Do you ever go for a run and think when is this ever going to end? It doesn’t happen to me very often but when it does it does. Sometimes there is a valid reason. Sometimes there is not.

A few years ago I was on one of my Marathon training long runs. On the outward bound 20 mile run, I was running towards the East Link toll bridge (around mile 2). I was running towards it willing the toll bridge to go up so I could stop running. It didn’t go up. I didn’t stop running. But each and every running step was a huge struggle. On a normal day I would do a running jump to cross the River Liffey if I could. This says a lot. I can barely swim. Two days later I was at the doctors. I had a chest infection. This was one of those valid reasons.

Yesterday I went for my usual non race training 8 mile/1 hour runs. From the moment I started running I thought oh no. This is going to be one of those runs. Each and every step felt like a struggle and I again was looking for opportunities to stop running. When crossing the road, despite cars being over 200 meters away I would stop and wait for it to pass.  This is completely uncharacteristic of me. Normally I run along the path until a safe opportunity arises for me to cross. Stopping mid running is a last resort.

Is there a valid reason for how I felt during this run?

I don’t know yet. I will find out tomorrow morning when I go out for my usual second of three 1 hour runs per week. But what I do know is that whether you are a beginner or a seasoned runner, you will have good runs and bad runs. The good runs outweigh the bad ones. And when you have a good run after a bad run, you will feel like a million dollars and remember that this is why you first took up running.

I wonder if the Music Director in the Trolls movie is a runner? Some of the lyrics in the soundtrack could really help you if you’re having one of those bad runs. Be it for a valid reason or not.

“Hey! I’m not giving up today. There’s nothing getting in my way. And if you knock knock me over I will get back up again. If something goes a little wrong. Well you can go ahead and bring it on. ‘Cause if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again…”

Apologies if you can’t get the song out of your head now!