’s my review:
What I did right:
- Even though I could tell from the get-go that this wasn’t going to be a good run, I kept on going. I was tempted to quit, but instead, I just tried to make the most out of it that I could.
- I did it! No matter how it turned out, it is great that I got out there and ran at all. A year ago I couldn’t have done it.
- Instead of focusing on how things were going, I tried to distract myself with my music, the scenery and whatever else I could think of.
- Fresh air, green trees and sunshine. I ran at the college campus and it was gorgeous. Being around nature is good for my mental state.
What I could improve on next time:
- One problem was that I was tired. I really function best on 8-9 hours of sleep. I hadn’t gotten that the last few nights, and I really felt it. My brain was sluggish.
- Know what to eat beforehand. Usually I eat at work about an hour before I am going to run. I ate this time too, but different (lower calorie) food. I didn’t realize it would make that much of a difference, but it did.
- My legs were so tired. I could tell it wasn’t only my brain that was tired, my legs were sore. I would guess it was from doing yard work with my sister the night before. Days like this, I should probably stretch a bit more.
Now, Move On:
The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do, right? So, I am not going to fret about a disappointing run now and again. It happens. The best I can do is learn and keep moving forward.
Long View Hill 
I would have thought the benefits of what you did right overwhelmed the negative side. I find some times (most times actually), it’s good to run just for the hell of it, instead of worring about program, intensity, etc. 🙂
They did – once I spent a little time thinking about it that way. During the run, I wasn’t quite so good at seeing the good sides. I haven’t quite gotten to the “Run just for the hell of it” stage yet, but I am very close. Yesterday was my first trail run. It was SO fun!!
Glad to hear my post could help a little bit. 🙂 Even though you said the run was kind of a drag, it’s good that you found things that were awesome about it, like being outside in a beautiful place and actually doing the run even though you felt crummy.
It absolutely helped! I also forwarded your article along to friends I thought would enjoy it. It had such good points about how to get over the “beating ourselves up” instinct. I’m trying to reframe a lot of things that way now – and not just in fitness!