The Bad Run. Yes, it happens: A day when you just don’t feel like moving. What can you do to ward off those days, or at least to survive them? I present:

10 Tips for the Neighborhood Olympian
(a.k.a. how to make almost every workout a good one)

1. Show up with the right attitude. The mental component is half the game. Maybe more. If you set out believing the experience is going to be excruciating, it will be. Tell yourself (silently! unless you’re trying to scare off hoodlums): I am an athlete. I love my sport. I am fortunate to be able to move my body through space. I will KICK THIS RUN’S ASS!!
2. Don’t overtrain. Everybody needs a rest, usually one or two days off a week. Personal record-breaking pushes should be every other day at most, not every day. The rule of thumb for running is that you shouldn’t increase your mileage more than 10 percent a week.
3. Get your Zzzzz. Self explanatory.
4. Fuel up. Make sure your system has complex carbs available before a power workout. If you need something that won’t weigh down your stomach, nosh on a few raisins or a couple spoonfulls of yogurt before you take off.
5. Dress appropriately, in soft layers. If I’m too hot or itchy in my clothes, I start to feel like a trussed pig. This is bad. It affects my performance. Whether you’re running in a cold or hot climate, layers can help you adjust and feel like a tasty bowl of porridge (i.e., “just right”) at every stage of the workout.
6. Load up the IPod. I don’t always workout to music, but on days when I need that extra push, music is essential. Let the spirit move you.
7. Work with your body, not against it. Some days, I’m sure I can’t run. So I tell myself I’ll walk instead, in order to get my booty out the door. Usually, after some walking, I find that I want to run after all. Score.
8. Don’t be afraid to switch it up. Avoid exerciser’s ennui by changing your route, your sport, your time of day for exercise, etc. Boredom cripples.
9. Set goals. Sometimes the reminder that you’re working for something can break bad, pro-lazy thought patterns and get you into a more constructive, can-do mindset.
10. Stretch! Many exercisers routinely skip stretch time. Keep those muscles limber, and give your body a chance to move in a way that’s restorative. Besides stretching before and after workouts, incorporate a full day of stretching into your routine by taking a yoga class once a week. It’ll be time well spent for body and mind.