The Relay: Pro Runners Share How to Rebound From a Bad Run
by Nicole Lockhart, Contributor
We all have bad runs. Even the most elite runners confess to periods of disinterest or difficulty finding their stride at times. Some days, it’s the tightness in your lungs or sore limbs that holds you back. Other days, it’s the feeling you aren’t performing like other runners, who seem to have it all together, fully in their flow with that coveted runners glow, as you struggle to get into your running groove.
The struggle is definitely real for runners when we’re experiencing an off day. Whether you’re scheduled for a fun run, a training run, or a group run with friends, it’s normal to just not feel like running that day. We talked to several elite-level runners who validated our moans and groans. Here’s how they’ve managed to dig deep before, during, and after a runner’s funk.
Sika Henry
Sika Henry at the 2019 IRONMAN World Championships. Photo courtesy Sika Henry.
Elite triathlete Sika Henry is a HOKA athlete and two-time marathon winner. Sika admits about 80 percent of the time she doesn’t feel like sticking to her usual rigorous, twice-a-day workouts. But, for her, powering through a rough day is about letting go of expectations. After recovering from a devastating accident during a triathlon in 2019, her big tip for releasing expectations is to go for a run without tracking yourself. Instead of logging into an app and monitoring her pace or mileage, Sika opts for a run without intention.
“You just never know until you get going,” says Sika. “[You get to] remember why you started running.”
With this freestyle-type of run, her only goal is to complete it. She focuses on internal motivation to pull herself out of a slump. For Sika, that motivation revolves largely around representation. As, the first Black woman pro triathlete (she and Max Fennell are the only two Black professional triathletes in the U.S.), she understands the importance of others being able to see someone who looks like them in the sport.
Recently, Sika shared her feelings of disappointment in her pro triathlon debut performance at the 2021 Challenge Cancun (half Ironman) in an Instagram post. Though the final outcome wasn’t what she hoped (she finished as the third female amateur overall), she smiles next to a young Black girl who witnessed the event.
“Still a bit frustrated looking back at all of the work my running coach and I put into having a solid pro debut. But when I reflect on the entire journey it took to get here, the constant, unwavering drive through it all has been my belief in the power of image and the importance of representation,” says Sika.
Ce’AIra Brown
Photo courtesy Ce’Aria Brown
Ce’Aira Brown, a middle-distance runner who represented the USA in the 2019 World Athletic Championships (WAC), has off days, too. When these days strike, she likes to take a day to herself to recuperate and reconnect with family.
“A lot of people and coaches think we’re robots,” she says. “But I’m still human, I’m not just an athlete.”
She jokes that women tend to level-up after a major setback. Just before her stunning 2019 run at the WAC, she missed qualifying for the USA Championship team by only one slot. Having previously qualified for the IAAF World Championships that same year, she sprinted for this opportunity of redemption and took home the win with a time of 1:58.01 in the 800m.
The key, she says, is knowing how to be in tune with yourself. “Don’t listen to anybody else. Listen to your body. It’s okay to rest. Your fitness is not going anywhere and rest is important to stay fit,” says Ce’Aira.
Ce’Aira is doing a lot of listening to her body these days as she is currently expecting her first child. The HOKA sponsored athlete is still running and building strength in the gym well into her third trimester.
But hurdles aren’t always physical. Mental and emotional obstacles can also affect our athletic performance as well. Dr. Inger Burnet-Zeigler, licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University, told the New York Times about her studies of this phenomenon in Black women.
“Black women have harnessed their strength out of the necessity to support themselves and their families when no one else would — and that should be applauded,” says Burnet-Zeigler. “But there is also strength in vulnerability, comfort in seeing that you are not alone and power in knowing when to ask for help.”
If you’re experiencing an off-day, pushing yourself may not always be the answer. As we’ve recently seen with Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open and Simone Biles at the Tokyo Olympics, sometimes it is necessary to take a break from competition. Even when the stakes are high, your mental and physical health rank higher. Sometimes it’s about realizing it’s not the right move to compete or train when you’re not at your best, no matter who it might disappoint. Listen to your body (and mind!). Don’t let a funk cause you to make a mistake or create an unfortunate injury.
Nicole ‘Nik’ Snell
Photo: Nicole Snell Instagram
Adventurer and Girls Fight Back CEO Nicole Snell encourages runners to take self-inventory when experiencing a slump. After spending months preparing for a 6,000-ft. ascent up to Mt. Whitney in the Sequoia National park of Nevada, wildfires in the California area canceled her plans.
“They shut down the forest and all the surrounding hikes as well,” says Snell.
With nowhere near to train, she expressed doubts about being able to bounce back. She had to come to terms with circumstances outside of her control forcing a reroute of her plans.
“I try to remember my past achievements,” says Nicole. “I think of hard things I’ve done and know there will always be another hike or trail to run. Sometimes the right thing to do is to turn around and not push ahead.”
When it comes to finding encouragement to get outside, Nicole is the gal-pal who will show up at your door and to give moral support. She emphasizes the importance of utilizing your community to overcome a lack of motivation.
“We’ll go at your pace. We’re going to do it together,” she tells her running friends.
As an outdoor enthusiast, solo adventurer/traveler and hike leader, she uses her skills to encourage others to expand their world, explore and do what brings them joy. That, she says, is a huge part of her motivation to keep going, even when things don’t go to plan.
A Common Struggle
One thing these athletes all had in common was a shared difficulty in just getting out there at times. We’ve all experienced the struggle to put on shoes and get out the door. This simple act is not only the key to consistency in your training program, but a big part of mastering your mentality and overcoming periods of demotivation.
If getting out the door is your chore, start by just putting on your shoes. Give yourself a good stretch, ease into a walk, and then slowly build up to your pace. If you’re on a run and feeling like it’s all uphill, here are some ways you can healthfully get back on your feet:
Discover a new playlist. Ce’Aira recommends trying motivational speeches like this one from Eric Thomas, PH. D, author and world-renowned motivator, before a run.
Deviate from your usual route. If local to you, try trail running for a change of scenery.
Leave your tracking app off. Give yourself a break from striving for a specific pace or mileage. Enjoy an expectation-free run.
If you’ve been struggling for a week or longer, invite a friend or partner to join you, even if it means showing up at their door like Nicole, above.
Connect with RUNGRL on Instagram and subscribe to the RUNGRL newsletter for an extra boost of motivation sent right to your inbox.
Read more from our running coaches and experts in The Relay.
NOTE: MEDICAL DISCLAIMER - NOTE THAT THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED AS MEDICAL ADVICE AND DOES NOT REPLACE THE RECOMMENDATION OF A PHYSICIAN OR OTHER MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE TRYING THESE OR ANY SORT OF WORKOUT PLAN, ESPECIALLY WHILE UNDER TREATMENT FOR YOUR INJURIES. VIEW THE FULL MEDICAL DISCLAIMER IN RUNGRL’S TERMS OF USE.
Nicole Lockhart
Contributor
Nicole Lockhart is a writer and runner living in NYC. She’s run races in support of such organizations as the Black Lives Matter, Leukemia Lymphoma Society, and CaringKing: Athlete's to End Alzheimer's. She is the writer and producer of "All My Black Sons," which debuted at the Harlem International Film Festival in 2016. Her current project, "The Interior Creatures," is a poetry collection written while in quarantine on a 100-year old Corona typewriter.