How to Tell a Low From the End of Your Race

You know you can get out of a low.

But how do you know you’re in one?

How do you know you’re in a reversible low, and not the irreversible end of your race?

Too many runners drop out of a race, thinking there’s nothing left, when they’re really just in a low they could pull out of. And finish.

Because it’s easy to mistake a low for the end of your race.

Turning a low around isn't the hard part. Knowing you're in one is - it’s hard to tell from inside one. And it’s even harder when you’re so deep in a low you’re not too motivated to turn it around - you just want to be done.

Fortunately, I’ve discovered one reliable way to distinguish the two. From hundreds of hours of coaching and helping clients pull every lesson possible from their races, there’s one simple factor that sticks out.

You’re grumpy.

Crabby. Grouchy. Irritable.

However you describe it, that mood is common among all ages, genders, speeds and experience levels. Me too. This is the first warning sign I’m in a low.

It doesn’t matter who you are and how you run. If you get cranky and annoyed at the world in a race - even short with your crew or pacer - you’re probably in a low.

When your race is truly grinding to a premature end, you aren’t necessarily grumpy. You're more likely to be frustrated, dismayed, or disappointed the race isn't going the way you wanted. But you're still trying your best. Fighting to stay optimistic. Trying not to stress out about cutoff.

Not grumpy.

It’s all negative but the difference in negative matters.

Once you know this distinction in mood, it’s easier to know what to do next. Instead of dropping because your race is over, it’s worth having a snack, and giving the calories time to kick in, while you keep moving. Doing what you can to pull out of the low.

Because on the other side of a low, is a high. And good running. And a good mood.

This is why Surfing the Lows is one of the five race skills I teach. The faster you catch yourself in a low, the shallower it is and the easier it is to dig out of it and get back to the good running you want to be doing.

Turning a race around with your own skill is something to be incredibly proud of.

That’s not talent. That’s skill. And you can build it.