Runners--tell me a "bad run" story and a "good run" story.

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  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    Bad: I bought new shoes and was super excited to get out...about a mile in, I started getting a shooting pain in my right foot (in the arch) and then a pain in my left knee. Foolishly, I pushed through 2 more miles and had to limp back home. My knee is still messed up.

    GOOD: I signed up for a 5K thinking I'd just do the best I could. I set my interval timer to run 10 minutes, walk 3 minutes. The furthest I'd run without stopping before that was 8 mins at a time. I ended up running the full 5k without stopping :)
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    Bad Run: I was training for my first half, and we had the winter to end all winters. I was doing all my long runs outside anyway. I was out on an 11 mile run, and the high was somewhere around 0 F with a windchill below zero. I had eaten something different for lunch, and didn't think it would be a problem, but oh, it was. I started getting the sweats and dry heaving FOUR MILES from my car. I was freezing, covered in cold sweat, and continued to heave all the way back to my car.

    Good Run: My Louisville half marathon. Gosh, what a run that was. Everything came together perfectly, the course was MADE for me. I felt like I could've run the full marathon that day. I alternate walk/run intervals on long runs, but ended up running the whole last two miles because I had so much left in the tank.
  • Sailatsorf
    Sailatsorf Posts: 161 Member
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    Good story: I started running a few weeks ago, and I absolutely loved it. I was doing C25k, and I made a special playlist of songs that made me want to run, and I was having so much fun with it! I was waking up early 3 times a week to get a run in before it got too hot out. I can't describe how good it felt to finally run. I never, ever ran willingly after my early childhood because I was so overweight, but just being able to get out there and do it was awesome.

    Bad story: I had to quit. I have a bit of a weak back, and I thought that I'd lost enough weight that I was mostly done with the problems with it, but no. My back started hurting pretty severely, and I didn't want to have problems with it like I did a few years ago. My chest was also sore, considering my endowments. So I said, "Well, it's probably the running doing it. My chest hurts and the weight on my chest is probably tugging on my back and making it hurt when I run. So I'll cut it out and see if that helps." And it did. :( Maybe when I lose a few more pounds... Sigh...
  • nikkohli
    nikkohli Posts: 311 Member
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    Not a bad run story more unexpected, I am doing Race for Life in 10days and I went around the park where it will be and ran a route around it, there are unexpected 'hilly' areas, I only managed 4.85miles before calling it quites felt terrible afterwards as well as ran out at 11am on a sunny day.

    Good run story: My first half was the end of May, did it with a friend, our training runs were ok nothing to write home about, did 12miles in 1:57. The weekend of the half I was super busy flew in from my holiday in Austria Friday evening in to London, had a family birthday on the Saturday in Birmingham and then the race was in Liverpool on the Sunday. When I arrived in Liverpool I was super tired, we stayed in this HORRIBLE B&B (really noisy and not that clean). Got up for the race with the idea that I had to beat 2:10 (as my brother-in-law did a race 2 months earlier and got about that), wanted to do 2:05, started the race really thought I had pushed myself, there were pacers holding balloons and I lost all of them so I had only a vague idea of my time based on my watch. Came up to finish line in a sprint and saw the time on the clock was 2:06 something sprinted and cleared it in 2.07 something. My friend came in after me and she was a little disappointed as she was 2:31 and she wanted to do it under 2:30, so although both happy we finished we were a little deflated. Later on my friend looked up our results online, neither of us had factored in the time it took us to get from one of the back starting paddocks to the actual start line, she had finised in 2:23 and I had actually done it in 1:59:11.

    All in all most of my running experiences have been good even if at the time they felt awful.

    Good luck with your training!

    That is my favorite part of the race--crossing the line, seeing the time, and knowing that it will be even lower based on when you cross the start line. It's like finding $10 in an old winter coat!
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
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    Bad Story - Despite knowing better, I ate a dinner the night before a marathon that consisted of something I wouldn't usually eat. I call that one the "Tour de Porta John" marathon. :ohwell:

    Good Story: I had been training really hard after coming off of a partial PF tear, and my first BIG race was a 1/2 marathon where my parents live. The pace felt super easy, and I couldn't slow down even when I tried (I was aware of my splits and was afraid I would totally bonk). I didn't bonk and ran my 1/2 marathon PR of 1:32. :smile:
  • nikkohli
    nikkohli Posts: 311 Member
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    Good story: I started running a few weeks ago, and I absolutely loved it. I was doing C25k, and I made a special playlist of songs that made me want to run, and I was having so much fun with it! I was waking up early 3 times a week to get a run in before it got too hot out. I can't describe how good it felt to finally run. I never, ever ran willingly after my early childhood because I was so overweight, but just being able to get out there and do it was awesome.

