When Nothing Clicks

I planned to race a local 10K today.
Instead, I ended up pulling the plug at 6.3 km during a solo time trial a few days ago.

Not because I was injured or didn’t train.

But because everything that needed to click… didn’t.

I went in ambitious. Sub-37 or bust. Fitness felt decent in training, so I convinced myself that was the day’s outcome.

Reality had other plans.

It was windy (4 bft), the opening kilometers were straight into a headwind, and from the very start the pace felt heavier than it should have. Heart rate climbed early.

Mentally, I wasn’t fully there.

I passed 5 km in 18:44, already hanging on. The sixth kilometer slipped to 3:50 (9s of the pace). At that point, with a small knee niggle already present, I stopped.

Half quitting.
Half making the sensible decision.

And that’s the part I want to talk about.

Good Training Doesn’t Guarantee a Good Day

We like to believe that a solid training block equals a strong race.
That if the program is good, the result will follow.

But running doesn’t work like that.

You can do everything right:

• consistent training

• good recovery

• smart volume

• patience

…and still show up on a day where nothing flows.

Especially if you’re a recreational runner.

Work stress, sleep, life responsibilities, mental load, they all affect how “sharp” you feel. You might be fit, but not race-ready. Strong, but not switched on.

That doesn’t mean the training failed.
It just means the conditions didn’t align.

A DNF Isn’t Failure; It’s Information

Stopping early wasn’t a loss. It was data.

It told me:

• my fitness is solid, but not race-sharp

• my mental state wasn’t aligned with the goal

• my pacing ambition didn’t match the conditions

• pushing through would’ve been risk for a maybe result

That’s useful information going forward.

Too often we treat DNFs or bad races as proof that we’re not good enough. In reality, they’re feedback moments especially when you’re balancing ambition with a full life outside running.

Physical Fitness ≠ Mental Readiness

One of the biggest lessons from this run wasn’t physical.

It was mental.

If I’m not fully believing in the performance I want to run, I spiral faster when things go wrong. The first rough kilometer feels heavier. The doubt comes earlier. The “why am I doing this?” shows up sooner.

Mental readiness matters just as much as fitness:

• visualizing your race

• accepting discomfort before it happens

• committing to the process, not just the outcome

When belief isn’t there, quitting becomes easier — even when the body might still be capable.

Sometimes the Win Is Stepping Back

This time trial wrapped up my Norwegian singles approach. It built great base fitness, but didn’t give me the sharpness I was hoping for.

That’s okay.

The next step is adjusting, not forcing. Using the information. Going back to the drawing board.

Because in running, especially when life is busy, progress isn’t linear. Not every attempt is a breakthrough. And not every stop is a step backward.

Sometimes, the smartest move is recognizing that today just wasn’t the day.

And trusting that when everything does click, the result will be there.

Thank you for reading,

Tim 👟

PS: A small practical note: the knee niggle I mentioned already feels a lot better after doing a few simple hip-focused drills (elephant walks, hip airplanes, and some targeted hip flexor stretches).

Those exact exercises are part of the hip program I built, aimed at improving hip control and load distribution during running. Sometimes the fix isn’t more knee work, but looking one joint up. You can find more information here.