So, you missed an endurance workout in your marathon or triathlon training schedule, and now you don’t know how to proceed. My advice? Don’t worry! Life happens to everyone, whether it’s a sick kid or a new project at work. In the big picture, endurance is rarely the limiting factor that prevents athletes from achieving their goals, and missing the occasional endurance workout really only has a minor impact on your progress. If this happens, don’t shuffle your routine to try to make it up. Instead, let it be and move on with your training schedule as planned.  

—Chris Carmichael is the author of The Time-Crunched Triathlete and founder and CEO of Carmichael Training Systems, the official coaching and camps partner of Ironman.