Pushing Through or Calling It Quits? How to Handle Bad Workout Days
Every runner inevitably experiences the dreaded “bad workout” day. You wake up feeling tired and heavy, or you get out on your run and your legs just feel flat. Maybe environmental factors like heat, wind, or rain make your prescribed workout feel much more difficult than normal. Whatever the reason, we’ve all been there.
These bad workout days leave you with a decision to make: Do you push through the workout as planned or adjust on the fly? Making the right call can be tricky, but learning how to handle these situations can make a big difference in both your performance and your overall health as an athlete.
Recognizing You’re Having an “Off” Day
The first step is identifying when you’re having an off day in the first place. As much as we wish we could perform at peak levels every time we lace up our shoes, the reality is that is not possible. Our bodies are complex organisms, and many factors influence how we feel on any given day, including:
- Fatigue. Did you sleep poorly or skimp on recovery after your last hard workout? Residual fatigue builds up and can leave your legs feeling flat.
- Health. Coming down with a cold? Fighting allergies? Any illness or immune stress will sap your energy.
- Weather. Heat, humidity, wind, and precipitation all make workouts feel harder.
- Motivation. Lack of mental focus or “drive” on workout days can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Overtraining. Too much hard training without adequate rest can lead to chronic fatigue.
Pay attention to the signals. Are your legs unusually heavy and slow to get moving? Is your breathing more labored than normal at easy paces? Do you feel yourself struggling earlier in the workout and at lower intensities? Take those signs seriously and adjust accordingly.
Adjusting Your Workout Strategically
Once you confirm you’re having an off day, you have three basic options:
- Delay the workout. If scheduling allows, postpone the workout to a day when you feel better able to complete it properly.
- Adjust the pace. Complete the prescribed workout, but at slightly slower paces based on feel and effort.
- Reduce the volume. Cut the total volume (number of reps, distance, time, etc.) while maintaining pace.
The best option depends primarily on your event focus.
For Longer Events (10K to Marathon),
Adjusting pace tends to work best for longer event specialists. The specific pace matters less than completing the workout at the right effort level. As long as you are hitting appropriate physiological intensities, your body will still reap the benefits of training.
Be willing to slow down your paces by 2–6%, depending on how compromised you feel (see table below for guidelines). Avoid the temptation to gut out the workout at the prescribed pace when your body is begging you to back off.
For Shorter Events (800 m to 5K),
Maintaining speed and pace becomes more important the shorter the race distance. For middle-distance track athletes or 5K racers, preserving quality and avoiding additional fatigue may make more sense.
In this case, consider cutting back on the overall volume and reps in the workout while still hitting the prescribed paces. Six x 800 m at 5K pace becomes four x 800 at 5K pace. You shorten the workout to protect intensity while reducing fatigue.
Sample Pace Adjustment Guidelines
Use these targets to slow down paces conservatively based on how compromised you feel:
Feeling | Description | Pace Adjustment |
A Little Off | Legs just feel “flat.” | -2.5% |
Heavy Legs | Noticeably lacking pop and snap | -4% |
Slow & Tired | Really struggling/dead legs | -6% |
Very Bad | On verge of injury/illness | Bag the workout |
When to Call It Quits Entirely
Occasionally, even adjusting or shortening the workout still feels too taxing. Listen to your body. Pushing excessively hard into fatigue can easily overtrain you and set you back for days.
Red flags to suggest calling off the workout entirely:
- Illness coming on: severe cold/flu symptoms
- Lingering pain or injury flaring up
- Extreme weather conditions
- Severe GI issues, nausea, diarrhea
- Lightheaded, dizzy, and unusually short of breath
In these situations, stop the workout. Either cross-train easily for a short session or take a complete rest day instead.
Key Takeaways
Learning to adjust workouts effectively takes experience and trusting your intuition. Keep these tips in mind:
- Pay attention to signals your body is giving you. Don’t ignore bad signs.
- Be flexible with pacing and volume based on event focus.
- Adjust early in the workout before pushing too hard.
- Skip the entire workout if you are overly fatigued or sick; it is not worth risking injury/illness.
- Trust your gut. It’s better to bail out of a workout or cut it short than to push excessively and do harm.
Not every workout will go perfectly, but by making smart adjustments, you can often still get training value out of even bad workout days. Just be willing to adapt on the fly.
FAQs
Great question! It’s important to distinguish between a genuine off-day and simply lacking motivation. Pay attention to physical cues like unusually heavy legs, labored breathing at leisurely paces, or struggling earlier than normal in your workout. These are indications of a truly off day. On the other hand, if you’re just feeling unmotivated but your body feels fine once you get moving, it might be more of a mental hurdle. I’ve found that starting the workout and giving it 10–15 minutes often helps me differentiate between the two.
The answer depends on your specific situation, but in general, adjusting your plan is often the smarter choice. Pushing through at all costs can lead to overtraining or injury. I’ve learned the difficult way that it’s better to be flexible and make strategic adjustments. For longer-distance runners, slowing your pace by 2–6% (based on how you feel) can help you complete the workout while still getting the benefits. For shorter-distance runners, maintaining pace but reducing volume might be more appropriate. Remember, one adjusted workout won’t derail your training, but an injury from pushing too hard certainly can!
Great question! The article provides a handy guideline for pace adjustments:
- If you’re feeling just a little off, try slowing down by about 2.5%.
- For heavy legs, aim for around 4% slower.
- If you’re really struggling with slow, tired legs, go up to 6% slower.
- And if you’re feeling very bad, to the point where you might be on the verge of injury or illness, it’s best to skip the workout altogether.
I’ve found these guidelines to be pretty spot-on in my own training. Just remember to listen to your body and adjust accordingly.
There are definitely times when it’s best to completely bail on a workout. Based on my personal experience and as mentioned in the article, there are several red flags to consider.
- Experiencing an illness, particularly if you are experiencing severe cold or flu symptoms
- A persistent pain or injury is reoccurring.
- Extreme weather conditions could pose a significant risk.
- Severe GI issues, nausea, or diarrhea
- Feeling lightheaded, dizzy, or unusually short of breath
In these cases, it’s much better to take a rest day or do some light cross-training instead. Your long-term health and training are more important than any single workout!
That’s a wonderful point to bring up! It’s all about balance and honesty with yourself. Here are a few strategies I use:
- Be consistent in how you evaluate your body. Use the same check-in process each day to assess how you’re feeling.
- Keep a training log. Take note of your off days and look for patterns. If it’s happening too frequently, you might need to reassess your training plan.
- Set a “get started” rule. Commit to at least 10–15 minutes of your planned workout. Often, if it’s just mental resistance, you’ll feel better once you get going.
- Be honest about your goals. Remember why you’re training, and use that as motivation.
- Don’t beat yourself up. Everyone has off days. The key is to make smart decisions that keep you healthy and train consistently in the long run.
Remember, the goal is to be a consistent, healthy runner over time, not to crush every single workout!
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