Training tips: What to do when the plan falls through

Goal setting is an important and arguably essential part of engaging in any activity or performing any task. Running and training are no different in that you need to have some idea as to what you want to achieve before you begin.

And whether that’s running three days a week to improve fitness, training to finish your first 10K, losing five pounds or setting a new marathon PB, you’ll need to have a plan to get you to the finish.

Unfortunately however sometimes life gets in the way and prevents us from sticking to the schedule, risking our ability to meet our goals. The following scenarios are commonly faced by runners. With them, are simple and effective solutions to help us move forward.

You didn’t run as much as you wanted

We often begin by setting ambitious goals in terms of how much we can do only to see ourselves fail to reach the high bar we’ve set for ourselves. The good news is that every run that we were able to do was still a step (okay, many steps) in the right direction. Focus on what you have done and all the miles you have run and readjust your goals to reflect what you did do, rather than what you intended to do.

You got injured along the way

Injuries happen to almost every athlete and runner at some point along the way. Rather than feel sorry for yourself and fall into despair about starting again, take time to find out what your injury was, what caused it and what you can do differently to avoid it the next time. Also spend time to work on your weaknesses, cross train to build supplemental fitness and create a plan that minimizes the risk of subsequent injury.

You didn’t run as fast as you wanted

Those who hope to PB or who set time goals for an upcoming race are most likely to worry about how much quality training and workouts they were able to complete in the build-up to the race. Rather than obsess over the bad or missed workouts, take pride in the ones that went precisely to plan and all the times your training was on track and you hit your desired paces. You’ve likely put in more work than you’re giving yourself credit for.

You didn’t see immediate improvement

The most common complaint lodged by beginners and veterans alike is that progress seems to take too long to materialize. Losing weight, running more or running faster all take time and require patience. Having short as well as long-term goals is a good way to ensure that you see and experience success and build momentum for future and further improvements. Celebrate your success no matter how small.