I'm sure we've all had them; those runs where the only positive that can be drawn from them is the fact that we did them. Tonight's run was one of those.
No idea why it was so hard. It's a familiar route, my preparations were the same as always, I'd slept OK last night, I'd drunk my usual amount of water, even my pace (for their first 5k at least) was pretty average; but somehow I never quite found my stride.
Sometimes you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and just keep stubborning it out, and tonight that was me. Because it's a circular route, one of the few things that kept me on track was the fact that if I'd stopped to walk, it would have taken me even longer to get home than it did. Even with that "motivation" it was one of my slowest times since I started. Not exactly the way I thought I'd mark my 100th run of the year, but that's the way it goes.
Even my usual spectators got bored and turned their attention to something more interesting (pretty sure that's the bovine equivalent of a Mexico Wave).
Never mind, there's always the next run...
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sTrongFuse
Graduate10
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Just one of those not so good runs for you STF, I am due to run my third 10K on Wednesday morning, I know that I will be running round the loch nearby to where I live 3 times.
I begin that 10K after a ten minute warmup walk from where I live, just after 1 Kilometre I get to the loch and where I know where the 10K ends after running round it three times, I just hope that my run on Wednesday will be a little more enjoyable than the one that you have just ran today.
By the way do you live near Inverness? you did mention the Scottish Highlands in one of your recent posts.
It is. I keep saying that if I ever find myself back in Forres, I'm going to go out and run the school cross country route just to prove to teenage me that it was actually possible...
Some runs just suck... and yeah finishing them is a big positive. When I get one of these I like to look back and compare them to the much shorter runs that I used to struggle with. Well done roughing it out, completing another 10k and 100 runs in 2019.
They usually give me a "grandstand finish" and have been known to follow me (on their side of the fence) for the last 100m or so, but I think they got bored waiting for me last night.
I scared some cows recently. I just said "good morning" to them and they jumped out of their skins 🙀 Don't think they were expecting a runner that early in the morning 😂😂
In my case it was familiarity that at times caused boredom and if your mind isn't set properly then the whole engine gets out of sync. I change route the moment l feel l should, and try and keep it fresh. Used to do the same with music when running. Some of the stuff l enjoyed listening to when on C25K l listened to death and can't bring myself to listen to again. I find that psychological aspect of running is equally important as physical, which l fully figured out during marathon training. Shake things up a bit, change routes, times, distances and see the difference.
I like to change my routes too and hadn't done this one for a couple of weeks. The problem with this particular one is that it's not one I can change once I've started other than to turn around and retrace my steps. As woodland paths go, it's shockingly badly provisioned in terms of side paths and breakout points.
I get you, that's a tricky path, we've all had them. I ran a particular park route for a period during C25K. I swear l could recognise every leaf, squirrel, even a rat. In order to stay sane l changed times - pre/after work, weekend morning/evening. Anything to make it different. It was then that l started driving to different locations, I'm still running that way and it's working fine for me. Then again, could be just a weird one-off run when things simply don't go according to plan...
I suspect that's all it was. Mentally I was fine, but my legs just didn't want to play. Ironically for them, the quickest way for them to get home so that they didn't need to, was simply for them to keep going. They still haven't entirely forgiven me today...
Oh yes, I had one of those last time I went out! I try to tell myself that it is all miles in the legs, no such thing as a bad run etc etc but it is hard when you get no pleasure out of it and just want to finish! I am out again today so fingers crossed it will be better! and for you too!!
Thank you. I know it will be better. It was a nice evening and I'm running along a really nice trail through the woods, that is sparkling with colour, but I just couldn't make myself feel it last night. It just felt like my legs were fighting me the whole way.
Yup, had one myself last Sunday...a no fun at all 8K, just had to get on with it, as you say, the sooner it's done the sooner you can go home! It certainly makes you appreciate the good runs, now they are worth the wait 👍😁
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Whoops! Just about everything went wrong...except the running. 
Lost in the park 
No running, so the dogs and I went route planning. 
