I do not do well without a training plan. For me a training plan lays out goals – and what I have found is that the goals laid out in a training plan are often more difficult than I thought I could achieve. A really great training plan will build and really push you on a weekly basis and then it seems all of a sudden you have accomplished something that might have seemed impossible just months earlier.
But… one thing to keep in mind, is flexibility in your training plan. A plan is just that – a start – but if you really want to be successful, you have to be able to adjust when needed. When adjusting your training plan the most important thing to remember is to keep yourself accountable for what you are trying to accomplish but also not to be too hard on yourself when things don’t go perfectly.
Weather
One of the most common reasons to adjust your training is due to weather. I will make simple adjustments like moving workout days during a week to line up with good weather or avoid bad weather. But I have also made adjustments during a workout due to weather. Just last week, I went out for an 11 mile run and did not realize the wind that was forecast was going to start early in the day. I thought I had planned ahead and would be done before the wind started. At the time I started on the two hour run, the wind was blowing at more than 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. It was ridiculous, at times the wind just stopped forward movement. I had set out the day thinking I would finish 11 miles in 1 hour 50 minutes. So my adjustment was to run for one hour or 5.5 miles then turn around and head back to the car. When I turned around I had made it about 5.3 miles (which was a pleasant surprise). Luckily on the way back the wind let up a bit. I managed 10.6 miles with a pace that was slower than I set out to accomplish, but in the end I was happy that I managed to get a good workout in and by sticking with it, it turned out to be a good workout.
Injury
It is critical to adjust your training when an injury occurs. The worst thing you can do is try to “stick to the plan” when injured. My wife, Candi, really struggles with this one. She finds it hard to change her workouts or, even worse, stop working out when injured. This is extremely important though, or your injury will take much longer to heal, or even get worse. Depending on your injury, you can look at a substitution workout. You can move to a cycling workout, or swimming which will both provide cardio work without the punishing and pounding of running. Also consider smaller changes, such as using a treadmill to control your pace and stay off of uneven terrain if your injury is minor. Adjusting even a single week to give your injury some help can make a big difference and get you back on track.
Variety and Unusual Needs
I am currently training for the Pikes Peak Ascent. I started this training about 60 weeks before the race. If there is one thing I will need to keep me going it is variety. I will NEVER finish 60 weeks of training if I do the exact thing every week for that long. In addition, the Ascent is a race up a mountain. There is no existing training plan for this, so I have been taking marathon training plans and adjusting them. For example, the training plan I am currently using has a 5 mile run in the middle of the week. I decided to make this a trail run with incline work whenever possible. It provides a nice change and distraction once a week as well as providing some event specific training.
Don’t be too hard on yourself
Every day will not be a great workout. As Candi and I say, sometimes you have to be happy with the fact that you got out and did something! Don’t get too upset, when a workout, or even a whole week, doesn’t go as planned. In fact, don’t be afraid to step back a week or two in your training. I have done this many times, after having a bad week or two of training. Moving back two weeks in the plan allows you to redo those weeks and accomplish them in a manner that you are happy with, preparing you both physically and mentally to take on the next steps in the training plan.