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Perhaps you want to do a track workout, but it is extremely hot and humid or it is snowing with 40 mile per hour winds.

Maybe you just want to go for a bike ride and it is raining and there is very little visibility.

Perhaps you would like to go roller-blading but you fell asleep on the couch and now the sun has set.

When outdoor sports call for workouts performed outside, weather can play a large role in how successful that workout is going to be. Different people have multiple theories on what should be done in situations where the weather isn’t ideal, and the trick is to match your workout plan to what’s most appropriate on any given day.

Here are some questions that you can ask yourself that will allow you to find the best way to get your workout in when possible without significantly impacting your training schedule:

1. Is it safe for you to go outside and perform the workout as scheduled? Possible unsafe conditions may include extreme heat, very low visibility (if you will be on the roads), high winds and hurricanes.
2. If it is not safe, can your workout be moved to a different time of day? If your workout is scheduled for the morning, what will the conditions be like in the afternoon? If the schedule calls for an afternoon workout, what does the forecast call for first thing in the morning, and would you have time to fit it in?
3. If you can’t reschedule your workout for the same day, can you move it up a day or back a day without negatively impacting the rest of your schedule? Without a very good reason, you shouldn’t reschedule your entire week just to fit one workout in. A simple solution is to check if you can get enough rest to do the workout a day early, or will be able to schedule enough rest before your next hard workout to move the workout back a day.
4. If you can’t reschedule your workout, can you change the workout to make it safer? Check to see if it is possible for you to change where you are running your workout, whether that be on different roads that aren’t as busy, or off of roads altogether and onto trails or a track, or even moving inside and running on an indoor track or treadmill. You might also consider changing the type of workout from speed intervals to a tempo run or even just doing an easy run that will allow you to maintain your footing or pay more attention to hazards.
5. If you can’t perform, reschedule, or change your workout, then can you just skip it? If that workout just isn’t going to happen, what will happen if you just skip it? Leave the rest of your week as is and consider this a slightly lower volume week than usual. The only real reason to change your schedule is if you are forced to miss multiple workouts in a short span of time.

Next time the weather poses a problem, go through these questions to see how easily you can adjust your schedule, and be prepared to miss the workout if absolutely necessary.