Why do some runs seem so much harder than others?

[Upsidaisy]

Why do some runs seem so much harder than others? For me, the cardio side of things is always okay but sometimes my legs seem like they just don’t want to run. I make sure that I’m properly hydrated before each run and always do a dynamic warm up plus the 5 minute walk. Maybe certain times of the day suit some people better than others and it certainly seems more noticeable in warmer weather. Any advice on this would be very welcome! Thank you

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

We very rarely exactly reproduce the same conditions for each run, so there are inevitably variations in perceived effort and performance.

This FAQ Post about run preparation may give you some food for thought healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Some really useful advice here, many thanks for the link and for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I’ve just read your amazing post about 2 contrasting runs that you did 7 years ago from the link you sent me. It’s a beautifully written piece - I particularly enjoyed your descriptions of running through the Devon landscape. I’m sure our surroundings must make a significant impact on how much we enjoy a run and it has inspired me to find some different routes as mine are all through suburban streets. Thanks again

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

There are many many factors that can affect a run… and sometimes when we go through them all we have no explanation as to why it was a tough one. Conquering these runs makes you mentally tougher as well as physically fitter… so they should be welcomed when they come!

One thing that stands out is that you make sure you’re properly hydrated before you run. Not sure what you mean here… if dehydrated, no amount of pre run water will fully hydrate you, it takes a couple of days, so if not already doing so, sip water regularly throughout every day.

There was a recent study that showed different times of day are better for different genders and desired results too… but I think we are all different.

Sleep, nutrition, stress, hydration, temperature, humidity, running surface, incline, air quality, pollen, wind, rain etc etc are just some of the factors that can be slightly out, and some are not in our control!

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Thank you for your detailed reply. I was very interested to learn that hydration is not just about the amount of water you drink before a run, but making sure you are fully hydrated at all times. I will be more diligent about drinking regularly throughout the day! It was also useful to read about all the other factors that come into play which can affect the quality of a run and how we might perceive it. Really helpful!

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate]

I’ve had a fair few runs like that and often there’s no obvious reason for it. You can do everything right but sometimes it feels like a slog. When I’m on a run like that, I try and make the best of it so there’s still something positive I can find to celebrate at the end, even if it is just that I finished the run. I enjoy most runs, but it’s definitely normal to have some duffers. It is harder in the hot and humid weather.

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you, that’s very reassuring and I love your comment about finding something positive in every run - definitely one to take on board.

[Cmoi Graduate]

Hi Upsidaisy , just to add to UnfitNoMore 's detailed answer, I need to drink about 2 litres of water a day to be well-hydrated for running. That's in addition to coffee, tea and fruit juice. And wine at weekends!

As for the best time of day to run, it's when it suits you. I can't possibly know that! I can tell you, though, that the runs that you don't enjoy can help you build mental strength.

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

Thanks for that Cmoi, I definitely don’t drink 2l of water a day in addition to tea, coffee etc, so that’s very possibly where I’m going wrong. Although most people on the forum seem to favour morning runs, I tend to find that I’m less fatigued if I run in the afternoon and early evening. My last 2 runs have been in the morning and I’ve struggled with them, so maybe I loosen up as the day goes by when I’ve been moving around a bit. I do like the idea that the runs we struggle with help to build mental strength, so thank you for some great advice and I’ll make a real effort to drink more water!

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to Upsidaisy]

Well, you don't necessarily have to drink 2L Upsidaisy , I'm mentioning the figure because it works for me, and it's much more than I'd have thought!

I'm not a morning person, never have been, never will be. I run in the morning when I have to, but generally prefer to run later. After all, 30 minutes (or 5K or 10K or whatever) is exactly the same no matter what time of day. 😉😀

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

That’s reassuring Cmoi, thank you for clarifying those points. I’ll go back to running later in the day as it seems to suit me better 😊

[nowster Graduate in reply to Upsidaisy]

Unlike others, I do count coffee, tea, fruit juice and beer towards my fluids total. Other foods can contribute fluids too. A lot of nonsense has been written on the subject by people who aren't experts, misinterpreting the medical evidence.

The best thing to check your hydration level is the colour of your pee. You're aiming for a pale straw yellow, but be aware that certain foods and diet supplements can dramatically affect its colour.

After a long run, I sometimes weigh myself to judge how much fluid I've lost. One litre of water weighs one kilogram.

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to nowster]

Thank you nowster, it’s good to have a different perspective on things!

[Dendev75 Graduate]

I get this, I’m a morning person and seem to have loads of energy very early so it suits me to to run in the mornings (not great when I’m in work all week). I really don’t feel the same running of an evening but there’s nothing I can do about it.

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to Dendev75]

Thank you for your reply. As Oldfloss has said, we have to listen to our bodies and find what suits us best.

All of these replies illustrate how different we all are.

I didn’t realise that running could teach us so much about ourselves. It’s a learning journey as well as a physical one!

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to Upsidaisy]

That is a really good piece of advice and listening to your body is key to our future health (physically and mentally). I tried a run earlier this week and could only manage 10 mins before I had to start walking then I did another 10 mins but other days I can do 5k. As long as you accept that each run differs and you won’t always have a great run (but the next one might be) ☺️

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

You have had some really helpful replies and it is as the others say, just something that happens, for a myriad of reasons...So many things impact our running, physical and mental...often the mental ones can be the trickiest to work through.

