Laid out with military precision, colour coded spreadsheets, and a noble promise to stick to it no matter what. And then reality shows up. Work runs late, the sniffles arrive like an uninvited brother in law, or let’s be honest you just couldn’t be arsed.
Now you’re staring at your plan like it personally betrayed you. Relax. Nobody’s handing out medals for “Most Perfectly Followed Schedule.” In fact, if they did, you’d probably miss the awards ceremony anyway.
Here’s how to handle those missed sessions without spiralling into existential despair or strapping on a head torch for some ludicrous midnight mileage.
1. Don’t Try to Be a Hero
Missed a few days? Great. What you don’t do now is play catch up like a panicked Leaving Cert student two days before the history exam.
Cramming missed miles into every available crevice of your week doesn’t make you dedicateed, it makes you injured and/or sick. Your muscles and body need time to recover, and believe it or not, that’s where the magic happens. Not during some desperate, lung busting “redemption run” where you nearly pull a hamstring trying to clock extra kilometres before the week ends.
Stick to the plan. Accept the gap. You’re not filling potholes on the N7; no one’s asking you to make up for what’s missing.
2. Calm Down, You’re Not Suddenly Going to be Unfit
Miss three days and you’re convinced your VO2 max has dropped faster than your bank balance after a payday night out in Coppers? Newsflash: It hasn’t.
You can take up to a week off and lose practically nothing. Even if you’re out for two weeks, you’ll lose about 3-4% fitness. That’s barely enough to warrant a attention seeking Instagram post. And yes, there’s data to back that up, unlike half the nonsense you read on reddit.
So stop panicking. You’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from “slightly annoyed but still capable.”
3. Don’t Let the Slump Become a Lifestyle
The real danger isn’t losing fitness. It’s losing motivation and replacing your morning runs with doomscrolling through your phone while debating which pack of biscuits to open first.
Missed a few sessions? Fine. But don’t let that become the new you. Just get out, and start again. And if you’re genuinely sidelined with injury or illness, use that time productively. Do some strength work, stretch a bit, maybe finally figure out where your glutes actually are.
Final Word: You’re Not a Failure, You’re Just Human
Missing a few runs doesn’t mean you’re a fraud who needs to hand back their fancy running watch and reflective leggings. It just means life happened. The trick is not to wallow in it or start referring to yourself as "retired due to injury" (no you're not Richie Sadlier)
Take the hit, have a laugh at your own expense, and move on. The road’s still there. And unfortunately, so are those hills.