What Happens When You Fall Off Your Training Plan Schedule

Running
Running

This week, work got in the way of RUN 10 FEED 10 training for Good Morning America’s Ginger Zee — here’s the lesson she learned in the process.

By Ginger Zee

I work split shifts at ABC: I get up at 3:30 a.m. to work on Good Morning America until 10 a.m. or later, then I head to our uptown studios for ABC World News from 3 to 7 p.m. Sometimes the only way to get a workout in is to do one between shows.

This past week, I did my Sunday run, then worked a full 15 hours straight on Monday (thing is, it doesn’t always become a split shift, but more of a really long day). I did yoga on Tuesday. By Friday I had had two other marathon workdays and hadn’t worked out at all. This was not part of the big plan. I felt so frustrated and disappointed in myself. So when I had a free half hour on Friday afternoon between shows, I sprinted—I ran two miles as fast as I could.

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The next day, I hurt. My injury flared up and I realized how irresponsible that was. No warm-up, just an angry and spiteful run.

I was back on my training plan Saturday and did a full-body, low-impact workout with Mark. On Sunday I went for a 10-mile bike ride. Thankfully my leg felt better.

What this week has taught me is that work gets in the way, but I need to plan better. I have to put training first after my job commitments. It’s also important for me to remember that rest is sometimes more important than a workout.

I know so many of you face the same time struggles—and balance a family. I don’t know how you do it! I do know that we are all fortunate to even have these “problems”: a job, a family, and the ability to exercise.

It’s a great reminder that this run will be for others. I hope you can join me as we all rally together to help feed people in our own communities at RUN 10 FEED 10 on September 21.

MORE: Train for RUN 10 FEED 10 with Ginger Zee!

Notes from Mark

Another long, hard week for Ginger behind the camera. I’ve been training Ginger for a while now, so I’ve become accustomed to her crazy schedule with long hours.

No matter who you are and what you do for a living, there will always be something that can potentially interfere with your workout. We must all prioritize health in our lives. Make an appointment with yourself—even if you don’t have a trainer who you can make an appointment with, you should create a calendar event in your phone. Always try to keep the appointment at the original time you set it, just as if you had a scheduled training session. If you move the time throughout the day, before you know it, the day is over. And don’t ever delete the appointment.

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As you can see above, Ginger was mad at herself for not sticking to her workout schedule, so she went extra hard the first chance she had. This backfired—she wasn’t properly warmed up, and she wasn’t running at the pace we had planned for her—and ended up causing her pain the next day. Although Ginger is very fit, she’s just getting back into running after being away from it for a while due to an injury.

For those of you who miss one of your training runs leading up to this race, don’t try to make up for it on your next run. Simply get back on track and focus on keeping to your schedule going forward. And don’t let missing a run become a habit—training schedules are set up a certain way for a reason. It all builds off itself to best prepare you for your race. Ginger and I will of course have to sometimes make modifications to her training because of her work obligations, but the plan is to stick to the eight-week race prep program I laid out as much as possible.

This coming week, the goal is to get Ginger back into running without pain. See her detailed schedule here.

Remember: Make appointments for all of your workouts; health has to become a priority!

–Mark Langowski

Ginger Zee is the Chief Meteorologist for ABC’s Good Morning America, reporting on the nation’s weather throughout the morning broadcast. Additionally, Ginger reports across all ABC News broadcasts and digital platforms. She will be hosting Women’s Health’s RUN 10 FEED 10 New York Flagship event on September 21, running alongside all participants.

Mark Langowski is a celebrity (ACSM & NASM) trainer who founded Body by Mark Wellness 13 years ago. He and his team of wellness professionals work with athletes, television personalities, CEOs, and hundreds of others across the country. He will be training Ginger for the upcoming RUN 10 FEED 10  race and offering tips and tools for others to train along with Ginger and himself. Get more wellness tips from Mark at bodybymark.com and on Instagram @bodybymarkwellness.

Follow Ginger’s training journey weekly, and learn more about/sign up for RUN 10 FEED 10!