Tired, Sick or Injured: How to Adjust Your Running Plan: Distance Dr Daily

Training plans look neat on paper. Real life does not always behave that politely.In this episode of Distance Dr Daily, I talk through what to do when you are following a marathon, half marathon, triathlon or running plan and suddenly things change: you feel run down, you get sick, or an injury starts to niggle.The big question is usually: do you catch up on missed sessions, swap things around, take a break, or just jump back into the plan?I break this down into three common scenarios: fatigue or feeling run down, illness, and injury. We talk about when it may make sense to swap a session, when to reduce intensity, when to rest, and when symptoms mean you should stop and seek medical advice. I also cover why suspected bone stress injury is different, why altered gait matters, and why jumping straight back into hard sessions after a flare-up can backfire.The goal is not to follow the plan perfectly. The goal is to make smart decisions so your body can actually adapt to the training.In this episode:What to do if you wake up exhausted on interval dayWhen to swap, reduce or skip a sessionWhy you usually should not “catch up” missed runsHow to modify training when you are sickHow to return after time off or altered trainingHow to think about pain during runningWhen injury symptoms need medical adviceWhy your plan needs to bend before your body breaksThis is a practical episode for runners and triathletes who want to keep training moving without forcing the plan at all costs.