Running Woes

Yesterday's CrossFit WOD was "run or row a 5k".  I was excited because the weather was gorgeous, I hadn't run all week, and I usually push myself much harder knowing my name and time are going on that white board.

The tricky thing with running is you don't know how a run is going to go until you are in it.  Well, yesterday's run sucked.  It was hot.  We ran into the sun. My hamstrings were sore and tight; they felt as if they weighed 2000 lbs each and became heavier with every step.

The first mile and a half was okay.  I was actually running at a decent pace.  But after the turn-around my hamstrings felt like steel; heavy and very rigid.  At about mile 2, I took a tiny walk break.  6 or 7 little breaks in the last mile slowed me down a lot, but oh they felt so good for my hammies. 

It was frustrating because usually on a run that short, it's my breathing/endurance that does me in from pushing the pace, but yesterday it was my legs.  I know my legs are plenty strong enough to carry me 3.1 miles without a problem.  I'm going to blame it on painstorm and the good mornings that left my hamstrings oh so very tight. That, and the fact that I did nothing to help the situation by not foam rolling and not stretching.

I'm embarrassed to post it, but my time was 35:40.  I'm pretty sure that is slower than the first 5k I ever ran.  This makes me very nervous for my upcoming mud run and 10k.  My goal now is to get in at least 3 runs a week totaling between 12 and 18 miles.

Moral of the story: Not every run is a great one, even if you are excited for it and are mentally positive. 

And just because a 5K is awesomely easy and fun one day, doesn't mean it will be the next.

And if you want to PR, don't do lots of heavy weightlifting in the days prior.

And stretching is important.

source - This made me feel better about my crappy run. These "Hey Girl" Ryan Gossling posters all over the internet & pintrest are ridiculous, but make me laugh.  Someone sent my sister one about CrossFit last night and I had to explain the whole phenomenon to her.  Who started this and how did it catch on so quickly?  And why Ryan Gossling as the poster boy (besides the obvious hot factor)?

Do bad runs shake you up mentally?  Or are all your runs awesome and I am just a weenie who couldn't push myself hard enough?