Get Back on Track – Restart Your Training After a Break

Autumn is peak season for running, and for many, the situation is the same: The summer break has taken a toll on fitness, but the race bib is already purchased. Whether the goal is a start line or just getting back into a routine, the principles for a good restart are the same. We asked elite runner Jacob Simonsen where to begin.

For many, summer vacation means relaxation, spontaneous activities, and a break from regular training routines. However, we are different – some may train more than usual during the holiday, while others naturally let training take a backseat for a while. When everyday life and routines return, the desire to get started again often arises. The way you restart determines whether your body gets the best conditions.

Below are my six tips on how to rebuild your training without overloading your body – whether there's a race in the fall or you just want to get back into a routine.

1. Accept that your fitness may have changed

After a few weeks off or focusing on other things, your fitness, strength, and endurance may have changed and decreased slightly. This doesn't mean you're starting from scratch. The body has an impressive ability to quickly regain previous form once training resumes. Avoid comparing yourself to where you were before the break. Instead, start from your current level. Don't chase old times or performances from before the break – they will come back. Focus instead on having good training experiences and creating a stable rhythm.

That fitness dips before it rises again is not a coincidence but a fundamental principle in all training. You can read more about it in the guide to supercompensation .

2. Start a bit slower than you want

Many find that motivation is higher than physical form. It can be tempting to train just as far, just as fast, and just as hard as before the break, but this increases the risk of overload and injury.

It's similar to starting after New Year: You're motivated, increase training volume quickly, and end up either injured or losing motivation. A gradual start provides much better conditions for maintaining training. I've previously written about how to build a new running habit .

A good tip is to:

• Reduce intensity for the first 1-2 weeks after the break.
• Keep training sessions a bit shorter than usual.
• Give your body time to gradually adjust to the load again.

You will often find that your body adapts faster than you expect if you give it the right conditions.

It's rarely the total weekly volume that causes problems at the start. It's the big individual sessions – the very long run or the very hard interval. Therefore, it can be beneficial to spread the week's training over several, slightly shorter sessions instead of concentrating it into a few hard workouts.

3. If motivation is lacking

For some, it's not the body but motivation that's the biggest challenge after a break. Here are three things that can help you get back into a good routine:

• Set aside time for training. Agree with yourself, for example, to spend 30 minutes in the morning getting out the door. Whether it's a walk, a short run, or a longer session, is less important – the key is to establish the habit.
• Make it easy to get going. Lay out your workout clothes the night before and have a plan for the next morning. If it fits into your daily routine, you can also use the commute to or from work as your day's training.
• Find your own motivation. Consider why you train. Is it to gain more energy, create a break in a busy day, improve your health, or be part of a social community? Knowing your own drive makes it easier to stick to habits.

4. Focus on consistency over perfection

The goal should be to create consistency. Two or three good training sessions a week are far more valuable than one very hard session followed by several days of soreness or an overuse injury. Regularity beats one-off peak performances when the goal is to create good habits and build a robust body. A week where you trained twice instead of the planned three times is not a failed week. It counts.

5. Listen to your body

Slightly sore muscles are a natural part of starting up again – both after running and strength training. Persistent pain in joints or tendons, however, is a signal to ease off and give your body extra time to catch up.

Recovery is an important part of training – especially in the first weeks. Sleep, good nutrition, and adequate hydration significantly affect how your body responds to increased load. If you want to delve deeper into this, we've compiled everything in the complete guide to recovery .

6. Set realistic goals

Motivation is easier to maintain when goals are concrete and realistic. Instead of focusing on personal records in the early days, set more process-oriented goals like:

• Completing the number of training sessions you planned for the week.
• Being active for a certain number of minutes or hours each week.
• Returning to your regular training routines.
• Feeling more energy and vitality in daily life.

If you have a race on the calendar soon, the same applies: Use the first weeks to rebuild rhythm rather than chase speed. There's rarely anything gained by pushing fitness in three weeks, and much to lose.

When small goals succeed, larger results often follow naturally.

Remember, Everyone Starts Somewhere

Almost everyone experiences periods where training is paused. Whether the break is due to summer vacation, injury, illness, or something else, the same principles apply: Start slowly, be patient, and give your body time to adjust again.

Gradually build up your training, and enjoy the small progress along the way. Before long, both fitness, strength, and vitality will be on their way back – and you've created a solid foundation for the rest of the season.

Ready to Get Started Again?

If you want to follow Jacob's advice and build your training gradually, gear is a good place to start. If your shoes have been idle over the summer, a fresh pair of running shoes can make the first weeks more enjoyable.

If you want to monitor how the body reacts to the increased load, a sports watch can show you resting heart rate and recovery along the way. Two good indicators when building up after a break.