weather is obviously a big factor in this equation; it is, generally speaking, more fun to run when the weather is good. i don't mind rain so much, unless it is the torrential kind which blocks visibility and threatens the functionality of my iphone (well actually, now that i think about it, that kind of rain can be a blast as well -- after a while you are so wet none of it really makes a difference anymore and you can just splash your way through the biggest of puddles and the cars that pass by throwing water on you don't make you annoyed anymore), but wind is something i'm not a huge fan of. my normal running routes are by the sea, so you can imagine at times it can be rather tedious if the air happens to be on the move -- running all you can and still it somehow seems you are barely making it forward. other than that i'm quite mellow when it comes to the combination of weather and running, but of course -- the better the weather, the nicer the run.
but the there are obviously a massive amount of other things affecting the experience i get. the tiredness level of my muscles for example; although, to this day the correlation between the amount of exercise/ rest and the fatigue of my muscles continues to evade me. i've had magnificent, light and easy runs after weeks of vigorous exercise and very little rest as well as days when i feel like a war elephant after a lighter or resting day. but, no matter what the reason, if legs are heavy they are heavy and you will feel it, and it will take more effort and it will affect the way you feel.
then of course there are the matters of the head, as in if i have something on my mind it sometimes transfers itself into a baggage i have to carry as i run; however it must be said that running is for me, as i would imagine to a bunch of other people as well, a very good way of releasing the clutter and unwinding any troubles there may be. granted, if the problem is real and not just stress or anxiety or something alike, it might be waiting on the door once the run is complete, but at least for a while it is possible to leave it behind.
this mood set works, of course, both ways -- if i run when i'm feeling particularly happy or content about something, well, it is just pure ecstasy all over. i don't think i need to go very much deeper in here.
so i can be, depending on the different variations, almost a completely different person when running on different days. this is obviously always the case; one is affected by things and the current state of mind is molded accordingly. what makes this interesting in relation to running is that it is easier for me to analyze it; i am, after all, in a situation which is very familiar to me -- running in a certain time of day, on a certain route, in certain conditions i have experienced many, many times before-- so if i choose (i always don't) i can detach myself from that actual moment and focus on how i feel and where does it possibly come from. what felt like a superman on speed one day can feel like a hungover hippo the next; the reason is not always in the extra miles you did yesterday.
but what's really great about it is this: no matter how you feel when you are running it always feels pretty good anyway afterwards.
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