When you embark on a new training plan for an event, whether you have tackled it before or not, there will likely be times where you have to miss a session due to illness, injury or just those days where you know you should but it’s all a bit too much.

From the outset it will be important to have the right mindset about your training and the reality that there may be times where things just don’t go to plan and you have to miss days … or weeks.  Please don’t panic, it happens to all of us at some point!

Whether this is your first half marathon or one of many, here are a few things to bear in mind …

Be ready to adapt

If you have to miss a day or a few weeks, be ready to adapt to a revised plan that works for you.  Whatever the reason for the break in your training, your body will need to get used to the new stimulus again so don’t be quick to rush back to where you left off.

Be patient

You may have to cut a couple of sessions from your week until you feel strong enough to return to your original plan, or adapt your sessions to cross training or pool training. The most important thing if you’ve had to miss training due to illness or injury is that you take things super slow when you’ve had the all clear and are sufficiently recovered to continue.  Rushing when your body is not ready may cause further set-backs, so please take it easy.

Be good to yourself

Don’t beat yourself up for missing a session, but remind yourself that you’re doing it for a good reason. Being good to yourself also includes remembering the importance of rest days – not only because it’s hard to keep up an intense programme, but also because your body needs that time to recover and rebuild so you are stronger for the next one. So don’t skip the rest!

If you are struggling to stick to your training plan for other reasons see our tips on how to stick to your training plan.