How to overcome a run gone wrong?

Shithappens, as do bad days.
It happens to have them, even in running.
Those days when your legs just don’t want to know how to pick up the pace, days when running costs you an inordinate amount of effort, when instead of moving forward you almost feel like you’re going backwards, without the fact that you’re retro running.
All these bad feelings start from your body and get to your head, with which you start having a thousand thoughts about why you feel this way. Do you know instead what would be the one thing to do?
Accept and welcome even the bad days. They are part of the game and not at all indicative of whether you are poor.
Learn how to fight back so you can get back to running stronger than before!

The benefits of a run gone wrong

Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to get back up.
But it is not always necessary.
Without getting to that point, you can use the bad times to your advantage.
For example, by starting to appreciate even the runs and workouts that don’t go well, and try to take what good they can teach you.
They don’t always come at the most opportune time.
In fact they (almost) always come at the wrong time, for example at the end of an intense training period for an important race.
Instead of going into paranoia, try changing your mindset and consider a training run gone wrong as part of the process.
Changing your approach to these races, without demonizing them or deeming them a stroke of sf…ortuna but considering them a step in your journey, can only help you resume with even greater motivation and drive, leaving the past behind.

Listen to the signals

A run gone wrong is sometimes a signal your body sends you to let you know something is wrong: are you training hard?
Are you stressed from training too hard?
Do you need more recovery?
Question yourself about these and other issues and try to give yourself honest answers.
Lying to yourself will not help.

It is a moment, it will pass

It is just a run gone wrong, not the end of the world.
It is a moment that will not last forever; it will pass.
Learning how to handle these situations will also help you in your everyday life.
You can decide whether to let go and feel sorry for yourself or react and get back up to start again, stronger and faster than before.
The decision is up to you and you alone.
In these circumstances, mental strength comes first.

Recharge the tank

It may be that the reason for a workout gone wrong is because you started with an empty tank, or at least not full enough to sustain the effort.
Never underestimate the importance of what you eat and in what proportions you eat it, because it can really make a difference.
Think back: did you start out fasting to tackle a long or particularly intense workout?
Are you hydrating enough?
Are you on a diet to lose weight?

The ghost of overtraining

There is a fine line that is best not to cross.
Following a very tight training plan with little rest and putting your body under great stress can lead you to an overtrained condition.
Abruptly increasing the number of miles run can also have the same undesirable effect.
Recovery should always be proportionate to the workout load.
Never ignore the signals your body sends you.
If it asks you to slow down you slow down.

Surprise yourself

It is in times of difficulty that you really understand what you are made of.
You may find yourself surprising yourself by bringing out skills and qualities that you were not aware of.
There are episodes that are able to show you what you are worth and what you are capable of achieving through commitment and willpower.
Mark Remy, runner and author of numerous books and running manuals states that “If you never have a ‘bad’ day, you are probably doing something wrong. If you never have a ‘good’ day, you are definitely doing something wrong.” Learning how to handle a discomfort situation will toughen you up and prepare you for a possible moment of difficulty that might come, for example, during a race.
In such a case you will not be unprepared, far from it, you will be able to build on the lesson learned by finding ways not only to react but also to overcome the crisis.

Be master of your mind

During a run or workout gone wrong you have two options: quit and stop or get distracted and keep going.
Both are viable options.
There will be days when the best choice is not to continue and others when you decide to keep going, starting the “metal games,“ which, for the record, have nothing to do with the Hunger Games.
Hush the voice that tries to shift your thoughts to the negative aspects.
Don’t be driven by fear and don’t feed the negative thoughts.
Dialogue with the voice that would like to make you stop, tell it that you have already overcome numerous trials and obstacles, and this time too you will not be outdone.
Don’t let it overwhelm you.
The mind is a very powerful tool capable of distracting you from a problem or, on the contrary, amplifying it by magnifying it until you are unable to think about anything else.
But your mind is yours to guide, and that takes practice.
(Via Run to the finish)