Lessons from a Terrible Run

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September 20, 2012

First off, I want to apologize if any of you follow me on Twitter and saw the crazy amount of tweets last night about Big Brother.  I tweeted 13 times about Big Brother last night in a very short time period.  For those of you who watched it last night and follow me on Twitter, you know I was super excited that Ian won!  I was Team Ian from the very first episode.

Big Brother Ian

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I talked to some of you on Twitter about this yesterday, but with starting my new job I am exhausted both physically and mentally.  This is NOT a bad thing!  It’s just a learning curve.  I am 100% happy and looking forward to going to work everyday.  However, I’ve been really tired this week and my runs (or lack there of) have been terrible.  

After coming off of a running high this weekend with the 6 miles I completed, I figured that this week would be easy!  6 miles took just about an hour, so I just assumed that doing 3 miles yesterday would feel like a breeze.  Oh, how I was wrong.  My mind just wasn’t in it, my legs were definitely not in it, and the time dragged on.  I did one very slow mile before I got frustrated and got off the treadmill. 

Ironically enough, last night as I was catching up on reading my favorite blogs, one being Janae at I saw this quote…

Kara Goucher quotes

First off, I know I’ve been talking about Kara Goucher a lot lately.  I even talked about her in yesterday’s post!  Anyway… this quote couldn’t have been more perfect after yesterday’s (somewhat) failure of a run.  My run was absolutely the worst run I’ve done in a long time.  But as Kara says, “the greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success.”  My terrible run has taught me a lot.

  • Wear compression socks to bed if my last run was a few days prior.  Strangely enough, my legs are more tired when I haven’t gone for a run in a while.  If I am in the routine of running a few days in a row, my legs seem to be ready to go.
  • Drink water throughout the day.  DUH.  It’s been an ongoing goal every month this year to drink more water and I can’t seem to get this right.  I went all day yesterday and maybe consumed 2 cups of water.  Shameful…
  • Find a positive out of the negative.  There’s no point in harping over how terrible I felt yesterday.  The thing to do moving forward is to accept that the run wasn’t the best, learn from the mistakes I made, and start fresh today. 
  • Get in a routine.  I used to have a lot more time in the morning for runs, but with my new schedule the mornings are used for catching up on blogging, emails and a bit of cleaning.  This leaves no time for a run, no matter how early I wake up.  My complex’s gym doesn’t open until 6 and it’s too dark to run outside anytime before that. 

Talk to Me

  • Did you watch Big Brother this summer?  Who was your favorite and least favorite?
  • What lessons have you learned from terrible runs?
  • How much water do you drink every day.  Please give me tips!
Comments ▼

Love the Kara Goucher quote, so true!

Chelsea @ GlitterAndSweat

I don’t/never have watched Big Brother. I honestly just suck at watching tv lol

if i do any leg workouts (besides running) then my legs will hurt.

go buy the “SMART WATER” and try to drink 2 of those a day, i normally only get through 1.5, which is enough for me (they are 33 ounces each)

Big Brother is the best. I just started watching it a few years ago and it’s my favorite show for the summer!

That’s a good idea, Chelsea about the smart water. I’m weird with water and whatever I’m drinking it out of has to be pretty. haha.

I hate having a terrible run, but I definitely always learn something from it. I love BB, I was Team Britney, I love her!

Ah I love Britney! She was my favorite on her first season before the Brigade ruined her chance at winning!

the one thing that I learned from a terrible run is that what you eat the day before really affects your run! When I eat bad its like I can’t even find the motivation and when I run it is just awful!

It’s so true! Last weekend I had beer and french fries the day before a long run and it was the worst ever. Never am I doing that again!

No BB for me – I’m a Survivor gal!! Glad you were still able to take something away from your run. Even the bad ones are better than nothing!

Leah, I never go into Survivor. I think I saw maybe one episode. Do you watch Amazing Race?

No Big Brother for me!
At the beginning of my half-marathon training, I was literally wearing my compression socks every single moment I was at home (literally — I left them near the door so I could pull them on right when I got in. I genuinely believe that they helped).
I usually drink between 84-96oz of water a day … I carry a large Nalgene with me and usually drink a large amount (1 1/2 cups ish) about 60-90min after eating a meal and try to sip between. And get in a large amount before bed (I know that doesn’t work for everyone). Hydration is REALLY important to me, so even if I have to pee often, I prioritize it for sure. 🙂

Yes! I watched Big Brother! I was actually kind of surprised that Ian won, but I’m glad that Dan didn’t!

true story! ugh dan was terrible. he’s already won once, so I’m glad ian won!