The other day I had a really bad run. I don’t know if it was cumulative exhaustion from the weekend, or the fact that it was blazing hot (yes, in Scotland) but I did not enjoy myself. Having just a few days previously extolled the virtues of my couch to 5k programme to Mr Bubble, smug about how easy I was finding it, I now felt deflated.
Perhaps it was because the day before I had been on an accidental six-and-a-half-mile leisurely stroll – we had only popped down to The Meadows for a wee wander, no one could predict we would end up in Stockbridge. I should have added another rest day before running; my muscles probably did as much work on the long walk as they did on the much shorter run.
My Running shoes. Note the pouch I made for my Nike+ Running thingy. 5 minutes with a sewing machine, scrap material and a ribbon is much better than the £20 a ‘proper’ pouch costs.
Perhaps the fact that the mercury grazed 22 degrees, and the sun shone interrupted all day made for a less than enjoyable running experience. My usual route takes me round the Medows, and is mostly quite sheltered by the trees that line the paths. This is useful come rain or shine, but there is a small section of a few hundred metres that affords no such indulgence.
Most probably I was low on energy, having binned half my pre-run banana (I actually gave it to Mr Bubble) because it was over ripe. I like my bananas with a little bite to them.
There are all excuses. There is no reason why I had a bad run. I just did. These things happen. What I am most proud of is that I kept going. When my C25k app told me to “Begin Running” for the 6th time (I was on 60 seconds running, 90 secods walking at this point) I said “I don’t want to!” and stamped my feet a little. I did this out loud in the middle of a crowded park, with my headphones in. But begin running I did, and that is why I am exceptionally proud of myself.
There is no great moral to this story. I am just fed up of reading blog posts by ‘new runners’ who got up off their sofas and all but ran a marathon straight away, gushing on about how easy it was. It’s not easy. But even the bad days are fun in their own way. They make the good days seem even better.
Life & Cakes 