Why 15 years of failed training plans led to 1,650+ consecutive days of running consistency (and what this means for any goal you can’t stick to).
I used to be the runner who collected training plans like other people collect coffee mugs. Marathon plans, half-marathon plans, 10K and 5K plans, advanced plans, beginner plans. I had folders full of perfectly structured 12-week programs that promised to transform me into the runner I wanted to be.
The problem? I never made it past week 3.
Sound familiar?
For over fifteen years, I lived in this cycle:
Get excited about running → Download the perfect plan → Follow it religiously for two weeks → Miss a day, feel like a failure → Abandon the plan entirely → Repeat every few months when motivation struck again
I thought the problem was discipline. I just wasn’t ‘that type’ of person. Maybe running wasn’t for me.
I was wrong about all of it.
The hidden energy problem
While I was busy blaming my lack of willpower, the real culprit was hiding in plain sight: I had no energy.
I was overweight and lethargic, couldn’t concentrate properly, and I felt like I was just going through the motions of life.
By the time I got home from work, the idea of following a structured training plan felt impossible. I was already running on empty before I even laced up my shoes. And don’t suggest I got up early and ran before work. I would’ve thought you were going mad.
The real problem with energy problems is that we don’t usually recognise them as energy problems. We call them motivation problems, or discipline problems (whatever that is), or time problems.
This means we think we need better plans, stronger willpower, or more perfect conditions.
The truth is much simpler and straightforward. When you fix your energy, everything else becomes possible.
The complete energy transformation
My transformation didn’t start with a running plan. It didn’t even start with weight loss, although I was overweight and training in a way that wasn’t appropriate for my weight.
It started when a friend shared how incredible they felt after changing their nutrition. I wasn’t drawn to how much weight they’d lost, I was inspired by how much energy they had.
I was desperate to feel better, I knew my diet was the likely culprit, but I couldn’t figure out where I was going wrong so badly. So, I tried my friend’s programme.
Within days, my energy levels soared. I felt I could focus again, and I wanted to do things instead of just thinking about doing them. Bizarrely, the weight loss that followed (23kg) was actually a side effect.
It was my energy transformation that changed everything.
With my new energy levels, I approached running completely differently. Instead of another perfect plan, I made the smallest possible commitment: Run every single day.
Now, it wasn’t an overnight change, and I didn’t get everything right. In fact, I got injured at 90 days. Recovered, only to get injured at 100 days. So, I had to learn about training. Which I did, by running 2020 miles in 2020. I learned about intensity, training load and how to run slow (not as easy as I thought). Then I started another streak…
That was over 1,650 days ago. I haven’t missed a day since.
3 energy shifts that create running consistency and lasting change
The difference between my old stop-start pattern and my current running consistency isn’t complicated. It comes down to three fundamental shifts:
1. Energy first, everything else second
When you feel energetic, you don’t need motivation to exercise. You exercise because you want to. In fact, you get to a point where you need to (don’t worry if that seems strange).
The biggest barrier to consistency isn’t time or willpower – it’s operating on empty energy reserves.
2. Tiny actions beat perfect plans
I stopped trying to make every session meaningful or part of a plan. I started by just going for a run. Different routes, different pace. I didn’t really think about much other than where to go to make sure I did my 5K (I was running a minimum of 5K a day, but a mile is enough to ‘count’ as a streak).
You don’t need to approach it like this. You can start really tiny – a five-minute daily run is enough to get started. If you enjoy it and it works for you, it will naturally grow into longer runs. Then you’ll want to improve, so you’ll introduce strength training and race goals. And, if you’re like me, you’ll eventually find yourself coaching others.
Everything starts with just getting started. Perfect plans fail because they demand too much too soon.
Tiny actions succeed because they’re sustainable.
3. Systems trump goals
I stopped setting running goals and started building running systems.
‘I want to run a marathon’ became ‘I run every day’. (Note: I didn’t say I want to run every day – that opens the door wide and invites procrastination in).
Longer distances happen naturally as a result of the system, not as the driving force.
The real difference between empty and energised
Here’s what I’ve learned from both sides of the energy equation: you can’t willpower your way through consistently operating on empty, but you also can’t recognise when you’re genuinely energised until you’ve experienced both states.
When I was stuck in stop-start cycles, I thought ‘being tired’ was just part of being an adult. I’d push through fatigue thinking I was being disciplined, when in actual fact, I was fighting against my own biology.
Now I know the difference. When you have genuine energy:
- Action feels easier than inaction
- You look forward to challenges rather than dreading them
- Rest feels like recovery, not escape
When you’re operating on empty:
- Every decision requires enormous mental effort
- You’re constantly negotiating with yourself
- Rest never actually restores you
The game-changer isn’t learning to push through empty, it’s learning to create more energy.
How you can achieve consistency beyond running
The principles that create sustainable running habits are the same principles that create sustainable change in any area of life.
It’s not about running specifically. It’s about having the energy to act on your intentions instead of just thinking about them. Building tiny systems that work with your natural tendencies instead of fighting against them. And, treating your energy as the foundation that everything else is built on.
Whether your goal is running consistency, better morning routines, or finally making progress on that project you keep putting off – the approach is the same: fix your energy first, start smaller than feels meaningful, and trust that tiny daily actions compound into remarkable results.
Your next step
The runner who couldn’t stick to a plan for three weeks and the runner writing this after 1,650+ consecutive days are the same person. The difference isn’t talent, genetics, or some magical transformation (although, losing 23kgs and maintaining it sometimes feels magical).
The difference is understanding that sustainable change starts with sustainable energy.
If you’re stuck in your own stop-start pattern, try this: for the next three days, simply notice when you feel genuinely energised versus when you’re operating on empty. Don’t try to change anything yet – just observe.
You might discover that your ‘lack of motivation’ isn’t about the goal at all. It might be about the foundation.
Once you see the pattern, you can start to shift it. And once you shift it, everything else becomes possible.
Next, I’ll share the story of how my first chaotic race attempt started this entire journey – including why I thought a marathon wasn’t simply ‘running back to where I started’. Sign up for my newsletter to get insights on turning good intentions into lasting habits.
