How to get back on track when you miss workouts due to injury, illness, or other disruptions
Frequency and consistency are vital components of a successful paddleboard or outrigger canoe training plan. Well-designed training plans are carefully thought out and intentional, with every workout having a place and purpose. So you’ll definitely get the best results if you can execute every workout in your training plan.
Missed Workouts Are a Fact of Life…
Sometimes, despite your best intentions, you’re going to miss some portion of your training plan. Injury, illness, interruptions from work or family, or inhospitable weather will sooner or later disrupt your training plan.
When this happens to you, it doesn’t have to derail your training. Read on for suggestions to get your training back on track!
The Mental Factor
Disruptions to your training do not have to derail your training…
The hard truth is that if your training is disrupted, you can’t get that time back. You probably will not do quite as well as you would have if you all workouts had been checked off.
Mentally, you can let that wreck you, or you can accept that you are where you are, and move on from there. Don’t dwell on it. Disruptions to training are highly likely for almost any athlete – it’s how you deal with the interruptions that will determine the success of your season.
Let the missed workouts fuel your drive to train smart and train well. If you do that, you already have an advantage over your competitor who has let their own interruption get into their head.
Suggested Strategies for Training Interruptions
If you miss 1-3 days…
No problem! Just continue your training plan. If you missed a breakthrough workout, be sure to make up that workout, as long as you can avoid doing two breakthrough sessions on consecutive days. Don’t worry about trying to make up missed non-breakthrough workouts in this case.
If you can’t avoid consecutive breakthrough workouts, it is better to just skip the missed breakthrough workout instead of stacking breakthrough workouts on consecutive days.
If you miss 4-6 days…
If you miss more than 3 workouts, you need to be a little more strategic about getting back on track, depending on why you missed those days.
If you missed because of illness like a bad cold or the flu, it’s possible you’ve experienced a change in body chemistry that will affect your capacity to exercise. You may experience a lack of power, higher heart rate, and increased perceived exertion. In this case, skip down to the following section, “If you miss 7-14 days….”
If you missed because of non-illness related issues, like a work trip, and you feel rested and ready to start training, you need to consider several factors.
If the bulk of the workouts you missed occurred during a rest and recovery week, just count the week as an R&R week and carry on with the plan. You may want your first workout after the break to be a non-breakthrough workout.
If the missed workouts occurred outside an R&R week, you have a few options for your return week:
- Ease back into training by substituting lower intensity workouts for the harder workouts in your return week. This approach is especially recommended if you’re in Base 1 or Base 2 phase.
- If you’re
returning into Base 3, Build 1 or Build 2 phase, shorten your
breakthrough workouts but keep your intensity. You have three
options here.
- Reduce the intensity of your intervals by one zone. For example, if your workout calls for 6 x 3:00 at Zone 4, do 6 x 3:00 at Zone 3. This is a great approach if you’re in your Base 3 phase.
- Do half as many intervals as recommended in your breakthrough workouts. For example, if the workout calls for 6 x 3:00 at Zone 4, just do three intervals. This works well in all Build phases and in your Peak phase.
- Instead of doing your hardest breakthrough workouts, do short high intensity workouts instead.
If you miss 7-14 days…
If you miss a week or two of training, or if you missed 4-6 workouts due to illness, your primary goal is to rebuild aerobic fitness. Essentially, you need to temporarily drop back to “Base” phase to do this.
Again, we recommend using the alternative workout feature on the Training Platform to do this. Just choose the “Feeling tired and/or sore” option. You’ll need to spend a lot of time in Zone 2 to rebuild aerobic capacity, and this option will suggest workouts to get you there.
Use the following chart as a starting point to determine how many weeks you should consider substituting alternative workouts for the workouts in your training plan. Find the phase in which you are returning to training and adjust alternative workouts accordingly:
| If you are returning in… | Substitute Aerobic Capacity Work For… |
| Base 1 phase | 1 weeks, if needed |
| Base 2 | 1-2 weeks |
| Base 3 | 2-3 weeks |
| Build 1 | 2-4 weeks |
| Build 2 | 2-3 weeks |
| Peak | 0-1 weeks |
| Race | Follow the plan |
At the end of the recommended alternative workout duration, you need to evaluate your aerobic capacity. If you’re functioning at the level you were prior to your break from training, you can resume your training plan. If necessary, use the recommendations for easing back into training in the previous section to ramp back up to full speed.
If you miss more than 2 weeks…
Again, your primary goal is to rebuild aerobic capacity.
| If you are returning in… | Substitute Aerobic Capacity Work For… |
| Base 1 phase | 1 weeks, if needed |
| Base 2 | 1-2 weeks |
| Base 3 | 3 weeks |
| Build 1 | 4 weeks |
| Build 2 | 4 weeks, or until Race week, whichever comes first |
| Peak | Until Race week |
| Race | Follow the plan |
Remember, if you missed due to illness, you must rebuild aerobic fitness before returning to high intensity work.
It’s not the end of the world…
A forced hiatus from training is never ideal, but by adjusting your training plan and using discipline to rebuild your aerobic capacity, you can do quite well. Take these guidelines and adjust as needed to your goals, fitness level, and situation (because nobody knows you as well as you)
And, as always, train smart and train well!
Adapted from The Cyclist’s Training Bible 5th Edition, Joe Friel, 2018
