The Garbage Run

By Doug Fingliss

Some runs just feel like absolute garbage.

Today was one of those days. From the second I put on my shoes, I knew it wasn’t going to be one of those floaty, peaceful, “runner’s high” runs. No, this was going to be a grind. The kind of run with concrete legs, breathing out of rhythm and all over the place, and every step is a negotiation between quitting and just getting it over with.

And there’s always a reason.

For starters, I had dental work earlier. Not just a cleaning, but a cavity filled and bite drill adjusted on another tooth. Add that to a shin splint that’s upset with me from last weekend’s 5K where I tried to race a ghost version of myself from the start of 2024 (I’m not quite back in the aerobic shape again … yet!). I also haven’t been sleeping hot lately and have felt very low energy since I was sick several weeks ago. My body feels fatigued. My soul feels a little worn. And the weather today is that kind of soupy humidity where the air itself feels like it weighs 40 pounds and is trying to wrap around you and suffocate you because it can. Wind in the face both ways.

Air soup.

So yeah, this run felt like garbage.

But here’s the thing: garbage runs are part of the deal.

They don’t feel heroic. They don’t look great on Strava. They might not even hit the splits you wanted or count toward your mileage goal in the way you hoped. But they matter. Maybe even more than the runs that feel easy.

There’s Probably Science Behind the Trash Run

Sometimes my body just isn’t ready to perform. That doesn’t mean I’m weak or failing. It means I’m human. I thought I’d be invincible by now but that’s just not the case.

After intense efforts like racing or threshold workouts (or being sick for two weeks and still pulling off a 50 miler then a hard 5k the week after and two HARD workouts with my trainer this week) my muscles need time to recover. Microtears need repairing. Inflammation is still lingering. My central nervous system may still be recovering, which I’ve read affects coordination, muscle activation, and even motivation.

And then there’s the “faux Spring” of New England April weather. Every year I think “Oh! April! It’s going to start getting nice!” But rain then high humidity makes it harder for sweat to evaporate, which slows my ability to cool down and feels like it makes my heart work harder to regulate temperature. Add in wind, the weird kinda’ cold kinda’ warm temp, maybe being overdressed when the wind is at my back but way underdressed into the wind and my body is expending extra energy just to figure out what is going on.

The Mental Strengthening Miles

Garbage runs, though, are the king of mental fitness workouts.

They strip away my ego. They don’t let me hide behind good conditions or a good playlist or fresh legs. They make me ask myself “Why am I really doing this?” And when I stick with it, even slowly, even painfully, I answer that question not with words, but with movement.

Move a muscle, change a thought.

These miles matter. They teach me resilience. They remind me that consistency isn’t about perfection … it’s about showing up and putting in the work.

Some days you run fast. Some days you run far.
And some days, you just run through the garbage.

You put in the time. You show up even when your body is tired, your mind is foggy, and the air feels like soup. That’s the work.

Not a Waste. Never a Waste.

There’s a temptation, especially when I’m training for something big, to think that a bad run is a wasted one but that’s just not true.

Today I moved my body when it would’ve been easier to lay down. I breathed through discomfort. I didn’t give up and fought off the ghost in my head. That’s the win.

So the next time you’re in the middle of a garbage run remember this:
You’re not failing. You’re growing.
You’re not off-track. You’re building resilience.
You’re not wasting time. You’re showing up.

And that’s what runners do.