What makes for a “bad run”?
By all rights, my run today should have been bad. For one thing, I didn’t get to bed until 12:30 AM, and I had to start running at 5:30 AM. For another thing, the air temperature when I began, not even taking into account the wind chill, was -4F. Finally, the party that kept me awake until after midnight had involved lots of running-unfriendly foods (read: scrumptious dips and other appetizers in which I couldn’t help but indulge) and alcoholic drinks, though I limited myself to one when we first arrived.
But my 13-miler this morning wasn’t a “bad run.” In fact, up until mile 12, my only complaint was that during the brief midway stop to gather with the rest of the later-arriving members of the running club, my cooling sweat made me shiver so badly that my teeth chattered. At that twelfth mile, I did begin to wish I’d brought some Sportbeans, a Clif bar, or something else; I had eaten lightly before heading out, which is usually enough to get me through that distance, but not today. (I know, it’s not wise to run for more than an hour without fueling a bit, but it doesn’t usually bite me in the butt like that. Lesson noted.) I finished the last mile about thirty seconds faster than the ones before it, actually, probably due to knowing that I could have a bagel at the end of it. Nothing like the proverbial carrot dangling before one’s nose!
My explanation for the positivity of this run is that I’ve done a much better job of hydrating myself this week than I have in a while, and watching my refined sugar intake has probably also helped get things moving more efficiently. I’ll be eager to see if this is a continuing trend; I’ve had some duds of long runs lately, and an upswing would be more than welcome. Interesting to note that perhaps a string of good changes can be enough to counteract some more immediate negative facets leading up to a run. I suppose that you can only control for so many things at once, and taking into account things like the weather, for which you just can’t control, having at least a few strengths going for you can change everything.
Off to drink some more water. 
I’m doing this race as my first 50K/ultra in July 2012. I’m so tardy to the party but...
Sometimes you just can’t explain it. You have a horrible night’s sleep, you ate badly, and you go out and have the performance of your life.
Likewise, you do everything right and you bonk.
Sometimes the body just has a mind of its own. Welcome to endurance sport.
(Yes, removal of the sugars and better hydration probably saved you from the sins of last night.) I also have a friend who is a firm believer in one glass of red wine the night before a triathlon, so there’s that.
As to the sleep? We are coached to go to bed early TWO nights before the tri… if you don’t sleep well the night before due to nerves or whatever, you have a bank of rest from which to draw.
At the moment, while I’m struggling with consistency, any run I do is a good run, even if it’s a four-mile crapfest. Last weekend, my long run was five miles .. and it SNOWED. But I DID the darn thing, and pride in that fact seems to have put a rose-colored filter over the whole thing.
I can’t imagine the day when I’ll do five miles and actually run most of it instead of walk most and run a little – but I hope beyond hope that it’s in my future!
Just a heads up – I heard Clif bars were included in the peanut butter recall (Salmonella) this past week. You can go to fda.gov to check the list of recalled items.
Oof. Hope they get a handle on that soon. I’ll stick to the beans for now!