I was in the wrong gear
You're running like you're late for your own funeral, but you're actually just stuck in the wrong gear. You say 'I was in the wrong gear' like it's a sacred truth and not a total lie.
I was in the wrong gear. I thought I was in first, not fifth.
I was in the wrong gear. I was trying to be Bondi King, not a Bondi Beggar.
I was in the wrong gear. I was just trying to keep up with my mate.