Getting Over a Horrible Training Run

All the factors for disaster were there. I had been sick and was just starting to recover. It was an unusually hot day for my climate. All that could go wrong, did go wrong. You win Murphy!

Telling you about my horrible training run feels about as useful as discussing how my fantasy football team lost by one point after my running back took a knee at the one yard line. So here is a quick summary. I'm sick but I decide to run anyways. As I set out it gets hotter and hotter (mid 80s in October in Wisconsin is crazy). I trip crossing a bridge and fall within the first 3 miles of my 18 mile run. I run, I walk, I run, I walk, I run, shooting pain in my back, I can no longer run. I walk the remaining 6 miles of the 18 mile run.

So you had a horrible training run. We've all had them. The question is, what do you do once they happen?

1. Get Angry- Let it out. It's frustrating. You've worked hard to get to this point and this run isn't an indicator that your previous work was worthless. So complain about it and get over it.

2. Analyze It- A mistake is much more valuable if you can learn from it. Were you too sick to run? Did you not take the weather into account? Did you choose a route with no shortcut home? Did you notify someone where you were going? Could you have ran with a cell phone? I made all of these mistakes. It happens. Now fix it.

3. Count It- You may not have run for 18 miles but look on the bright side. You were on your feet even longer than your training run would have afforded. If you ended up walking, you worked out the exact same muscles you do when running. You got one of the best and most important training session, a mental workout. When race day comes, you can be confident that if you can overcome this set back, nothing will stop you from achieving your goal.

4. Recover- Sleep if you need to overcome that cold. Rest your body if you were fatigued. Heal if you were injured. Skip a run if you have to. It is always better to be undertrained than overtrained.

5. Get Your Butt Back Out There- As soon as you feel ready, get back on the horse. Talk to other runners. Every poker player has a bad beat story and so does every runner. They'll tell you what happened to them. Then ask them how much fun they had on race day.

If running marathons, half marathons, 5ks, etc. were easy, everyone would do them. You've chosen to challenge yourself. Well here's your challenge. How will you respond?