What affects your run?

Obviously lack of sleep/a tiring day will affect your running ability, but what else has this effect? I tend to run as soon as I get home from work but last night I hardly had any energy and my legs felt all wobbly and pathetic, compared to other post-work runs when I've got oodles more energy. I have a feeling it's because I ate poorly yesterday (chocolate, cookies). Will this sort of 'temporary high' food lead to burnout?

Moods!

If I'm not in a good mood I find it hard to have an I can attitude. Music helps though :)

I run before I eat any of my main meals, always in the morning. I'm more sluggish and lazy in the evening and feel much better when I'm running light!

I also run better without music, as I've found over the last few weeks. I'm not sure if it's because I'm concentrating more on what I'm doing, but I'm doing much better than I've ever done and I feel more motivated. Probably because I'm not trying to keep with the beat.

If I'm feeling tired I'll skip the session and go the next day. As long as I go out 3x a week I'm happy. I was SO tired on Monday after lots of travelling, not enough water and a screwed up days eating. I was totally sapped on energy, tired, aching, bloated and felt rubbish on Monday morning. This mornings run was brilliant though.

The junk food won't help, it gives you a fast boost of energy followed by a slump when the insulin counteracts it. You need some slower release carbs and good sugars to fuel the muscles properly, keep the blood sugar stable and prevent the raises and dips.

Everything effects my run - too much food, too little food, the wrong type of food, stress levels, mood, activity levels in the previous days or being too idle, sleep patterns, hormones, weather, hours of daylight, time of day, whether I have company or run alone, the route I take, how achy I feel before the run, hayfever or a slight cold, hydration levels...

Some of those I can't control, but generally I try to get into a routine that works for me.  Regular meals of predominantly healthy foods, lots of water to drink, regular sleep patterns, reducing stress levels by being organised and allowing myself some 'me' time, regular pattern of exercise and recognising when my body really does need an extra rest day and listening to it.

I totally agree with you SuperCaz. Everything affects me. All of the above!

I agree - I am quite sensitive to most things, so the slightest bit of hayfever will affect my running ability.

However, I think that a lot of it is psychological. If I had someone saying; 'Come on! Keep going!', then I would!

The weather definitely affects my run. I can run much further and faster when it's cold than when it's sunny.

I'd say that the things that most affect my run are the weather, my energy levels, and the time of day. For example if I've just got home from school I find it very difficult to drag myself outside for a run! I run best in the morning, when I'm all refreshed from sleeping.

Tiredness is the main factor for me.