    Bad story: I had to quit. I have a bit of a weak back, and I thought that I'd lost enough weight that I was mostly done with the problems with it, but no. My back started hurting pretty severely, and I didn't want to have problems with it like I did a few years ago. My chest was also sore, considering my endowments. So I said, "Well, it's probably the running doing it. My chest hurts and the weight on my chest is probably tugging on my back and making it hurt when I run. So I'll cut it out and see if that helps." And it did. :( Maybe when I lose a few more pounds... Sigh...

    Oh no! What a bummer when you find something you love! Maybe check in with a run store and see if they have any ideas? Or a better sports bra? Not that you don't know yourself best, but I hate to see people give up something they love!
  • handyrunner
    handyrunner Posts: 32,662 Member
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    Bad run: I had this little yappy dog burst out of a yard at me and decided to bark and pace me for a while. The dog's owner was distraught because she was trying to get it back home and was running late for work. So I was trying to run around her house to get the dog over their but the little *kitten* was having none of that..every time i neared the house he take off away from it..so off she would go...id continue on and here it comes again...took us several attempts till we finally caught the darn thing...yea my run was shot.


    Good run...Finally broke sub-30 on a 5K in april...28:30ish...wanted better but I'll take it!!!
  • nikkohli
    nikkohli Posts: 311 Member
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    Bad: I bought new shoes and was super excited to get out...about a mile in, I started getting a shooting pain in my right foot (in the arch) and then a pain in my left knee. Foolishly, I pushed through 2 more miles and had to limp back home. My knee is still messed up.

    GOOD: I signed up for a 5K thinking I'd just do the best I could. I set my interval timer to run 10 minutes, walk 3 minutes. The furthest I'd run without stopping before that was 8 mins at a time. I ended up running the full 5k without stopping :)

    Amazing! Race adrenalin is a magical thing :)
  • nikkohli
    nikkohli Posts: 311 Member
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    Bad Run: I was training for my first half, and we had the winter to end all winters. I was doing all my long runs outside anyway. I was out on an 11 mile run, and the high was somewhere around 0 F with a windchill below zero. I had eaten something different for lunch, and didn't think it would be a problem, but oh, it was. I started getting the sweats and dry heaving FOUR MILES from my car. I was freezing, covered in cold sweat, and continued to heave all the way back to my car.

    Good Run: My Louisville half marathon. Gosh, what a run that was. Everything came together perfectly, the course was MADE for me. I felt like I could've run the full marathon that day. I alternate walk/run intervals on long runs, but ended up running the whole last two miles because I had so much left in the tank.

    That is the best feeling. I had that with my first non-race 10K--I had just planned to run 5K but then it felt so good I thought "One more mile", and kept "one more mile" -ing until I did my route twice!
  • nikkohli
    nikkohli Posts: 311 Member
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    Bad Story - Despite knowing better, I ate a dinner the night before a marathon that consisted of something I wouldn't usually eat. I call that one the "Tour de Porta John" marathon. :ohwell:

    Good Story: I had been training really hard after coming off of a partial PF tear, and my first BIG race was a 1/2 marathon where my parents live. The pace felt super easy, and I couldn't slow down even when I tried (I was aware of my splits and was afraid I would totally bonk). I didn't bonk and ran my 1/2 marathon PR of 1:32. :smile:

    1:32? That is like a superhero pace!
  • nikkohli
    nikkohli Posts: 311 Member
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    Bad run: I had this little yappy dog burst out of a yard at me and decided to bark and pace me for a while. The dog's owner was distraught because she was trying to get it back home and was running late for work. So I was trying to run around her house to get the dog over their but the little *kitten* was having none of that..every time i neared the house he take off away from it..so off she would go...id continue on and here it comes again...took us several attempts till we finally caught the darn thing...yea my run was shot.


    Good run...Finally broke sub-30 on a 5K in april...28:30ish...wanted better but I'll take it!!!

    haha! I love that visual. And yay for your new PR!
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,953 Member
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    Bad story:

    I almost killed a bunny on my first ever run.
    I turned a corner and a cute little bunny was on the grass. I scared it and it ran towards the road. A big truck was coming.

    Good story:

    Luckily the bunny dodged at the last second.

    If I had seen the bunny get squished, I would have given up running forever. And ever.

    FYI I just started 1.5 weeks ago.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    Over the years, I have had so many of both that I couldn't begin to decide which story to tell. Good days and bad days are all part of running...which is why we love it so much!
  • mommyrunning
    mommyrunning Posts: 495 Member
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    Bad: Before getting pregnant with my first child I could easily run 5 miles several days a week. My first run after giving birth I couldn't even make it 1/2 mile. I was out of breath and in pain. I felt discouraged and embarassed.

