Well that was grim! I was really looking forward to my run last night but it was awful! It hurt, my breathing was all ragged, I kept getting a stitch and the gremlin on my shoulder kept telling me to bail out. Also there were midges everywhere (coughed one up afterwards) and the shuffle genie in my iPod kept choosing tracks that grated on my nerves (apart from 'should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements...', which did make me laugh). I'm not even sure of time and distance as Endomondo lost the signal.
After the enormous high of a race I did on Saturday I feel I've thumped down to earth. I hadn't run since the race because I was trying to shake off the tail end of a cold, and I don't know quite what I was expecting but the contrast was huge. I'm also surprised at how much it's made me question the progress I've made.
However I was re-reading Realfoodieclub's post from the other day about 'bad' runs: how sometimes they happen for a reason, sometimes for none at all, and how you can't linger on them too long or over-analyse. They happen to everyone at some point and you have to put them behind you and carry on. The more you run, the more good runs you chalk up that proportionately outweigh the bad. (I'd add to that that the only real 'bad' run is one where you get injured.) Last night was no fun, but I carried on, I'm in one piece, and glad I went out and did it. This is a really helpful forum in so many ways, particularly when you're feeling a bit deflated – so thank you!