In his book Run Forever: Your Complete Guide to Healthy Lifetime Running Amby Burfoot writes
Running is the simplest of sports. It deserves a simple book. That's why I wrote Run Forever.
In the last twenty-five years, running has grown massively popular and increasingly complex. There are too many shoes, drinks, energy bars, training plans, stretching devices, massage tools, and books willing to dissect and discuss all of them.
I'm here to say the opposite: running is not complicated. Run Forever doesn't attempt to explain everything there is to know about running. It explains only what you need to know. It drills down to the essentials.
He continues
Everything you'll read on these pages has emerged from my half century of running experience, the testimony of the world's best runners and coaches, and the scientific conclusions of top running researchers.
At the personal level, I've road tested every piece of advice in Run Forever. Over the last fifty-five years, I've run 110,000 miles more than enough to make lots of mistakes (bad for me) and figure out better ways (good for you).
I love that intro. In section 1, chapter 1 Burfoot writes
Don't be perfect. Be persistent: Runners tend to succeed in all areas of life, not just in running, because they are organized, committed, consistent, disciplined, and goal oriented. These are all brain functions. You need a plan, and you need to follow that plan. But you don't have to be perfect. You just have to be persistent.
If you can check off 80 percent of the workouts on your plan, that's roughly as good as 98 percent. So don't get discouraged when illness, bad weather, family emergencies, or a thousand other responsibilities blow up your best-laid plans.
Just get reorganized, rededicated, and back on track. Use your brain to chart a new course. It's your most potent weapon.