How to Handle a Bad Run
- Kate Mihevc Edwards PT, DPT
- Aug 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 17

Not every run feels great. In fact, some running feels terrible. You might be dragging your feet, watching your pace fall apart, or questioning why you’re even doing this in the first place. But, the truth is bad runs are part of the process. Every runner, no matter their experience level, has days like this. A bad run doesn’t mean your training is off-track. It means you’re human. Running is a sport of stress and adaptation. Without hard days, there’s no stimulus for growth. And while we often look for progress in pace or mileage, the mental reps you get from navigating struggle are just as critical.
Normalize the Experience
A tough run doesn’t mean you’re losing fitness or doing something wrong. It could be the result of poor sleep, fueling issues, life stress, heat, or accumulated fatigue. There are a dozen variables behind the scenes, what you feel on the run is only part of the picture.
In fact, the way you interpret and respond to that challenge may matter more than the challenge itself. Athletes with a positive stress mindset, those who view challenge as a chance to grow, experience less depressive symptoms and higher vitality than those with rigid, negative beliefs about performance setbacks (Mansell, 2021). That mindset shift helps protect psychological well-being over the long haul.
Reframe the Run
After a bad run, try this:
What’s one thing that went well?
What’s my body telling me?
Is there something I can adjust tomorrow?
This is what sport psychology calls process thinking. Focusing on inputs you can control instead of obsessing over outcomes. And research shows it helps runners stay resilient, even during high-stress times. When you approach a bad run with curiosity rather than judgment, you turn it into data, not drama.
What to Do Next
If a run feels off:
Don’t punish yourself. Eat. Hydrate. Reflect.
Track how you feel, not just pace or distance.
Adjust your week if needed. Two hard efforts in a row after a poor run? Maybe not ideal.
Keep a long view. A bad run doesn't define a training block.
If these runs start happening frequently, zoom out: Are you sleeping? Fueling consistently? More irritable than usual? Those are signs your system needs more recovery, not more grinding.
Sometimes fatigue isn’t from overtraining, it's from under-recovery. A well-structured plan should flex with your life. That means a bad run might prompt an easy day, a fueling tweak, or just some reflection.
Support That Actually Helps
RUNsource was built to help runners train smarter, with structure that considers real life. Our programs incorporate strength, mobility, and return-to-run frameworks designed by clinicians who know what it takes to perform and recover. And ye there’s space in our plans for the bad days too.
So when a run feels off? Don't panic. Learn from it, adapt, and keep moving forward.
Download the RUNsource App today on Apple Store or Google Play.
#BadRunBetterRunner #RUNsourceApp #TrainWithResilience #GrowthMindsetForRunners #SmartRunningRecovery
References
Poucher ZA, Tamminen KA, Caron JG, Sweet SN. Thinking through and designing qualitative research studies: A focused mapping review of 30 years of qualitative research in sport psychology. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol. 2020;13(1):163–186. doi:10.1080/1750984X.2019.1656276
Mansell PC. Stress mindset in athletes: Investigating the relationships between beliefs, challenge and threat with psychological wellbeing. Psychol Sport Exerc. 2021;57:102020. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102020
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