Motivational Monday 3/23 to 3/29: and How to Recover from a Bad Run

Today's Motivation Monday and lesson is going to be about a bad run. 

Or in my case, bad runs.  

First, lets back up and recap the weeks workouts:

Monday:  8 miles (weekends long run)  and 50 minute Tabata 

Tuesday:  Rest 

Wednesday:  4 miles and 50 minute Tabata 

Thursday:  Ride 

Friday:  Rest 

Saturday: 12 mile run, 2 mile walk 

Sunday:  Ride/Fitness Training Class (Spin Class)

TOTAL MILES:  24 

I was unable to squeeze my long run in last weekend with a weekend of skiing and hiking with friends in town.  So instead of Sunday, I got my "long run" in Monday.  

The training plan I built has me doing two long runs increasing distance, and one long run going back a few miles.  After a 10 miler and 11 miler,  last weekend (moved to Monday) was back down to 8.  To create a challenge and get some hill work in, my friend Lauren and I decided to run our 8 up and down city creek.

That means 4 miles of constant uphill, followed by 4 miles of constant downhill. This.Was.A.Hard.Run.  I forgot how hard hills are.  This isnt even hills, because it is a constant incline for 4 miles with no relief until you turn around.  It was a great workout, and great training, but it really kicked my butt.  

Wednesdays run was uneventful.  It wasn't hard, it wasn't super easy, just a four mile maintenance run during the week.

Pre Long Run Breakfast:  Toast, peanut butter and banana with a drizzle of honey 

Now we get to Saturdays run.  Saturday's 12 miler from hell.  For my Utah friends, Salt Lake Running Co is hosting teaser runs on the weekends.  Basically, from 6:30 to 11:30, SLRC provided gatorade and water at several locations along 1.5 mile distances along a section of the Jordan River Trail.

Water and Gatorade at several stations but had to bring your own cup 

Lauren brought these AWESOME collapsible measuring cups.
Perfectly flattened out to fit in a pocket and pop out when needed. 

 If you want to do your long run on a gorgeous paved trail with company, comraderie, and hydration, then this free event is for you.  Read more about it here. 

Gorgeous Jordan River Parkway Trail

  

I usually run my long runs on the Jordan River Parkway anyway (relatively flat, and I get my river fix on a beautiful trail with no cars or stop lights) so this was perfect.  

Four of us tackled Saturday's run.  So nice to commiserate with friends.  

Well, not so perfect.  We started our run at 9:30 but I knew that was toooooo late.  By 10:00 am the sun was out, and the 75 temperature felt like 90 in the sun.  Utah is really dry and the sun feels so much stronger.   

I was roasting in the sun, running, and the worst part?  I had the WORST side stitch for about 9 of the 12 miles.  Like stabbing piercing pain in my side for an hour and a half.  This pain, the heat, and my legs felt like concrete after mile 7.

  This run felt really hard and was really discouraging for my morale.  Lauren and I spent the last 3 miles complaining and discussing how much the run sucked.  This run was a reminder how terrible some runs can feel and also a reminder to really appreciate the good runs.  

So that is my advice for today.  

Today I am sharing some tips

 on how to recover from a bad run from running.about.com

How to Recover from a Bad Run

Move Past a Disastrous Run and Keep Running

By Christine Luff

Running & Jogging Expert

Updated January 01, 2015.

All runners have runs when we just don't feel great. You feel like you're trudging through the run, just going through the motions, and counting down the seconds and steps until the run is over. While it's tough to get through those types of runs, it's sometimes even harder to deal with the disappointment and frustration you feel after the run is over. Follow these tips to get over a bad run:

1.  Figure out what went wrong.

When you have a bad run, it's helpful to understand why it happened. Are yousluggish from overtraining? Did you eatand hydrate properly? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you bored with your routine? Figuring out the reason behind your bad run can help you avoid a repeat experience and can also help you make necessary adjustments to your training.

2.  Focus on the health benefits.

Even if you have a bad run, you're still getting lots of benefits, such as stress relief, calories burned, and other health benefits.

3.  Don't forget the mental training, too.

Getting through a tough run makes you stronger mentally. If you're training for an event, such as a marathon, these tough runs will help teach you how to deal with rough patches during your race.

4.  Write about it.

It may seem like writing about your terrible run will only prolong the agony, but expressing your thoughts about it in your training journal or blog can help you work through it. Having a record of what you think went wrong will also help you prevent you from making the same mistake in the future.

5.  Try something different next time.

Once you figure out what went wrong, try to change something that may have caused that problem. Get more sleep if you need it. Try warming-up a little longer next time. Run a different route if you're bored. Go with a group rather than by yourself. Even if you can't pinpoint what went wrong in your run, making a change will help you distance yourself psychologically from that bad run and help you feel more confident when you start your next run.

6.  Talk to other runners.

All runners, from beginners to elites, have days when it's tough it get through a run. Comparing bad run stories with other runners will make you feel better about your own experience because you'll know you're not alone.
More: How to Find a Running Group

7.  Appreciate your good runs.

The silver lining of having a bad run is that it helps you better appreciate your great runs. After a terrible run, try to push the bad run out of your mind by thinking back to the runs when you felt incredible and experienced that intoxicating runner's high at the end. Another great run is not too far away.

8.  Don't wait too long to run again.

Bad runs are usually pretty rare, so don't assume that you'll feel the same way the next time you run. So don't get discouraged and stop running for a week because you're afraid you'll have another tough run.