What affects the ability to run?
 

Lately I've taken to doing some running. I always liked running but have always just been too lazy. I had a free period during my last trimester of school so I took the initiative to just wear shorts under my jeans, then went down to the track during that period and began running.

I did that for about two weeks (maybe three) but now school's out and I've got a full time job :rolleyes: . My time has been limited, I've been lazy, weather has been crappy, and I haven't really been running like I did before (although I still run to and from the bus I have to take, which is close to a mile, and I have ran for more than that a few days).

Anyway, onto my point and question.When I do run now, I find that my preformance varies largely. One day I was able to run for close to twenty minutes without hardly losing my breath; somedays I run for only five or ten minutes and have trouble breathing (oddly enough I got four hours of sleep the night before I ran the twenty minutes well). These aren't slow increases/decreases in preformance due to activity/inactivity; these are changes within a day of each other. Oh, and I am watching pacing and I'm not running faster or slower on these different days.

Why can this fluxiate so much? Does anyone have good advice on how I can try to keep my running at peak level?

My thanks in advance.

I just signed up for a running clinic and at our first session our instructor said that if you're dehydrated you'll notice a decrease in performance. I haven't been running enough to know if that's true yet, but sh'es done 4 marathons, so she should know something about it!
I also notice that the length of time between runs makes a difference.
Anyone more experienced who has advice?

Hydration is very important as well as what you have eaten the before you go running. I always had problems running in the morning before I figured out that it was because my blood sugar was low because I hadn't eaten anything. Now I eat half a cup of yogurt or a spoonful of peanut butter about 10-15 minutes before I head out and it helps a lot. Did you drink any the night before either?

Diet and sleep. Those two are probably the most important thing to keep yourself in good condition when you are running over the period of many days.

Back when I went to sports tournaments, diet and sleep were often what decided how well I competed the next day (well, that and stretching, running on sore muscles sucks)

My advice to you is to plan your runs. As Seige said, get enough sleep and dont eat right before you run. For me personally, i cant eat for up to 3 hours before i do a long run.
Also, pace yourself. Listen to your body. If you have the will, you will get better at this and get to know your body very well.

A couple of factors can affect your percieved performance.
As said before, Dehydration, especially in the summer months, is a major factor. Your urine should be clear, anything else and you're dehydrated. Be careful of being over-hydrated (thanks to all those gatorade commercials, people now believe this is a lot bigger of a problem than it actually is).

Another factor could be blood sugar, you have eaten something with carbohydrates today, haven't you?

Also, if you had worked out hard, at the gym, for example, you will be more tired, when you're full of lactic acid, your heart rate will be higher.

What are the symptoms of running poorly, you say you run the same pace. Are you more out of breath? Do you have to stop earlier? Dead legs? It could just be a mental thing. If you do not want to run, for example, you'll probably feel like you need to stop when you probably could keep going. Or it could be something physical.

Breath, exactly. It has nothing to do with mentality, sometimes I just find it much harder to run and I lose my breath much more quickly.

My guess now after running some more and watching closely what I've done the past few days is that it might have to do with the blood sugar thing. Days where I eat a fruit awhile before I start to run I seem to do much better.

At least I know dehydration can't be the problem. At work we get to fill those big 44oz cups with water for free, and at the very least I have three a day.

I find not only does diet, sleep and hydration effect my running performance, but also motivation. I find I run quicker when I'm angry or p*ssed off because I can block out pain and fatigue longer. Or just having a reason to train. I ran the London Marathon in April. After the marathon I went out running and just couldn't be bothered. So now I have signed myself up for a local 10K race and got all my friends to sign up to. Should be good as we all secretly want to beat each other.

Could be blood sugar. Could be that your just tired and need a rest. It could also be that you haven't actually warmed up yet as it takes 20 minutes to really warm up. Usually when I feel crappy at the start, I start feeling much better around 30 minutes or so.

Less likely, but also a possibility is if you live in the city or downwind from one (or factories) is pollution.

I think you have to focus on breathing. You sure do when you ride a bike. It is amazing how much you can manage your breathing, which then manages your heart rate. I also think that works in reverse as well.

I firmly believe in a heart monitor, which is a great measurement tools, especially as it relates to breathing.

Of course, I also agree with the other comments regarding previous excercise, diet and rest.