When a workout kicks your ass

Tips for and tactics for managing emotions during stressful situations

If you follow enough runners on social media, you may have noticed a template for posting an Epic Workout. First, set the scene with the details printed in black and white. Then, follow it up with a screenshot of the dashboard, digital proof that you are that dude, or dudette. Cap it off with an image looking every bit the badass, and drop the mic with some pithy line about going to the well.  

(I’m not knocking this approach, by the way. I follow the Epic Workout template all the time, and why not? Let the people know you’re out there laying it all on the line.)  

Rarely, if ever, do you see anyone talk about a workout that kicked their ass to the point where they wanted to quit. The details of those less-than-stellar days are typically kept private where the runner can stew over their splits and question their existence in solitary anguish.

Screw that. Let’s normalize talking about tough workouts.