Life happens. Maybe you’ve caught the flu, you’re off skiing, or you’re finally taking that well-deserved beach holiday. Whatever the reason, sometimes you need to hit pause on your training plan, and that’s completely okay.
Your running goals don’t have to fall apart just because you take a short break. Here’s how to keep things on track when you’re sick, heading on holiday, or simply need some time off.
If you’re sick
Getting sick is frustrating, especially when you’ve been consistent with your training. We hear from a lot of Runnas who feel torn between resting and wanting to dive straight back into their plan.
Our advice? Always put your health first.
Start small: When you’re ready to lace up again, go for short, easy runs. Keep the intensity low and focus on how you’re feeling, not on hitting specific paces.
Stretch and recover: Adding gentle stretching or mobility can help your body feel good as you ease back into running.
Rebuild your confidence: If you’re early in your plan, it can help to redo the week you left off on before moving forward. That way you’re building a strong foundation again rather than forcing your body to catch up.
Plan Realignment: If you’ve missed 3 or more workouts, you’ll see a Plan Realignment popup at the bottom of your Today and Plan tabs. This handy feature helps you adjust your training to account for the sessions you’ve missed.
Note: To trigger the Plan Realignment pop-up feature, you’ll need to leave missed workouts unticked - please don’t mark them as completed or skipped. Once the pop-up feature appears, you’ll be able to shift your plan to account for the time away and reflect where you are right now, rather than where you “should have been.”
And if you want an even gentler return, you can adjust your Training Volume and Difficulty using your plan's Training Preferences.
Listening to your body
If you've not been feeling your best, it’s natural to be a bit stiff or sore when you start running again. But how do you know if it’s normal soreness or something more serious? Make sure you understand the difference between expected soreness and pain, which could be a sign to watch out for something more serious.
Normal training soreness: You might feel stiff or tender in your quads, hamstrings, glutes, or calves. This usually improves once you start moving and fades within a couple of days.
Pain to watch out for: Sharp or stabbing sensations, swelling, pain that lingers for more than 3–4 days, or discomfort that alters your running form. These are red flags that you may be dealing with more than just soreness.
Think of it this way: if a bit of movement makes things feel better, you’re probably okay to keep things light and steady. If running makes it worse, or if the pain follows you into daily activities like walking or climbing stairs, it’s a sign you need to rest and reassess.
The golden rule: never push through pain. Missing a couple of runs now is far better than being sidelined for weeks with an injury.
If you’re going on holiday
Time away is a good thing! Rest can be just as important as training, and the Runna app now has tools to help you adapt your plan around your travels.
Enter Holiday Mode
Our Holiday Mode (or Vacation Mode for North American Runnas) is designed to give you flexibility without derailing your goals.
Here’s how it works:
Open the app and go to Plan → Manage Plan → Adapt Plan → Add a Holiday.
Select your dates (3 – 21 days).
Choose how you’d like to train while you’re away:
All workouts: Stick to your full schedule.
Easy + long runs (for half marathon and longer race plans)
Easy + speed runs (for shorter distance race plans)
Easy runs only: Keep it light and relaxed.
No running: Take a full break, guilt-free.
Once your holiday is added, Runna will automatically shuffle your deload weeks, adjust your mileage, and keep your plan on track toward your goal. You’ll also get a holiday summary showing any changes to your schedule, mileage, or estimated race time.
Top tip: If you’re close to your race day, you can even use the Training Calendar to manually align your deload week with your holiday and give you peace of mind.
When you get back, your plan will pick up right where it left off - with a little push notification to nudge you back into routine!
Can I pause my membership?
At the moment, we don’t offer a way to freeze or pause memberships. However, all of your progress is saved in the app, so your plan will be right there waiting for you whenever you return!
Key Takeaways
Sick? Prioritize recovery. Use the Plan Realignment feature to get your schedule back on track and don’t jump back in too fast.
Listen to your body: Distinguish between normal soreness and injury warning signs.
Holiday? Add a holiday in-app and let Runna do the hard work of reshuffling your plan!
Membership? No pause button yet, but your plan and progress are always saved.
At Runna, we want your plan to work around you - not the other way around. Training should adapt to your life, whether you’re battling a winter cold, flying to sunnier skies, or just taking the rest you deserve!
Any questions?
If you need more support or have further questions, please get in touch via the in-app support channel and we'll do our best to help!