Some runs are just bad

Some runs are just bad.  Yesterday was one of them.  Everything about this run (except me getting it done) was bad.  I started off in the dark (thank you daylight savings - I actually like running in the dark).  Although it was in the 60s, which sounds fine, the humidity was ridiculously high and that made the 7.85 miles pretty uncomfortable and sweaty.  Extremely sweaty.  I was dripping.  The mugginess was insufferable and unpleasant and with sweat coating my face, it was hard to settle into a rhythm and zone out.  Also, it was buggy.  I kept getting tiny black gnats stuck to my eyes, eyelashes and sweat-lacquered skin.  My leg muscles were feeling crampy.  I stopped to stretch my calves and hamstrings several times, but they still felt achy and unpleasant.  It wasn't until the last 1.5 miles that they finally stopped their silent and uncomfortable protest.  Also, 2.5 miles into my run, I needed to use the bathroom, despite the fact that I had gone just before I left my house.  Fortunately, I was running in a park that had a public restroom, very good for me.  Going in was pretty gross though, because a large number of giant moths had situated themselves in there and added to the decor. To top it all off, I struggled to keep a normal pace, even though my run two days prior had seemed had been much faster.

When this run was finally over, I gratefully stopped my Garmin, pounded icy water, washed the gnats off my sweaty sweaty skin and realized that despite how hard it had been, I was glad I had done the run.  Not every run is easy, fun, or even moderately pleasant.  Some runs are really really tough, and it's that toughness, and getting through it, that makes us appreciate the good runs even more.  I know this and I appreciate this, and I can just hope that the day after a very bad run is going to be better.  It usually is.