No Perfect Training Conditions, Just Consistency.

No Perfect Training Conditions, Just Consistency

Over the past few months, I had been training for something that felt both exciting and slightly intimidating — my first 30km trail run.

Now, before anyone imagines me as some seasoned trail runner confidently hopping over rocks and hills every weekend… I should clarify: I still very much consider myself a newbie. I usually only do one or two trail races a year, so this was definitely a step up.

Going into it, I had a small goal in mind: finish in the top 10 of my category.

Mostly for fun, partly for motivation, and if I’m being completely honest — because I had a bet going with a colleague. Nothing like a little friendly competition to keep training interesting, right?

Things Were Going to Plan…

Training was actually going pretty well at first. After completing a road half marathon in early April, I adjusted my routine to better prepare for the trails. That meant adding more hill sessions, getting in some trail exposure, and continuing to build my aerobic base. There was a plan, a structure, and for once, things felt relatively on track.

I’m not someone constantly chasing PBs or obsessing over numbers. Running, for me, has always been something more than that. It helps me clear my head, keeps me somewhat fit aerobically, and gives me a routine I genuinely enjoy amidst the chaos of everyday life.

Then Life Happened

Then, as most of us know, life happened.

About a month before race day, plans really just went out the window for a while. Training became less about hitting sessions perfectly and more about fitting in whatever I could. Some weeks, running barely happened — maybe just a short easy run squeezed into the day when time allowed. Gym sessions became less frequent too.

The carefully planned programme? Let’s just say it quietly exited the chat for a while.

At the time, it felt frustrating. There’s always that little voice in your head wondering if you’re losing fitness or whether all the work you had put in before was slowly slipping away. But looking back now, I realise I was simply doing the best I could during that period — and sometimes, that is enough.

Sometimes consistency doesn’t look impressive. Sometimes it just looks like doing what you can.

Eventually, things settled a little, and I managed to slowly return to some sort of rhythm. Maybe two runs a week instead of my usual three or four. Not ideal, but enough to feel like I was moving again.

Race Day: Adjusted Expectations

And before I knew it, race day had arrived.

Safe to say, my goals had changed quite a bit by then.

Gone was the “top 10” ambition. The main objective became: finish in one piece, enjoy the experience, and just enjoy being out there for a few hours.

Also — very importantly — finish before midday because in this weather?? Absolutely not.

That said… the competitive side of me still held onto a tiny bit of hope about winning that bet.

Honestly, the race went far better than expected. Considering how inconsistent the final stretch of training had been, I was genuinely surprised by how good I felt. I managed to finish before midday, crossed the line in one piece (a huge win in itself), and somehow ended up finishing fourth in my category.

Now, full disclaimer — I was still about an hour away from the top three. Those runners were on another level entirely. Massive respect to them because wow.

What This Reminded Me Of

Looking back, I don’t think the race went well because I somehow crammed training in at the last minute.

If anything, this experience reminded me that what carried me through was probably the consistency from the months before — the regular runs, the boring easy miles, and simply showing up even when it wasn’t exciting.

The race wasn’t saved by perfect preparation. It was probably built on simply showing up, consistently, before life got busy.

I think we often wait for perfect conditions before starting something — more time, less stress, a better schedule, more motivation.

But life is messy, and perfect timing rarely exists.

We’ve all heard the advice before — don’t wait for perfect days, just stay consistent. Funny enough, I say some version of this to my own patients all the time too. Easy to say, harder to fully appreciate when life gets busy, training gets interrupted, or things simply don’t go to plan.

But I think this race was one of those moments where it finally clicked for me.

Small Efforts Still Count

Whether it’s running, rehab, exercise, or simply building a routine you care about, progress doesn’t always happen during the perfect weeks. Sometimes, it just comes from showing up consistently — in whatever way you can.

Small efforts still count.

Small wins still count.

No perfect training conditions — just consistency.

—

Shern Yi, The Running Physio