When to Skip a Workout (& How to Adjust Your Running Schedule)

Life happens. Stress happens. Sickness and injuries happen. There will inevitably come a time when you will be forced to decide when to skip a workout—and then how to adjust your running schedule if you do. This can be tricky as it’s still important to balance stress and rest. 

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I have learned this the hard way time and again. There have been times that I missed workouts and tried to make up the mileage, only to overstress my body and get running injuries. There have been times that I ran when I felt sick, fatigued, or an injury coming on–only to make it worse. For example, I trained hard on a torn hamstring, forcing myself to be sidelined for more than a year. If I had not been afraid to skip a workout or two, I would have saved myself a lot of misery.

Deciding when to skip a workout or miss your run can be pretty agonizing for a runner. We are conditioned to push through pain, and many of us struggle with rest days—especially if they are unplanned. However, skipping a run can sometimes be unavoidable and oftentimes is wise.

Sometimes packed schedules make running impossible to fit in. Other times we may feel sick, have a running injury coming on, or just too exhausted to run. I hope to clarify when you should skip a workout, when to push through, and how to adjust your running schedule. 

When to Skip a Workout Due to Illness

Most dedicated runners will not miss their run at any cost. But sometimes, running can do more harm than good. So, how can you tell if you are too sick to run?

Most runners go by the standard that if your symptoms are above the neck, you can run. If you have below-the-neck symptoms, then you should skip your run. This is fine as a guideline, but sometimes can lead you astray, for example, if you have a migraine or you’re in the beginning stages of an illness.

Therefore, I suggest you ask yourself the following questions to determine if you are too sick to run. If you answer yes to any of them, skip your run!:

• Does just the thought of running feel too hard? (This is my go-to!)
• Do you have a fever or feel achy?
• Is breathing difficult?
• Do you have chest or stomach pains?
• Have you felt progressively worse over the past day or two?

In general, running with a mild cold should have little to no effect on your body if you use common sense. However, running could make your cold worse and lead to more serious illnesses like pneumonia or a sinus infection. If you feel worse as you are running, stop…go home and rest.

If you don’t answer yes to these questions, go for a run BUT avoid runs longer than an hour and paces faster than an easy pace. Your run should be a maintenance run that maintains your fitness rather than improves it.

When to Skip a Workout Due to Pain

Too many times I have pushed past pain, ignoring a running injury, only to worsen it and end up sidelined. I don’t want this to happen to you. So, how can you tell if you shouldn’t run with your injury? Be prepared to take time off and lessen the damage by asking yourself the following questions. If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you should skip your run!

• Does it hurt when you walk
• Has the pain lasted longer than a day?
• Is the pain getting worse as the day progresses?
• Does the pain get worse as you run?

You can also use the stoplight analogy to help you assess the severity of your pain:

• Red light pain: Pain that is >6/10 is a red light. Stop this activity! If the pain is severe and you are unable to walk, then go see a professional, a PT, or MD.
• Yellow light pain: Pain that is less than or equal to 5/10 means to proceed with caution. This pain should subside in 24 hours and improve in 2 weeks with similar activities.
• Greenlight pain: Pain that is < 2/10 and goes away in 24 hours or less is safe. Do not increase any training variables when you have symptoms unless advised by a coach or healthcare provider. 

When to Skip a Workout Due to Fatigue

Sometimes “mom life” or life, in general, can leave you fatigued. Sometimes, we train too hard and don’t recover enough. Personally, my biggest hurdle is getting enough sleep as a runner and mother. My kids go to bed late and my husband goes to work early, so my window to sleep and train is small. Skimping on sleep, which is when your body builds itself back up stronger, can lead to overtraining.

Overtraining shows up in the form of decreased performance despite an increased effort, feeling tired all the time, dreading running, difficulty sleeping, and a higher resting heart rate. Regular breaks from running prevent runners from experiencing the overtraining syndrome.

