Missed a run? How to keep your training plan on track

Late meetings, colds and weekends away happen to every runner. Here's what to do when a run doesn't happen, so one missed day doesn't turn into a missed month.

Every plan looks tidy on day one. Then work runs late, a cold arrives, or a weekend away swallows the long run. Missing runs is part of training. What you do afterwards matters more.

Don’t double up

The usual mistake is catching up: Tuesday’s run on Wednesday, plus Wednesday’s. Two hard days in a row is how niggles start. A missed easy run is best left missed. A missed key session, like the long run or the week’s hardest one, is worth moving if there’s room for it.

Move it a day or two

Move a run only if it won’t land next to another hard session; keep an easy day or a rest day between hard efforts. If it would have to move more than three days, it belongs to next week, so let it go.

In Bao: hold a run in the calendar and drag it up to three days either way. It still counts for its own week, so the next one isn’t overloaded.

Ill? Use the neck rule

A common rule of thumb: if it’s only above the neck (a runny nose, a mild sore throat), a short easy run is usually fine. If it’s below the neck (chest, fever, aching muscles, an upset stomach), rest. If you’re unsure, rest, and check with your GP if it lingers. Come back with a few easy days before anything hard.

In Bao: tell Bao you were ill or injured, even for days that have already passed, and your streak carries on. It only breaks if you choose to let a run go.

Plan holidays as time off

A week away won’t undo months of running. If you know you’re going, plan it as time off rather than skipping runs one at a time. When you’re back, ease in with a lighter week before picking up where you left off.

In Bao: add time off from the Plan tab. The runs in between come off, your streak waits, and after a week or more Bao offers a gentle way back.

Tired? Do less rather than nothing

On a rough day, a short easy run beats a skipped one. If you slept badly or played sport yesterday, swap the hard session for something gentle.

In Bao: tap Make it easier on any session for a shorter, easy version, and put the original back if you feel better. If you share sleep and heart rate, Bao suggests it on days you look tired, and counts your other sport too.

Keep coming back

The runners who improve aren’t the ones who never miss. They’re the ones who keep turning up, week after week. A plan that fits your week is one you’ll stick with.