Are you putting in some strength and stamina work in on some of your rest days? That can be so helpful for making sure the legs are strong enough to take you through.

Listen to your body carefully, it is telling you something, you just have to tune into what that something is... and when you do...you may begun to identify what is happening.

I have learned this lesson over the years I have been running... and when my body speaks...I listen

healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Wise counsel Oldfloss, thank you so much.

Yes, I do calf raises, squats and lunges on my rest days and also as part of my warm up before I run. I don’t know if there are other exercises that might help too?

Listening to your body is something I hadn’t really considered, but I’m sure it will be a game changer and I’ll certainly start doing that.

You’re right, I’ve had so much useful advice from the lovely members of this forum and I’ve come to accept that not all runs will be enjoyable but even the bad ones have positives, so a huge thank you to everyone who has given me the benefit of their experience.

[TeaFree]

It's good "the cardio side of things is always okay", and of course these days there are relatively easy ways to check on that.

However, my counsel would be never to take too much on trust. Pushing through barriers etc., which is the lore of any sport, is a noble and life-enhancing thing, but presumes that everything is broadly in order and you are just having trouble going that extra bit, to improve.

My experience is that many years ago a GP in a routine work medical must have thought they spotted something and gave me an ECG, which led them to conclude I had the 'perfect heart'. I took this for granted, and I later took up running in my late 30s in the Middle East assuming I had just that.

Previously I was a mile-a-day recreational swimmer, but switched to running (on treadmills at first) because when I arrived whatever the question was the answer was 42 degrees - air, pool and sea temperature (and 100% humidity with it, often as not). So it was indoors for me (there were no indoor, temperature conditioned pools where I was).

Like you (and everyone!) some days were just very hard, but I pushed on. And when I got back to the UK I carried on with my habitual, daily 5-10km runs.

Then I almost collapsed on a treadmill one day. And later, back in the Middle East, having given up running for 16km outdoor walks instead, I was diagnosed with lone paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. I was stuck in it and have had multiple cardioversions and an ablation since.

There is actually not much wrong with my heart, just a bit of atrial dilation. AF is a condition affecting my heart rather than strictly a 'heart condition', because in my case because there is no other obvious cardio, kidney or thyroid pathology. Lone AF is a diagnosis of exclusion.

But it messed up my life and career. And I have spent over a decade trying to get to the bottom of it, because it has always seemed an odd thing for me to have. Nonetheless, its causes, the 'substrate', is so protean that most medics have given up speculating, they just reach for (pretty toxic) pills and surgery. To make it stop they just knock out the 'alarm'.

Medics inevitably have a threshold, above which they take things seriously. And once you breach that you get these heavy-duty and life-changing prescriptions - lifetime anticoagulation anyone? But they can also be a bit negligent of the obvious, small stuff, particularly matters of biochemistry or odd, seemingly inconsequential, genetic traits.

What is definitely true though, is that the pulmonary vein carrying highly oxygenated blood to the heart has a great deal of free-radical and mechanical impact on the left atrium. And dilating that atrium is one of the things that will sustain AF. 'Runner's heart' is a thing.

In my case though, after years of battling AF, I have had a protracted remission following a chance B12 test that showed exceptionally low levels. Who knew? By researching the heck out of this and other coincident morbidity like homocysteine (I also had a TIA, which tends to get everyone's attention), I have found relief (for now) with a simple over-the-counter supplement, which has enabled me to dispense with the other stuff and feel better than I have in years. I may even go back to running.

However, my point is, do make sure, so far as you can, that there are not other underlying reasons for any impediments that show up periodically when you put yourself under stress.

And, don't speculate, test (cortisol, thyroid, vitamins, iodine, magnesium etc..) there is a lot that can be gleaned from standard blood tests. In retrospect, mine should have raised some flags. But, as sister sites to this will attest, it is easy for things to be overlooked, and some conditions are systematically misdiagnosed and mistreated. Just being 'within the normal range' is seldom the whole story. However, the pattern and your exact status provides clues.

There are really quite a lot of very common deficiencies and polymorphisms that go undiagnosed because they are not consequential until they are very much so. They creep up.

We are all different. Which runs contrary to a medical narrative which, perforce, increasingly treats us as though we are all the same, despite mounting evidence of our metabolic uniqueness.

More often than not a little trouble pushing through physical barriers is just that. Or, occasionally, it may be just the litmus test you need to nip something in the bud. One of the benefits of any exercise is the way it can provide a timely alert to things being out of whack.

It does no harm to ask the question. And I hope I have not been a downer in my response.

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to TeaFree]

Pushing through barriers etc., which is the lore of any sport,

Hmm, while plenty of people appear to believe that, if they read the "How to run C25K" guide and other FAQs it becomes very clear that it's not a good idea.

[Upsidaisy Graduate]

Wow, Teafree, thank you for taking the time to reply at such length and in such detail.When I said that ‘the cardio side of things is always okay’ I, I wasn’t really referring to my heart, I just meant I don’t get out of breath when I’m running, rather, it’s my legs that sometimes seem reluctant to run.

Your medical knowledge of and research into your condition is truly impressive and I’m glad that after all those years of interventions, you appear to have found a simple and effective remedy, infinitely preferable to the powerful drugs of big pharma with their potential side effects as well as their benefits.I wish you well and sincerely hope that you will be able to take up running again, if that is what you want.