Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Bad run, good attitude

As I mentioned before, Michael came home at lunch & I went for a run. It was one of those runs where everything went wrong:
  • I had on the wrong outfit for the temperature. I was doing strength training at home before I left & had on a tank top. Threw on a jacket & ran out the door when Michael came home. Fail. The jacket was too much once I warmed up, but the tank top was definitely not enough. Brr.
  • The tank top was actually "too much". By that I mean, I've got a bit of a chest, & didn't envision using this tank top for running. It's more of a gym/elliptical kind of a thing. I got three whistles, & a few honks on the run. Which made me super self-conscious. I will say that it's very cute & flattering on:
  • It rained.
  • And it was windy
  • I had multiple bathroom issues, which I won't bore you with.
  • I was trying to combine two workouts in an attempt to make up a few days that I've lost on my training plan. It was a colossal fail & the hill I chose (with no research) was a 1.5 mile incline.
  • It was all around painful, & I never hit my stride

All of that said, it's runs like this that make me appreciate the good ones. How is it that a run like this made my 6 miler on Saturday look so effortless? Isn't your body interesting? I have a feeling that it has to do with the crap I ate over the past few days. My body was not a fan of the "fuel" I was giving it.

Here's what I kept telling myself on the run:
  • I'm putting in the miles & doing my body a favor just being out here.
  • I'm lapping my own performance of sitting on the sofa yesterday.
  • The hard workouts make me appreciate the easier ones.
  • Even a painful workout tones my body & burns calories.
  • I clearly need more hills training.
  • I'm lucky to have a job that pays me for sick days when one of my kids is not feeling well.
  • I'm incredibly lucky to have a husband who will come home at lunch so I can run. Thanks, Michael!
  • My body is making huge progress - in February I couldn't even run a mile without stopping.
  • The endorphins will eventually make this feel good.
  • I'm burning off some of the junk I ate over the past few days.
  • Everyone has bad runs
And you know what, it worked. The run is done, I feel like a million bucks for doing it, and I'm happy that I made it happen. Some days, that's really all you can ask for. :-)

What do you do when you have a bad run? How do you push through on those days when it's just hard?

7 comments:

  1. haha this run sounds like it sucked! but you totally ROCKED it! this is such an encouragement to me. thank you for writing about it!

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  2. "Everyone has bad runs" - that is SO true. I had an exceptionally sucktastic run this morning, but I feel so much better now for just sucking it up and making it happen! you go girl! and you must be one hot mama, gettin all those whistles/honks ;)

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  3. I always think I learn more from the bad runs than the good ones. You did a great job pushing through!

    I can't remember the last time I got a honk while running, unless you count geese :)

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  4. I hate bad runs and bad work-outs in general. Sometimes I quit, but sometimes I can find the motivation to push myself through. At least you had a great attitude about it today, and I totally agree with you: The bad runs definately make you appreciate the good ones!

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  5. I LOVED your comment -- that you are in the giddy stage of running because it is new to you. For me the giddiness never leaves!! And it won't for you either, so feel free to be the biggest running nerd ever.

    oh and believe me, after 15 years of running (started at age 12) I still haven't figured so much stuff out. I ALWAYS dress exactly wrong for the weather. It's my little talent

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  6. You're totally right - you only appreciate the good runs if you have bad runs. And sorry that top didn't work out, at least it's cute!

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  7. I actually think it's ok to cut runs short and stuff when it's not going well! I think it's your body's way of telling you that it'll perform for you another day.
    But...I think you have to figure out whether it's your body that's tired and needs to rest or if you're just not in the mood :).

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