I've missed a days training.... What should I do?

Despite all Runners World articles on not having excuses not to run etc my job does sometimes get in the way and this week the weather (I know people say there is no bad weather just bad clothing - but I haven't yet found a pair of running leggings with a padded backside for when slip over on the ice!)

So to my question. When you miss a days training do you:

A. Write it off and move on
B. Do two runs the next day(am then pm)
C. Combine the runs to make one long run
D. Something else!!!!!!!!

cheers

The S@ss

Comments

  • Hi Sass
    I've done nothing either this week for a variety of reasons mostly to do with the weather. If I miss a session I either write it off or try to do it some other time during the week. If that's not possible I might make one of my other sessions slightly longer but not necessarily make up the full mileage.

    Think on the positive side - rest days are good too!
  • I too use a schedule but i only use it as a guide. I doubt there are many people who stick rigidly to a schedule, even if it only means swapping the days around, e.g. the RW schedule i'm on has monday as a rest day. Monday is one of our club nights so i don't miss them. Providing your getting the basics in, i.e. long runs, recovery runs and speed sessions don't worry.

    To do 2 runs in one day may be dangerous as you're only getting a few hours rest / recovery so could be a recipe for injuries.

    Combining runs to make a longer one, could also be dangerous as you would be stepping up your distance by too big a step.

    So, my answer to your question is A - write it off and move on. You can use it as an extra rest day if you want.
  • .... paul i!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    That is spooky.....

    Paul I is my (proper!) name and initial!!!!!!!

    Cheers for the advice. One run today and write off the other..

    The S@SS
  • I missed my Wednesday run as well 'cos of the weather and didn't do it Thursday either (which I'd scheduled as a rest day) so I wrote it off - doesn't do any harm once in a while, and I ran better on Friday for it I think (which was a hard-ish session)
  • Sassie - don't ever agonize about missing a day, just move on. One swallow doth not a summer make.
  • Hi Ironwolf; just to clarify, this is Sassie (you know, mad vicar with poodles) and the questioner is Sass (a chap!). Don't think you'd ever get me worrying about missing a day's training!
  • I miss loads of days training and I just either move it to another day, and if not, just write it off!

    Don't let it bother you! I used to stick to a schedule but things inevitably get in the way, bad weather, working long hours, family commitments etc.

    Enjoy the extra rest day!
  • Sorry Sassie, my mistake, with all the chopping and changing of nicknames going on lately I just assumed (wrongly) that you changed yours too.

    How do the poodles like this snow? The wolf pack are ecstatic
  • Ironwolf, the poodles lurve the snow! Except mini-poodle can't find any nice smells to persuade her to.. er....... evacuate, and so has done it twice on the carpet (plus she doesn't like the snow getting up her b*m!)!
  • One day ? You're worried about one day ?

    I worked out I missed 40% of my FLM runs last year and I bet there were lots of people in a worse situation than me.

    The schedules are only a guide - hardly anyone can stick to it 100%.

    Of course you could do two runs the next day to make up, but you;d get unjured pretty quickly, be forced to miss a week and then come back having to do 8 runs in a day or something daft.

    As Caz said - enjoy the rest day - if you don't rest then you definitely won't be fit.
  • I agree. A is the best option, "Move on" I jug my sessions all the time and miss the odd one (or two) all the time, rest is very important is well!
  • Sass,

    I'll just echo what everyone else says - move on and don't worry about it. Rest days are as important as training days and it doesn't hurt to give yourself an easier week.

    I did read somewhere that one easy week in a month is more beneficial for your than constantly training intensively.
  • MinksMinks ✭✭✭
    So glad that other people miss sessions from time to time as well. Even though I'm not training for anything specific at the moment I really give myself a hard time if I miss a session.

    However, life does sometimes get in the way and a few missed sessions really isn't going to make much difference. Last week I missed a session and for the first time just wrote if off without guilt, as I knew I wouldn't be able to reschedule it for later in the week and didn't want to spend my weekend beating myself up trying to squeeze in an additional session.
  • An awful lot of people on this thread seem to have the idea that extra, unplanned rest days are a good thing!

    No, missing a session is not the end of the world, but don't make a habit of it! There can be a bit of a slippery slope here...and before you know it you are missing sessions regularly, for very poor reasons.

    You might want to consider scheduling something on your next planned rest day. If that isn't feasible, you should try to feel guilty for at least 24 hours!
  • i missed my long run yesterday as it was too icy, and i figured i'd rather miss a day (and just for the record, it was 2 days off as saturday is my rest day) than miss 6 months because of a broken bone or something....i think runners get too obsessed, with food, training and all that....
    i'm a pretty serious runner, and am as scared as the next one about the descent into the armchair, but is hasn't happened yet, and2 days off is just fine....
    as for marathon schedules, i was constantly injured in preparation for my last one, so only managed 20-30 miles a week in the 4 months preceeding it (a week of which was spent in hospital too, so no training at all there) and my time was 15 mins better than i aimed for (3.30 instead of 3.45.) the marathon was quite easy and great fun...the time was a bonus....
  • Looking at some of these schedules, there does seem to be very little rest built in.

    As you say Fluffa - less miles, more speed.

    I know it's a delicate thing to balance and everyone is different, but I do like to err on the side of rest rather than overtrain.

    I've overtrained in the past with cycling and lost an entire season.

    I still do the guilty thing though - then think - flip - it's only 2 days missed due to ice - I lost 20 times that when I broke my leg ! (which I might have done again with all that ice)
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