    Good: I didn't give up and kept training starting with C25K. I lost all the baby weight plue another 17 lbs. When my daughter was 2 I ran my first half marathon and was greeted at the finish line by my husband and daughter. I was so overwhelmed I cried. We now take our 2 daughters, 16 months and 6 years old, to several charity 5Ks a year. It's something we do as a family.
  • Yakelmeyer
    Yakelmeyer Posts: 49 Member
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    My bad story: I was a tweenage girl and wanted to go on a run. It was time for me to focus on my womanly figure since I was departing childhood. Running at an average pace, every step was labored and forced. Every stride took so much energy it seemed. At some point I began to feel this incredible feeling of pain in my abdomen. It was unlike anything I had ever experience. I felt hot, achey, and my legs just gave up. Walking the rest of the way, I relayed this story to my mother who informed me that running is difficult when you first start out but it gets easier with practice. That night, I started my period for the first time.

    My good story: Recently the hound and I were going on our usual jaunt. Since I was going out that evening, I wanted to wear him out. It was a sweltering day but I felt great. I had energy aplenty and time to spare. With a smile on my face I turned a corner and came upon a high school marching band practicing for the Rose Parade! My smile turned to a full grin. Jogging alongside them for a couple of blocks, I felt like they were there just for me to cheer me on. I ran faster and faster until I eventually left them behind, their music fading in the distance. The hound was definitely pooped after that!
  • ekat120
    ekat120 Posts: 407 Member
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    I could tell poop stories for days!

    Bad run: I was training for my first half a little over 2 years ago. I was planning to blow off my long run (I think it was 7, maybe 8, miles that week) and do it another day, but for some reason decided to do it after all. Was very proud of myself. I hadn't really eaten breakfast, so I had most of a bag of gummy worms. Bad decision #1.

    Bad decision #2 was the fact that it was about 11 am and sunny by this point. It was miserable. I had cramps and nausea from those stupid gummy bears and the heat. I got *maybe* 2 miles in and gave up. I started to walk back and sat down on a rock next to the path and cried a little (in my defense, it was a pretty challenging time for me personally, too--I'd just moved across the country by myself for my first post-grad school "real" job and was doing the long-distance thing with my husband).

    Then, for reasons I still don't understand, I dug deep, got up, and finished. The entire experience was excruciating. But I did it dammit.

    Good run: I got the stupid idea to sign up for a 10k in early February this year (one of the coldest on record) in one of the coldest cities in the country. It snowed a few inches the day before, so there was some packed snow and ice on the route, which had a lot of twists and turns. My husband had to work, so I went by myself. It was 12 degrees with a wind chill of 0, but at least it was sunny. I felt great the whole race, hit my goal despite having to be careful not to slip, and placed 4th in my age group. And my husband surprised me by showing up on his way to work to cheer me on for part of it. I still feel like a real bada** for doing that one!
  • aprilwellsjohnson
    aprilwellsjohnson Posts: 6
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    Bad Run Story:

    Last winter went for a run outside before a class at the gym and on my way back into the parking lot slipped in slush and fractured my elbow.

    Good Run Story:

    Saw a beautiful sunset last night when I went for a run :)
  • DemetraDawn
    DemetraDawn Posts: 60 Member
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    It's not really a "bad" run, but I once got a debilitating cramp in my *kitten* during a run on a busy street. So bad my nerves started like, spasming and I had to sit down because I couldn't feel my left leg (which is an extant problem that I have--spasmy nerves making my leg go all numb)...

    So I had to massage my *kitten* on the side of a busy street in order to get up and drag myself home.
  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
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    Bad run: I occasionally have the opportunity to run on an Army post and there is a huge hill there. I was determined to run up it, I tried 3 days in a row and I could barely walk up it it's so steep and turns and just keep going. I was so upset that I couldn't even walk up I sat on the road and cried.

    Good run: 6 months later back at that same hill I ran up it...all the way up it ...never stopping. On the way up I passed 8 soliders riding bikes down the hill. On my return I ran down the same hill as they were coming up. The first guy said did you run all the way up, I yelled I sure did. The other guys starting to cheer me on saying I was a badass and they can hardly make the hill. I was on a cloud for days!
  • ekat120
    ekat120 Posts: 407 Member
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    We all have bad days. I've learned this from training for several races. You can go out feeling like it will be a good run, and it's the worst run ever. Then your next run you could be sleep deprived and run your fastest run that day.

    Yes! I tell myself that training isn't about whether or not I feel good, it's about whether or not I get the workouts in. The workouts get me where I need to be whether they feel "good" or not. The real goal is to feel good on race day, and training gets you there.

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