I Took Two Weeks Off Running and It Didn’t Ruin Anything

For most of my running life, this would’ve been the part where I quietly panicked. Two weeks off. The holidays. Very little structure. But this time, something was different.

Over the holiday break, I ran twice. I didn’t open the weekly run plan my coach sends me. I didn’t “stay on top of it.” I ate freely, slept in, and spent time with my family without trying to offset it with discipline.

And when the break ended, nothing felt broken. That surprised me more than it should have. 

Why Taking Time Off Used to Feel Like Failure

For a long time, I believed consistency meant never stopping. If I missed runs, slowed down, or took a break, my brain jumped straight to:

“You’re going to lose everything.”

Not fitness, but identity. Confidence. Momentum.

That kind of thinking is incredibly common, especially among beginner and returning runners. We’re taught (directly or indirectly) that discipline equals worth, and that stopping means starting over from zero.

But running and habit formation don’t actually work that way.

Research on habit continuity shows that short breaks don’t erase long-term progress. What causes people to quit isn’t the pause itself, but the story they tell themselves afterward (source: behavioral habit research summarized by James Clear and BJ Fogg).

That story used to derail me. 

What Was Different This Time

This holiday season, I didn’t frame the break as “falling off.” I framed it as part of a long relationship with running.

When I did run, I didn’t follow a plan or stare at my watch. I ran by feeling. I paid attention to my body instead of my data. Running felt quiet again and uncomplicated.

And when Monday came, I didn’t feel the urge to punish the break. I felt ready to train.  

How This Connects to My 2026 Montreal Marathon Goal

One of my long-term goals is to train for the 2026 Montreal Marathon. It’s a race I’m genuinely excited about. Not because it requires perfection, but because it requires trust.

Training for a marathon over a long timeline forces you to accept something important: You cannot be “on” all the time.

There will be seasons of intensity. And seasons of rest. Life will interrupt training. There will be holidays, work, family, fatigue.

If I believed that every pause erased my progress, I’d never make it to the start line.

Instead, I’m choosing a different approach: Run more. Quit less.

That doesn’t mean running constantly. It means knowing how to come back without fear. 

What I Want You to Know If You Took Time Off Too

If you took time off — over the holidays or anytime — and you’re telling yourself: 

• “I ruined everything”

• “I need to start over”

• “I’ve lost my consistency”

I want to gently challenge that. Consistency isn’t measured by uninterrupted streaks. It’s measured by your ability to reset calmly.

You don’t need to earn your way back into running. You don’t need to compensate for rest. You don’t need to prove anything to begin again.

This philosophy is at the heart of how I coach and why Run More, Quit Less isn’t about doing more, but about staying in the habit loop long enough for running to become part of your life.

If this way of thinking resonates, you might enjoy: 

• Run More, Quit Less – 30-Day Running Plan

• Runner Reset Kit: 9 Resets for when motivation dips 

You Didn’t Ruin Anything

I’m training again now and it's not from guilt, but from trust. Trust that my body remembers. Trust that my identity as a runner isn’t fragile. Trust that long-term goals survive short breaks.

If you’re standing at the edge of a restart, wondering if you “messed it up,” let this be your permission:

You didn’t ruin anything. You’re just continuing.