Why do some runs feel so hard?

[Hightideattheseaside]

Was really looking forward to getting out today as not been able to over the weekend. But it was so hard. Usual route usual time but I feel wrecked. Took at lot of will power to finish the route without walking. Had a good breakfast. Could have maybe drunk more. Anyone else have runs that just suck?

Not a runner, but a cyclist and I experience this all the time. Sometimes the rides that feel easy are slow on Strava, and those where I feel I can’t actually manage are fastest. I think weather and general wellness comes into it. Hormonal changes, and illness. I just take it as the ebb and flow of life.

today, I am bone achingly tired and I don’t really know why.

I used to have a thing we're every time u ran on monday it just sucked. You might be coming down with something or just tired. If it keeps happening just scale back .

Is running the only exercise you do? I find mixing up cardio/HIIT vs weight training vs flexibility exercises keeps me motivated.

Yep, I have runs like this. Same route, pace same as normal but find it really hard. I think sometimes I could do with drinking more on the days I run & think that makes a difference. If you are female then hormones can make a big difference too, at least they did for me.
I put these runs down to 'at least I got out' and then hope the next one is easier, and if they aren't I slow my pace down and accept it is more about getting out than breaking any PB's.

Definitely could have hydrated better. I am due on in a few days so maybe that is the big culprit. I don’t just run. I do strength workouts as well. Maybe I need to bite the bullet and do a training plan. I am very haphazard with my approach to running. Consistency would probably help.

Your diet and hydration the day of/day before a run, your menstrual cycle, your sleep for the past few days, your mood, how much other physical exertion you've done, the colour of your socks... all of these factors combine in some unique way to ensure no two runs are the same!!!! You said that you think you might benefit form some consistency and you're probably right. I'm relatively new (5 months) to running and only run up to 7k just now, but as an evening runner I need to remember fuel (which sadly, I've learned, doesn't include a Twix at 3pm) and hydration on each run day to find some kind of consistency in my performance.

I'm sure there are people who can crack out a brilliant 10k run with no thought or prep, but I am not she.

I don't run any more, but when I did, I think it was a combination of things. What/how much/how recently I'd eaten, hydration, quality and amount of sleep, general state of mind and definitely time of the month.

I don't run but I walk a lot and sometimes I am actually struggling on an easy walk but on a more arduous walk I'm fine. Think maybe it's a mental thing.

Some runs just seem to be like this! Have experienced it when doing lots of running and training, and when running ad hoc.

Sometimes it works the other way and stay up late, drink alcohol or whatever and am fine!

caffiene makes a huge difference for me.

the running gods are laughing at us

Some swims are like this. I’d had a two day break, thought it would be super easy having ‘rested’, first 10 lengths I felt like a dead weight… soon got over it though luckily!

Because they put treacle on the road overnight sometimes and it's get a sticky in the sun.

See swimming pools as well, sometimes they put corn flour in them to thicken the water up, making your swimming harder.

I've nearly started the same post on a few occasions! Sometimes I look forward to a run and find when I get out it's like my legs are made of lead. This weekend though I was dreading it as haven't been for a while and did a completely straightforward, steady 5k

Every single one of my runs are like this 🤣 but the buzz i get when finishing is so worth it 👌

Sleep
Fuel
Hydration
Recovery
Temperature
Humdity
Surfaces/ terrain
Age of shoes
Menstrual cycle

And probably some astrology/ tides/ witchcraft

When this happens to me it's usually attributable to not enough sleep or period due. I've realised that if it takes me by surprise, I'm probably getting a cold but haven't got the symptoms yet.

It probably a mix of hydration, hormones and food. Did you eat much yesterday? Sometimes not eating enough the day before can make runs seem harder. It has also been quite muggy today.

we all have off runs. Just think to yourself that a bad run is still a run and better than sitting on the couch. But one bad run doesn’t mean the next one will be bad too.

I could have written your post after my run this morning - shortest of my usual routes but felt a lot longer and lot slower. Was in fact only a couple of seconds per km slower than average but just felt really, really difficult. Hoping that means the next run will feel great!

OP, I’ve just got back from a 5k run, had to stop twice. Was like it was my 1st ever run!

I get this too. Some are just unexpectedly and annoyingly awful. Maybe it was the heat/hydration today though? That has a huge effect on me

I've been a runner for 15 years, and am really quite fit and athletic, and every few runs I feel like a heavy, cumbersome sack of spuds, dragging myself down the street.
No idea why. There no rhyme or reason.

Tbh, 95% of mine are awful, I dont enjoy them. I seem to have a good run when I've slept through and the weather is slightly warm. Then I'm amazed at overtaking people who usually come way ahead of me.

Good to know it happens to experienced runners not just dabblers like me. I felt good later in the day with the fact that I had actually done it and not quit even though I really wanted to. I feel very teary tonight so I think my period may come a day or two early this month. So that is probably a big contributor this time. Funnily enough last month I ran an event and had terrible period pains in the early hours and came on but the run itself was great! Makes no sense.

It’s not the same but the run witchcraft was at play for this weekend’s parkrun. It was the second one I’ve done postpartum - the first was horrendous, really long and painful, had to stop to walk several times etc. This time I felt much better, more consistent, didn’t need to stop, and crossed the line feeling good after a little sprint finish.

The times were the same. Exactly the same down to the second.

There is no logic to running.

For me, it’s mainly hormonal factors. The week before my period is horrible, no energy and just feel like a sloth. Once the period starts, I’m instantly slimmer, faster and more energetic. PB time is the first two weeks of the cycle!

My runs were like this until I started interval training doing 4x4s.
5 mins gentle run,
4 mins increase speed to 90% pace (puff out a few words but not all out sprinting)
3 mins walk
4 mins run 90%

Basically do that 4 times with a cool down. Absolutely ramps up your VO2 max which allows you to do comfortable runs far more easily (at least I’ve found it so).

And the beauty of interval runs is that you only have to sustain hard pace for 4 mins at a time, but the returns are immense!