Today's run sucked! What am I doing wrong?

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Replies

  • cubizzle
    cubizzle Posts: 900 Member
    How much are you eating? You may not have enough fuel for your body.
    I generally don't fuel until mile 10 of a 20 mile run and may have some caffeine just to get me out the door with a cup of coffee, it helps me get my body going a little "faster" for response to my running.


    Another example of varying methods. I usually fuel before big runs. I eat half of a GU chomps bag before I start. If I'm going to be running for more than an hour and a half I'll have the other half around the halfway point of the run. If the run is more around an hour I'll just save it for next time.
  • PandaCustard
    PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
    How much are you eating? You may not have enough fuel for your body.

    I would somewhat disagree that this is your problem when you are just beginning running and not on workouts that are intense for over an hour. Just my opinion.

    I will second that opinion.

    I agree. I feel like I get ample fuel.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Any runner who ever tells you that they've never had a run that sucked is on a par with the scuba diver who says they've never peed in their wetsuit (another reason I never rent, but I digress)

    When you're first starting out your body is going through a lot of adaptation and you're still at the level where you're building a foundation for endurance. The description of the problem does sound like you're trying to go too fast - slow down and chalk this one up to experience.

    On a slightly different note, are you staying well hydrated throughout the day? Anything you drink immediately before a run (and during a run) will have very little effect on being well hydrated. While mild dehydration is hardly life threatening (notwithstanding what the sports drink makers would have you believe) it does have an impact on performance and perceived effort (which also partly explain the weakness/tiredness you felt in your legs).

    Keep at it & good luck with your training.
  • barbcouperus
    barbcouperus Posts: 49 Member
    I'm on week 3 of the Couch-to-5k. After a brutal first day, it's been going pretty well since. However, today sucked.

    I did the 5 minute warm-up walk then jogged for 90 seconds, no problems whatsoever. I then did the 90 seconds walking and headed into the 3 minutes jogging. Felt okay after that too, a bit more tired but not feeling horrible. After the 3 minutes walking I went back into the 90 seconds jogging and hit a wall. My legs felt so weak, like they were going to give out underneath me. I had to stop after 60 seconds. I decided to give myself a little more time walking after that, so I walked for a minute and a half and set into jogging again. Hit the wall again and could only go for 30.

    The problem isn't that I'm out of breath (though I am breathing pretty hard). My legs just feel so weak. When I was nearly back home I felt like I was going to collapse, not from exhaustion but from weakness. The other problem is that my legs are the strongest and most muscular part of my body. So what am I doing wrong? Should I eat more carbs (ate 146 out of my allotted 296 yesterday)? Am I not drinking enough water (drank a huge glass before the run and my entire water bottle during)?

    are you eating anything before you run? I've found the best thing to eat before cardio is a banana and a bit of natural peanut butter....the carbs fuel the run and the protein helps sustain you. It sounds like you might be getting some lactic acid build up too and the extra potassium from the banana should help. Also, yes, slow down if you're going fast. If you can possibly jog slower, then you're going too fast. build the endurance first, speed will come.
  • artbkward
    artbkward Posts: 238 Member
    I see that you're in WV which means you're probably part of this extreme heat sweeping the country and that could easily be part of it. It's much harder to run at your same pace when it's hot, your body works harder to keep you cool at 90+ degrees than it does if it's cooler. I've always heard 60 degrees is the average optimal temp for running and I, personally, wouldn't disagree.
  • rrrbecca11
    rrrbecca11 Posts: 477
    Don't get frustrated. You have to build up endurance and that takes time. I had this happen a lot during c25k. Just mark it as a success, enjoy your rest day, and keep a positive attitude for your next run. Not every run is a good run. Some of them are just miserable and I question my sanity!

    Yes!! This!! :flowerforyou: :bigsmile: :sad: :drinker:
  • PandaCustard
    PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
    I usually eat half a banana or a slice of wheat toast with a little bit of peanut butter before the run. Some days I get up earlier to avoid the heat and I just can't eat anything before a run or I feel really ill. This may be part of the problem.

