Marathon Training

annemcharles

I am training for my first marathon and have been feeling GREAT and energetic on my runs. This weekend I went on a long run of 18-miles and felt FANTASTIC! 5-days later (today) I go on an easy 3.5 mile run and feel like crap the whole time. What gives? How can I do 18 miles relatively easily and then have such a sucky day. It is messing with my head! I have been following the plan and eating a moderately health diet. Just a bad day or is there something I am missing here?

vmclach

Sometimes you have off days... Sometimes you need to listen to your body. There is a time and place to push it and a time and place to recover. I run a 1:40 half & a 20:55 5k... But today I was feeling beat so I ran 12 min pace. Listen to your body and stop psyching yourself out

ZenInTexas

You just had a bad day. Let it go and move on.

ThickMcRunFast

As others said, bad runs happen. Usually if I have a great long run, my next run is a slow plod while my muscles recover. Sometimes, a 10 mile interval workout feels like you're flying, and sometimes a 4 mile jog feels like death. They can't all be winners

CarsonRuns

At what pace did you run the 18 miler?

At what pace did you run the "easy" run that sucked?

If the short run was significantly faster than the long run, you need to slow down. Marathon training is all about building aerobic base by running nice and easy miles.

If you've already got this down, then the run just sucked. Mark it as done and move on.

hecham

This was totally me today! I ran a great 14 miler this weekend, no problem, lots of energy afterwards. Then today, set out for a slow 10k, and didn't even make it 5 minutes. Could be many factors at play, sleep, dehydration, sickness coming on, stress. Personally, I think it's a mental thing too. I get myself psyched for a long run days beforehand. But, I don't give much thought to my shorter runs so have not mentally and physically prepared myself as much as I should.
You'll be back out there rockin' the runs in no time. In the meantime, rest up!

davemunger

It's possible that you are fighting off a mild illness. Lots of things can affect your runs. Fortunately I've found that I don't get full-blown colds and flu nearly as often now that I'm running frequently. But you can still get slowed down by them -- usually you'll be back to your old form in a day or two.

rjmudlax13

all of what the above posters said...

Also, weather can have a significant impact. I can run forever if it's around 55-60 degrees F and low humidity. Once the temperature goes up and more importantly, the humidity, things get rough real quickly. Also, too cold and dry and I start to have breathing issues.

derekj222

I have often had 4 mile runs that went really slow and felt like hell. It's all part of running and recovery.

heybales

did you wear HRM and track average HR for both runs?

What did you get along with the pace?

As was commented, great weather can allow you to run faster and feel great about the run - but it still takes a physical toll on the body.

kishstl

Those are all good points, also check your nutrient levels for the days following your run and make sure that you're replenishing your body, especially in the protein area. Long runs (or any type of strenuous activity) break down small fibers in the muscle tissue and need to be repaired. Sometimes in our quest to be lean AND fit we sacrifice nutrients to reduce calories and this can lead to the body not having the proper nutrients to repair tissue. It will also scavenge glycogen from your system to aid in this process so low carbs following intense training can also contribute to this. My wife who is a marathoner and bodyfat watcher tends to under feed her body for the demands that she puts on it. Just something to watch.