So, how can you tell if you’re too tired to run—or simply unmotivated? Ask yourself these questions. Again, if you answer yes to any of these, take a day (or days off) and adjust your training:

• Does the thought of running make you unhappy?
• Is your resting heart rate elevated?
• Are you having trouble sleeping?
• Is your performance declining?
• Have you been exhausted for more than a day?
• Do you feel worse as you run?
• Have you not been eating or sleeping enough?

Tips for Moving Your Running Workouts

If you skip a workout or are forced to adjust your running schedule, keep these return-to-running guidelines in mind:

• Don’t ever run back-to-back hard workout days
• Start easy and progress back into your schedule, e.g. a run of half your normal daily volume at an easy pace
• Don’t try to make up for lost time
• Let your body guide you as to when to add more running time
•  

If you are in a situation where you may be sick, injured, or fatigued, but you still believe you can run, here’s how to adjust your workouts:

• Plan B: If you feel lousy & can’t do plan A, do Plan B. Aim to do an abbreviated portion of the planned workout, e.g. 15 min tempo instead of 30 min tempo. Don’t push your workout.
• Plan C: If you feel so lousy that you cannot run at all (answered yes to any of the above questions), move to Plan C: skip workout and resume as normal.
• Extended time off: If you’re forced to take 5 days or more off, resume easy running for 3 days before gradually moving towards your planned training schedule over the next week or so. 

There are many return-to-running plans out there because there are obviously variations based on your circumstances (bone versus soft tissue injury, a bad cold versus COVID-19).

Running coach Jack Daniels provides a good general guide for how to return to running after a break that can be adjusted based on your circumstances:

Return to Running Plan after Time Off

• 0-5 days off running: Easy running at 100 percent volume equal to the number of days off with strides
• 6 days off: 3 days easy running at 50 percent volume; then 3 days easy running at 75 percent volume with strides
• 28 days off: 14 days easy running at 50 percent volume; then 14 days easy running at 75 percent volume
• 29+ days off: 9 days easy running at 33 percent volume; 10 days easy running at 50 percent volume; then 10 days at 75 percent volume with strides
• 8 weeks off running: 18 days easy running at 33 percent volume; 19 days easy running at 50 percent volume; then 19 days at 75 percent volume with strides
• 8+ weeks off running: 3 weeks each at 33 percent, 50 percent, 70 percent, 85 percent, 100 percent with strides.
• 72 days off running: A runner is almost completely detrained.

You can also follow my free return to running plan after a break.

4 Return to Running Tips for More than a Week Off Running

• Walk before you run. Walking is the best cross-training activity to ready your body for running.
• When you’re able to walk for about a half-hour without pain/discomfort, you’re ready to run.
• Start with short run/walk intervals on a flat, level surface. Gradually elongate the time you run & shorten the time you walk so that you work up to consistently running for a half-hour. At this point, you can segue to running.
• Alternate run & cross-training days.
• Meanwhile, strengthen your body—especially any weaknesses like your pelvic floor and core post-baby or around her injured area.

What happens to your body when you skip a workout?

This one is for those who freak out that missing a day of running makes you lose your running fitness. You would have to take a week off for any statistical amount of physiological changes to occur. 

• a reduction in capillary density and oxidative enzymes which impacts how much oxygen your body can process;
• along with a rise in how much oxygen a person then consumes over carbon dioxide produced;
• a decrease in glycogen uptake and an increase in fat-burning (which leads to slower running); and
• an increase in fast-twitch muscle fibers over the use of slow-twitch muscle fibers, leading to a faster accumulation of lactate leaving your legs burning and heavy.
• Additionally, other factors outside this study such; as a decrease in muscle tension and neuromuscular changes can lead to a decline in running performance.
• A 1985 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found a 9 percent reduction in blood volume and a 12 percent reduction in stroke volume after two to four weeks of inactivity in trained men. This impacts your VO₂ max, making running feel hard.

These changes are reversed quickly once you return to running and are likely countered by gains in recovery from the extra rest. Working with a running coach like me can help you make prudent decisions based on training smart instead of training with fear!

Are you good about listening to your body and taking unplanned rest days?