    And yes, artbkward, the heat is *terrible* right now. Luckily I got up early enough to avoid the worst of it, but 3/4 through my run it got unbearably hot. It also doesn't help that, since I am in West Virginia, every route is very hilly. The hills don't make for good endurance and distance training but it is a great workout. Sometimes I wish I could find one flat track of land in this state though, haha.
  • 99cherrypie99
    99cherrypie99 Posts: 205 Member
    Welcome to the world of running. Some runs suck for no reason. Some runs are AWESOME for no reason - it's those days that I desperately want to know what I did to make the run so great!

    At your level, personally, I wouldn't eat before running. You don't need it on short runs and on an empty stomach it forces the body to burn fat instead of the food you just ate. I mostly run right before lunch - 5 hours after breakfast. But drink a lot throughout the day so you are hydrated.

    Most off - keep on keeping on!
  • dward2011
    dward2011 Posts: 416 Member
    Any runner who ever tells you that they've never had a run that sucked is on a par with the scuba diver who says they've never peed in their wetsuit (another reason I never rent, but I digress)

    ^ HA!
  • j_courter
    j_courter Posts: 999 Member
    did i notice that you worked your legs hard the day before??? it sounds like your legs were just dead. that happens. i've run about 20 miles in the last 4 days, but my 5 mile run last night was horrible. my legs felt like lead.... i just needed a rest day. (taking it today) you have to give your body time to recover.

    best wishes on your c25k training! i started with it nearly a year ago and i'm a happy running fool now! :-)
  • natalie412
    natalie412 Posts: 1,039 Member
    Some runs suck. They suck because of what you ate (or didn't), what you drank (or didn't), how you slept (or didn't sleep), how stressed (or not stressed) you are, how hot (or cold) it is, whether Jupiter is in alignment with the sun (or the moon's cycle or possibly the distance of the earth from the sun), and sometimes, runs suck because it's Thursday and Thursday is a sketchy day at best.

    It doesn't mean you've done something wrong, it means that one of your runs sucked. Don't look at an individual instance and assume you've done something wrong. Look for a trend.

    Love this answer!!!
  • debussyschild
    debussyschild Posts: 804 Member
    Try slowing down a bit. That should do the trick.

    ^^ This. It sounds like you're trying to up your speed before your body is ready for it. During those faster intervals, you don't want to all out sprint. Just pick up the pace a little bit. If you're going with the beat of the music to keep pace and having trouble, shorten your stride so you can keep the pace at a more sustainable intensity level.
  • Starkle09
    Starkle09 Posts: 238 Member
    Sometimes it just sucks! There will be good and bad days. Make sure you stay hydrated as the temps go up and listen to what your body is telling you!
  • katemme
    katemme Posts: 191
    Take a recovery day and let your body heal.
  • FlyEaglesGuy
    FlyEaglesGuy Posts: 436 Member
    I normally down 8 ounces of water exactly one hour before. And I never eat within 90 minutes of a run. If I do it's half of a protein bar .

    Keep at it!
  • silhouettes
    silhouettes Posts: 517 Member
    When I was training I had days I just plain out couldn't do it, my body was to weak and I had to take the day off, maybe you just need a day to rest up and you can try again the next day.

    There are days now I can go for over an hour and other days after 10 minutes I know this isn't the day for me, I can't keep up my HR, I can't speed up and I want to just fall over. That's my body telling me it's rest time.

    So maybe that's part of it?
  • debussyschild
    debussyschild Posts: 804 Member
    did i notice that you worked your legs hard the day before??? it sounds like your legs were just dead. that happens. i've run about 20 miles in the last 4 days, but my 5 mile run last night was horrible. my legs felt like lead.... i just needed a rest day. (taking it today) you have to give your body time to recover.

    best wishes on your c25k training! i started with it nearly a year ago and i'm a happy running fool now! :-)

    ^^ AGREE! Trying to have a GOOD run after a hard leg workout the day before is next to impossible. Your legs are just too taxed. Take a day off in between or do your run the day before your leg workout.
  • Ghostpoo
    Ghostpoo Posts: 24 Member
    I used to beat myself up for a crappy run. Then I changed my attitude and decided that there are no bad runs. Just good runs and great runs. Any day you are out running should always be positive :) Better than sitting on the cough, right??
  • ALH1981
    ALH1981 Posts: 538 Member
    i get this too - i need to have 1) enough protein and 2) enough sleep - not enough of either changes my whole run!!!
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