3 Tips to Run Better, Faster, & Stronger – After a Bad Run

When something goes wrong during training – Observe & Learn from it. It’s an important part of the process.

Instead of getting upset with yourself or the circumstances that made your run extra difficult do these 3 things to learn from a hard run. These tips are helpful to have in your running tool belt in any situation where you want to avoid it or run through it faster next time.

To be clear a ‘Bad Run’ is relative. Every runner is different. So, you may think a bad run is when you hit a wall and can’t finish your long run. Or it could be a situation where you overdressed for a run and ended up overheating. Basically, it can be anything that you consider an obstacle to running your best.

Set backs during a run can be anything including but not limited to…

Possible scenarios that contribute to a ‘Bad Training Run’:

• alien abduction
• bathroom bailout
• blister bonanza
• calendar conflict
• cramps
• fueling fail
• gear goes wrong
• getting lost
• hitting a wall
• mindset meltdown
• pain or discomfort
• technology fail
• weather wtf
• zone zap

3 Steps After a HARD (or BAD) RUN:

1. TEACHABLE MOMENT –  LEARN how to eat, drink, sleep, run, dress for your race. And training is when you try and get out all the ‘speed bumps’ aka anything that stops you or slows you down. Some speed bumps will slow you down, sometimes you’ll have to stop for a minute and other times you can learn how to avoid them all together. But the point is – this is the opportunity to learn from extra hard runs or challenges during a run.
2. OBSERVE without judgement or emotion – Observe the situation like a student studying a runner in the wild. Leave judgment and emotions out of it. You just have to record the facts for this assignment.
3. MOVE FORWARD with a plan. Decide – What can you do to prevent it? What can you do next time in this situation? What do you control in the situation? Hopefully, it won’t happen again but if it does you’ll be prepared with a plan! And feeling capable to face any challenge will help you run with more confidence and ultimately perform better.

RUN TIP:  Make sure to use your Run Log right after your run so you have the details to reference later.

We tend to forget specifics pretty fast! But these details are important to help you learn about your body and training. Try to be as descriptive as possible after each training run. You don’t have to solve any problems right away, but you’ll have great notes available to look over after you’ve stretched and refueled your body.

THE MORE KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE THE BETTER, STRONGER AND FASTER YOU CAN RUN!

Q: How was your last run – Good, Bad, Meh or something else??

 

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