When Running is Hard
Yesterday, I decided to go for a 5-mile run in preparation for the Zooma 5K in Atlanta. I chose a fairly flat, out-and-back route that I've done a million times. It should have been easy.
But it wasn't. My legs felt like they were moving in slow motion. I felt really, really thirsty. I felt like I wanted to throw up. I walked a lot more than I ran.
That's the thing with running: sometimes it's hard. There's a tendency, at least for me, to think that once you're used to running a certain distance, anything less is going to be a cake walk. I mean, I ran a half marathon a few weeks ago, shouldn't five miles be easy?
It's really easy to get frustrated with yourself. I've been running for a long time so I'm used to the "bad run for absolutely no reason" feeling but I think that if you're a beginning runner, you might not know that it happens to everyone. Even that guy that just won a marathon, he probably has bad runs too.
Runs aren't only harder when they're longer or faster. Sometimes they feel harder for no reason. When I'm having a bad run, there are several things I do:
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I sometimes force myself to keep on chugging along in the hopes that it will get better (sometimes it does).
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I also take walk breaks. (I like to allow myself to walk to a certain landmark and then tell myself that I have to run again once I pass it.)
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Finally, I sometimes stop and give my body a break and try again the next day.
I've done all three of these things many times. But the thing that I always tell myself is that since this run was so bad, the next one is going to be great. And it usually is!
(I also tell myself that I probably shouldn't eat vegetarian chili dogs two hours before the run next time either.)
What about you, do you have any tips for beginning runners struggling with a tough run?
If you're interested in reading more about my running antics and my attempts at cooking (and looking at what's probably too many pictures of the world's cutest golden retriever) check out my blog at www.inmytummy.com