LOLZLetter 254 | Getting Over a Bad Race--It's Really Not the End of the World
and an embarrassing story
Welcome,
Would you like to know an embarrassing moment for me? It's been fairly clear; I've been flying by the seat of my pants for the last few weeks with minimal room to come up for air. Work. Life. Adding running, and I come home tired most days with not a lot of free time to think. It's fine, but my attention to detail (which has never been great) is far less than stellar.
Anyway, a week or so ago, I signed up for a half marathon. It was one that happens every year, and I seem to never be around or available to do it. But since I didn't run CIM and I am healthy, I decided to sign up. We drove out to southern Nevada (maybe 3.5 hours), only to find out they skipped 2023, and I signed up for a race in 2024.
I did wonder why it was so cheap, but hey, whatever, it was in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, I desperately needed to get out of town, so it was a good reprieve. Although I went from the left side of the Mojave Desert to the right side of the Mojave Desert...so LOL. Anyway, as we go into the holiday season, remember to give yourself some grace. My husband and I had a great time in Laughlin (a smaller version of Las Vegas). And hey, I have a cheap half marathon entry for maybe next year. We actually really enjoyed our time out there and got a 16-mile run in with 1200 feet of elevation gain.
Anyway, so continuing on the mini-series of mental health and running, someone asked:
How do you get over a not great race?
In case you missed them:
How to find time to run, when you don't have any
I hesitate to use the word "bad" because if you started and finished healthy, you likely learned a lesson or two, so it's not "bad" per se.
Reflect and Learn: Think of a "bad race" as a cool learning opportunity. It's ok to be sad, but turn that sadness into productivity to figure out why it didn't go your way. There were likely things leading up to the race that led to it not going your way. Ask yourself: "What could I have done differently?" Maybe you needed more sleep or better fuel? The best part is figuring out how to do better next time. And hey, just because you didn't hit your goal, doesn't mean you're not awesome. Your friends – both online and offline – still like you.
Focus on the Positives: Guess what? You're running, and that's awesome. Races should be celebrations of your hard work. Celebrate the fact that you're healthy and able to race. Remember, running is like a rollercoaster – sometimes you're up, and sometimes you're down.
Ask yourself: Your Why? Why do you run? Why do you like running? Maybe it's for the fun, the challenge, or hanging out with friends. Whatever the reason, make sure you're enjoying it most of the time. Don't let one tough race spoil your fun!
Taking a Break is Cool: It's totally okay to press the pause button on running. Social media makes it easy to feel like everyone is running hard all the time. That isn't true. A break can work wonders. I once took a four-month break after feeling completely burned out. It helped me recharge and come back stronger.
Set New Goals: Ready for a fresh start? Pick a new race or a fun running challenge. Find something you are genuinely excited to do. Having something exciting to look forward to can really spice up your training. Do something you've never done before: maybe a trail race, maybe a 5k on the track, maybe a marathon. Train for something short. Train for something long. There are thousands of options.
Bad races don't define you (and neither do good races). Allow yourself time to be sad, but don't forget to move forward.
What's keeping me entertained this week?
Jojo’s Diner (Omaha, NE): My first diner in Nebraska and my first diner review in quite some time,
Weeviews: Nike Vaporfly 3 Review I am curious if other people have thought the Nike Vaporfly 3 is flatter and more trainerlike than the previous 2 versions.
Podcast: Enjoyed listening to this podcast with Sofia and Mary. I've followed Mary for years so it was fun to see her get another OTQ.
ITA WILL START RE-TESTING SAMPLES FROM RIO 2016 FOR DOPING VIOLATIONS: I am curious to see what this means and how many new positives we will see from the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Finally, next week is Christmas! Hoorah! Likely going to keep a short newsletter that day? Or maybe not send one on the actual Christmas day. Who knows, I haven't thought that far ahead. So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and hope you have a great week.