Should you do the speed workout if you’re feeling a little tired?
This is a question I get a lot from the athletes I coach.
Moving the speed workout (or long run) over a day is of course a good option when it makes sense with the rest of your training or life schedule. However, that doesn’t always make sense, and it’s not uncommon to feel a little tired during the warm-up and then have a great workout! I am intentionally saying a l”ittle tired,” too. To me, there’s a big difference between a little tired and exhausted.
My general guideline is this: if you’re feeling a bit tired and debating whether or not to do the workout, ask yourself if you could slow down by five to ten seconds per mile and still hit the right effort.
For example, if it’s a lactate threshold run, and you think you can back off the pace slightly but still maintain the correct effort, then go ahead and at least try the workout. On the other hand, if you know you’re tired enough and your legs feel heavy enough that you’ll be nowhere near your usual pace, then it’s probably best to skip it.
What I tell my athletes is that you should generally feel consistently good, with just a few off days here and there—and that’s perfectly normal. But if you’re having a lot of off days, especially several in a row, that’s a sign that something needs to change.
There are a ton of nuances to this topic and I can come up with a lot of different scenarios and responses in my head. This newsletter is just to get you thinking about what to do in this scenario!
Happy running!
Coach Sandi