At what point is a session considered 'unsuccessful'?

Option 1: You just barely managed to hit the target paces

It was really tough, but you didn’t slow down at the end (or only slightly) — that’s the perfect session! It shows that the workout and your paces were spot on, and you’re on the right track to make progress. Don’t change anything, the plan is well-suited to you!

Option 2: You couldn’t maintain the session pace until the end

From the very beginning, you feel the pace is hard to hold, and at some point, you completely crash and can’t finish close to your target times. The session is clearly a miss. But be careful not to jump to pessimistic conclusions too quickly — it could just be a bad day, so don’t overthink it.

Ask yourself a few basic questions: How stressed or tired are you? How has your recovery been from your recent workouts? All of this plays a huge role. Honestly, anything in your life that's more stressful than usual can significantly impact your training capacity. So if you think it’s just a bad day or period, don’t change your paces just yet. Focus on recovery and see how the next sessions go.

If one or more of the following workouts go the same way and you're not feeling fatigued, it probably means you're not quite in shape enough yet to handle the current training paces. In that case, it’s time to slightly scale down your expectations. But don’t see it as a failure — think of it as a smart adjustment. Taking a small step back will help you move forward more effectively in the long run!

If you're sure the struggle isn’t due to fatigue, and the session feels too hard right from the start, we suggest taking control: slow the pace down a bit, complete the workout, and consider switching your training mindset — from “performance” to “mixed,” or from “mixed” to “fun” — to reduce the overall difficulty of your plan. And of course, after any missed session, let us know when you log it! Don’t keep pushing straight into the wall.

Updated on: 16/06/2025