I was so jazzed to run outside today. It is 80 degrees in Octobr in Minnesota - almost unheard of. Gorgeous fall leaves, nice breeze - a day you just want to be outdoors.

My run was awful. I was tired & my head got the better of me. I typically average 10 min miles, but today, it was more like 11.5-12.0 because of all the walking I did. I wasn't even hustling when I was walking, I was strolling becase my HR was so high! Then the negative thoughts crept in & it was darn near impossible to recover.

Now I feel like it was a total waste of time. I'd have been better off just eating less today & taking a nap.

I hate bad workouts. Bleh.

(end of rant)

I think a lot of it's this. Our spin instructor is always telling us 90% of it is mental and I think she's right. If you're tired and your head isn't into it, it can be tough.

I'm impressed with your typical 10 minute mile! I finally decided I do not like running. I wanted to get to 10 minutes, but I decided jogging was far more my style, and from there I decided spin was plenty good enough.

I enjoy the class atmosphere because that way I still get pushed even when my heads not in the game.

I know exactly what you're saying. Some days I feel like I could fly when I'm running, other days my legs feel like they weigh a ton and I wonder what possessed me to ever think I could run at my age

I just would like to say though that it sounds like you are doing great! I am following the C25K training program and so far it has taken me 44 minutes to run a 5k. I would give most anything to run a 10 minute mile.

Best wishes!!

Some days are just like that! Last week I had a glorious 8 mile run. Slightly faster than usual, felt fantastic, legs felt light, etc etc. Yesterday, I had a horrible 9 miler. Legs like lead. Fighting for every step. Ugh.

Don't beat yourself up. Yes, it's good to know when your body just needs a nap (I ended up taking one yesterday afternoon after that awful run), but it can be hard to tell! Sometimes, when I'm totally not feeling it, I end up having a great workout, and it turns out that was just what my body needed -- a little kick in the pants. And some days, I truly need more rest.

Even elite athletes have bad days. I read an article once about how many elite marathoners drop out of races because if they're off-pace, it's not worth the exhaustion to finish. These people are paid just to show up and run -- and even with top-notch training and nutrition, they have slow days too!

Interesting that your HR was high too.

I have bad running days too, but my HR usually tells me i'm not working hard on those occasions, and it's just i'm tired or whatever the mysterious reasons for a 'bad run' are.

If your heart is working at the same rate as during a normal workout, then i definitely wouldn't try to push it harder. Maybe you're coming down with a cold or something??

Sometimes I think you do more good when you work out when it's hard. I don't know why, but they seem more effective. Good that you listened to your body

Were you dehydrated?