My workout last night was ten thousand kinds of awful. That’s not even an exaggeration (well ok, maybe a little bit). Why? you may wonder…I wish I knew. It was as if my brain-to-leg connection was somehow severed. I have no idea how this is even possible. Only just last weekend I ran a decent-speed 5k like it was no big thing. And Monday night I went for a long run – cruising so naturally down the Mall - as if I’ve never done anything but run.
And then Tuesday night, BAM!
“F you Mollie!” said my legs. Accompanied by the even worse, “I hate you!” issued from my stomach. It was a full-on rebellion staged by my body against my goals.
Normally I would push through – that’s what training is about, isn’t it?
(Disclaimer: I mean going even when you want to stop, not pushing yourself to the point of injury.)
But oh man, that leg/stomach one-two punch is a doozie. So I stopped after the first 2-mile rep (12:12). I was done-sky. To the max. It just wasn’t going to happen.
And as a “serious runner,” I get pretty upset by not finishing a workout. As in, it makes me CRANKY.
So last night I made a serious effort to not let a bad workout ruin my day. Which is kind of challenging. Because a good workout can make my day. And a GREAT workout can make my week. So logically, a bad workout should be equally powerful over my psyche, right? WRONG!
Because:
- Bad workouts happen to everyone.
- They do not reflect upon how “in shape” you are – aka despite evidence to the contrary, I did not all of a sudden lose my fitness last night.
- As a mentally strong endurance athlete (because all endurance athletes are, by definition, mentally strong), I am strong enough to put it behind me and approach my next workout expecting nothing less than awesomeness.
So on that note, have a great workout!
Check out this article from Running Times on "Racing: Staying Positive."
And a great article on "A Bad Run Day."
