Here are five reasons not to go to war with yourself over a bad run.
I had a bad run. It's been a pretty unimpressive week for me but today my wagon was seriously draggin.
When you're having a bad run, you might cut it short recognizing your body is telling you to rest...or you might tough it out trudging through each mile like I do letting your brain fester with thoughts of inadequacy.
My most common self-destructive idea is that I'm 40, and I better pull it together before my fast days are behind me - the clock is ticking! Man, I don't need that pressure when I'm already feeling exhausted!
Here are five reasons not to go to war with yourself over a bad run:
1. You have grit.
All you need to know about this run is that despite it, you will show up another day.
2. You are not just a runner.
I'm going to assume if you're reading this that you, like me, are pretty obsessed with our sport. And we might even wrap our identity around it from time to time. But I've found having a bad run gives me an opportunity to appreciate the other areas in my life that are going well - certainly better than this terrible run. Lol.
3. Your memory is a liar.
Even at your best, you've had more than a few bad runs just like this one! That perfect training season where you crushed every workout and were in so much better shape, didn't happen.
4. You are not the problem.
Bad runs are inevitable.They happen whether or not you've been super focused on your health. I have a tendency to try to identify all the reasons I'm responsible for the way I'm feeling physically so I can fix it. DON'T OVERTHINK IT. There are an endless number of reasons our bodies perform the way they do from day to day. Don't take it personally!
5. Your endurance is showing.
You will never race without encountering points of exhaustion that feel very much like this run. This is an opportunity to practice utilizing all the tools you'll need to tolerate difficult times during a race - mantras, compartmentalizing, dissociation (is that just me? lol)
Hope you’re running happy today! Have a great weekend 🤗
#runhappy ✌🏻 🏃🏻♀️