Running with Crohn’s: Good run / Bad run

Running with Crohn’s: Good run / Bad run

Every runner experiences both good and bad runs.  We dread the bad runs but we love the good ones.  How can we increase the frequency of our good runs while simultaneously decreasing the odds of our bad ones?

I have not found any method which ensures I will experience a good run, however, there are a number of things that I have found which seems to increase my chances of having a good run.

Things that contribute to a good run:

• Running on a familiar surface (hard/soft, paved/unpaved)
• Running in a cooler temperature than recent training
• Running at or below your typical pace
• Running familiar terrain (elevation, climb/descend, flat, etc.)
• In a good mood
• Properly fueled
• Properly hydrated
• Rested

Things that contribute to a bad run:

• Running on harder or softer surface than usual
• Running in warmer weather than your recent training
• Running in humid weather
• Running at a faster pace than normal
• Running an unfamiliar route
• Starting run in a bad mood
• Running on a full stomach
• Running at higher/lower altitude than your recent training
• Running while dehydrated
• Fueling properly
• Not rested

In short, doing a familiar run increases your chances of a good run while doing something unfamiliar increases your chances of a bad run.

Another observation is that when I wear a heart rate monitor, I find that during my “bad runs” my heart works harder than it does on normal or good runs.  So from a cardiovascular perspective, a bad runs is not just feeling bad, it is actually much harder work than a normal run.  Because a bad run is harder work, I recommend that you perform your runs based on your “perceived effort,” meaning that if it feels harder to run, then you should do an easier workout (e.g. slow down).  If you have a heart rate monitor and on a normal run your heart rate averages 150 beats per minute (bpm), then you should slow down when your heart rate gets to 160 bpm.

For instance, on a recent run in hot weather my heart rate got to 170 bpm.  When I reached this heart rate, I began walking and planned to continue to walking until my heart rate slowed to 140 bpm.  On that particular run, my heart rate never decreased to 140 bpm and I spent the last 1.5 miles walking.  Despite the fact that I walked that distance, my cardiovascular system still got the planned workout!

When I first started running (using the Couch to 5K [C25K] program), I sought running environments that made my runs easier.  This included things like running in an air-conditioned environment, running on flat & hard surfaces, and running at an easy pace.  However, I found that when I switched to different running environments (e.g. treadmill to trail), I found running in the new environment extremely difficult.

As I progressed in running, I sought a variety of different environments, trails, and weather (hot or cold, rain or shine, hard or soft surfaces, etc.).  I did this to ensure that regardless of the environment, my body would be used to it.  Although this was difficult at first, I found that it increased the number of runs that I would describe as a “good run” and decreased the number of “bad runs.”  I firmly believe that training in different environments helped tremendously.

As continued running through the years, I gradually realized that I experienced “bad runs” much less often; but I still do have them.  Similarly, as I returned to running after having surgery, I experienced bad runs much more frequently that I did prior to surgery.  As my training progresses after the surgery, the frequency of my bad runs seems to decline too.  I am not certain whether this is just my body getting reacquainted to the different runs or not.

On other tip that I have is, if you are supposed to go for a run but really do not want to do it; try listening to your running or warm-up music.  I found that just listening to my running playlists for a few minutes often makes me want to go running.  In fact, I had to use this psychological manipulation on myself last night (8/27/13) because on my first day back at work I had to work late into the evening and was mentally exhausted.  Listening to my warm-up playlist put me in the mood to run.  Within the first 0.5 miles, my legs felt tired.  I did complete the entire run and felt good afterwards.  It was not a “Bad Run” but it was hard.