2 Minute Read

Most training days cannot, by definition, be outliers.

Why Peaks Mislead

Most athletes intuitively feel that progress is shown through raising their peak performance (their ceiling). This means running a faster 5K, putting a new max weight on the bar, or hitting a harder workout than ever before. 

Those moments are validating, like proof that the training is working. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying that success. But peak performances are rare. They depend on sleep, nutrition, weather, mood, and straight-up luck.

If our measure of progress is based on peak days, we set ourselves up for frustration. Because most training days cannot, by definition, be outliers.

The Power of Averages

We don't care about our best possible performance. We care about what an average day looks like, and how it's improving. That’s where long-term progress lives.

Most training sessions are average. By definition. That means if we want to get faster, stronger, and more consistent, the highest-impact strategy is to slowly raise the level of our everyday training (our baseline).

When your easy run pace improves or your long run starts feeling smooth, that’s a much bigger deal than hitting one heroic workout. Because averages compound. And a higher baseline lifts everything else with it.

Psychological Stability

Another overlooked benefit of focusing on your baseline is psychological stability. Peaks are exciting, but they also create a dangerous cycle of comparison: 

Why can’t I hit that pace again?

Did I lose fitness?

Am I falling behind?

This thinking pulls us into self-doubt whenever conditions aren’t perfect. But when the focus shifts to the baseline, a single bad day doesn’t carry so much weight. You stop obsessing over your highs and lows and instead track the slow climb of your average. That steadiness makes your training, and your mindset, more resilient.

Life is What We Focus On

What’s wrong is always available, but so is what’s right.

Our lives and our reality are what we focus on. If our attention is locked onto rare peak performances, life becomes a disappointment as most days just can't compare. If we focus on outlier sessions with terrible performance, we get the same result: frustration, negativity, and doubt. In either case, we're missing the point of training. 

Life is what you focus on. Focus on what matters. Most of life is lived in our baseline. Put your effort and focus here. That’s where real progress lives.

When we commit to that, we begin to see consistency, growth, and strength for what they are: proof that we are steadily moving forward.

Wrap It Up

Stop worrying about whether today’s run was your best ever. It won’t be. What matters is that your average day improves, just a little bit, over a long period of time. That’s how you know you’re moving forward.

And when the baseline rises, the future gets easier. Because even on your worst day, you’re still far ahead of where you started.

And with this mindset, we can build a routine we love, and train consistently.