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Bad runs
are real “goody bag”
stuff!
Don’t be put off by those terrible runs you may have from
time to
time. Those runs where everything seems to go
wrong. You
can’t find a decent rhythm, you’re feeling
sluggish.
It feels like you are running
with the hand-break on. Sections of
the route that you usually find easy have now become fiendish for no
apparent reason. These bad
runs
could also have been brought on by physical or environmental
conditions. You have a cold, or an injury or it could be a
really
hot morning, or a really cold one with rain and/or wind and/or
hail. You could be really stressed out owing to a work or
home
situation. All these could be contributing factors to your
having
a bad
run.
There may be times when you just feel like throwing in the towel, or in
running
terms,
bailing! Please don’t! Hang in
there. Set yourself manageable goals like running
from kilometre
board to kilometre board or from lamppost to lamppost, or running
for 5
minutes then walking for 1 minute. Do whatever it takes to
keep
moving forward. It doesn't have to be
pretty!
Just stay in the game! Why? Well let me explain why
bad
runs are good
runs.
The prize for
finishing a bad
run is mental strength.
Once you have
showered, refuelled and rested you will be able to reflect on your
run. Think about how you felt during the bad run,
what the contributing
factors were and what you did to counteract them. Most of all
remember that you did finish the run. You were successful!
Now
store this information in your "mental goody
bag”.
Come Comrades race
day, you
may find
yourself in a similar situation (always a good chance of that as you
are on the road for 10 hours plus!). Don’t
panic! Dig
into your "mental goody
bag”
for a similar situation. (By the time you
get to race day your “goody bag”
will be full of
experiences!) Pull out that past experience and use
it!
Remember that you have overcome the situation before, you did finish
that run! That is a huge positive and you need as much
positive
influences as possible. If you could do it before, you can do
it
again. Hold on to that thought and finish your
race! In a
nutshell, bad
runs are good
runs
because we learn from them.
Key
words: running,
bad
runs, good runs, mental strength
Internal
links: It
doesn’t have to be pretty, mental
goody bag, Comrades
External
links: Official Comrades
Marathon
website
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