OK Let's say it and Move on

It's going to happen - and today, it just so happens it did.  I had a bad run.  And it was a rest week.  And I have a 5k run tomorrow.  Oh boy.

Here's the down and dirty deets...

I took this rest week very serious.  Almost too serious I think. As in, I rested from Sunday to Thursday.  When I headed out for my easy 20 minutes run today, my legs were not done resting, and literally tried to cement themselves to the ground for the entire 20 minutes.  There are a few things I am thinking I had going against me today:

• I ate like crap to fuel for my run.  Even if it is an easy rest week, I have to remember that what I eat will effect how I will perform, and today proved that hotcakes, sausage and a mocha latte do not help me perform well.  
• I wore my trail/everyday sneakers.  I have been babying my new running shoes, and only wearing them when I run (not for the entire day, as I want to prolong their life).  While I can and have ran in my trail sneaks, they are heavier than my runners and my feet and legs made that known today.  
• This is the first time running outside in over a month.  I have been training on the treadmill at the gym due to weather (and my irrational fear of running in the snow).  While I have been completing the full workout without having to stop (while on the treadmill), I feel like I am not really doing the workout.  In my mind, running on the treadmill is easier than running outside (or on a track).  I realize this is not necessarily true, and I really enjoy running on the treadmill, but for some reason, this always sticks in my mind.  I guess I feel like I work harder when I am running at the track or through the neighborhood.  So I went into this outside track run thinking it was going to be more tough than my treadmill workouts. I really want to run atleast one run per week outside during this winter.  It will take some planning on my part (for weather/time/etc) but I really felt today like I "lost" my outdoor running skills in the small time of a month.

It was a beautiful day, and I was so looking forward to this run.  It was a little discouraging, and this is honestly the first time I felt so non-rockstar-ish when I finished. 

I will have bad runs.  

Enough negative nancy.  I learned today.  As I thought about the factors that lead to my bad run, I realized that I went into the run knowing all of the above, and somewhere in my mind, I sabotaged myself.  Running is so mental, and in your head, and I let my mind rule this run, and not in a good way.  

Now for some positive...

The best part of running is not only finishing, but knowing that there is always tomorrow, and the next day and the next day to get back into those good, no - great runs.  Those runs that keep me going.  Those runs that make me feel so strong and proud that I started running in the first place.  

I can't completely control how the run will go, but I can control how I head into the run.

Tomorrow, I am running the Chase Your Shadow 5k.  And I plan on heading into that run to have fun (it is still my rest week afterall!), and to kick that 5k's ass!

And now it's time to move on.