I had just returned from a seven-hour bus ride from the plains of Nebraska to my home in Colorado after coaching at a track meet. The couch in my living room beckoned me like a fluffy oasis. My training plan called for a 90-minute run, but the little voice in the back of my head protested. Did the run really matter that much? Surely there wouldn’t be any harm in me kicking back and cracking open a nice IPA instead. I came up with every justification I could to skip the run.
Finally, out of habit, I donned my running shorts and shirt. I laced up my shoes slowly, trying to come up with new reasons of why I should stay home. The door looked more like a bank vault than an invitation to the outside world. I stood and told myself to give it 25 minutes. If I still felt terrible, then I could turn back and make it a short, easy run.
My body felt stiff and slow as I trotted away from the house. In the first 10 minutes, I was sure I would turn back, but I stuck with the 25-minute rule and kept running. Fifteen minutes went by and my pace began to pick up as my stride became more smooth and familiar. By the 20-minute mark, my sleepiness had passed and I was ready to keep running. The planned 90-minute run ended up going well. I felt accomplished, relieved, and grateful that I got out of the door and stuck to the plan.
Those days when just getting out of the door seems like a huge task are hard to avoid. Running can be extremely joyful and rewarding at times, and at other times it can feel like a chore. Hard days are a part of the training process and if we don’t challenge ourselves to do a little more, progress can stagnate. When those tough days show up, I stick to a few go-to strategies that can help motivate me to get out of the door and stay consistent, even when I would rather not.
Photo: Alex Nichols
The 25-Minute Rule
When I feel tired and unmotivated before the run, I always give myself 25 minutes of easy running to evaluate how I really feel. Whether it is the day after a long run or just a day that I feel sluggish, I never really know how my legs will react until somewhere around the 25-minute mark. More often than not, I can shuffle through those first 25 minutes and then find new legs for the rest of the run. By focusing only on making it to the 25-minute mark, it breaks up the run and makes it feel more approachable. Those crucial first few steps come easier when I am only thinking about 25 minutes of running.
When Things Don’t Improve
If my legs respond and I am able to accomplish my planned run for the day, then great. If I hit 25 minutes and I am still feeling like crap, then I know I need to make a change to the plan. This is when it is important to listen to our bodies and the feedback we are getting as we start the run. When your pace is slow, but your heart rate is much higher than usual, or your effort feels much harder than it should at an easy pace, it is worth reevaluating the run. When an easy day becomes a hard run, it is no longer serving its purpose in your training plan. Pushing through a difficult run just to hit the planned mileage for the day is not going to do you any favors in the next day or few days. This is when it pays to think big picture.
Moving Forward After a Bad Day
If my legs continue to feel like bricks after those first 25 minutes, then I give myself a free pass for the run. I don’t try to make up the run the next day, or adjust my schedule to somehow sneak that run in later in the week. The run simply didn’t happen the way it was supposed to, and I do my best to accept that and move on. The 25-minute range hits the sweet spot between giving the run a full chance, while not committing to a full-fledged run if your body isn’t ready. When the run really isn’t happening for you, this time range allows for the bad day to become your recovery day.
When moving on, it is a mistake to ignore that a bad day happened. Instead, use it as an opportunity to see why you needed that extra recovery time and do some reflection to help inform future training plans. We can learn as much from the bad days as the good days.
Final Thoughts
One of the core principles of my coaching philosophy is to understand and appreciate that our bodies are not machines. We can hope to predict their stress and recovery cycles, but there are a million other factors that can get in the way of an “ideal” plan. Getting out of the door on those tough days can be intimidating, but if we can give ourselves some flexibility to feel things out, listen to our bodies, and make decisions based on how we feel, then we can stay healthy and keep improving in the long-term. Even when you really don’t feel like it, give yourself 25 minutes, you might be glad you did, or you might learn that your body needs something else. Either way, you will be progressing at your own pace.
Call for Comments
What is your process for trying a run when either your mind or your body isn’t feeling it?
