Earlier this week I had one of ‘those’ runs. There was nothing in my legs and while I was meant to be doing hill sprints in my efforts to achieve PBs anywhere from 5 to 50k this year, I managed only three. By the time I got home, I was in a grump! It got me thinking about what goes through my head when a run goes bad.

I now know why it was so awful as I sit here with the dreaded lurgy. I didn’t feel it coming on otherwise I wouldn’t have gone out the front door! I’ll be over it soon and back to my happy running self.

I’ve written on this stuff before – how to get over the bad run, and having ‘runner envy’ when ill. But what I haven’t done before is articulate the experience of the run itself. In this case, Gifs say it better than words.

When a run goes bad…

 

The procrastination phase

 

 

Leaving the house and what you say to yourself

 

 

First mile (though this is how many of my runs start!)

 

 

What I’m thinking

 

 

And how I respond to my internal dialogue

 

 

Second mile and those hill sprints

When you want it to feel like this

 

 

But it feels more like this

 

 

Third mile and a bit

 

 

My mood when I got home

 

 

Me now

 

 

 

Me in a couple of days (I’ve got a lot of stuff coming up!)

 

 

 

Happy running all!