When Running Isn't the Hard Part
A run coach on burnout, comparison, and rebuilding discipline without chasing a finish line.
My friends, it might come as a shock to you, but this run coach has been in a training rut. I trained/paid/traveled for two international marathons back to back (Berlin 2023 and London 2024) and promptly took a break from training. That break was so welcomed and needed, but when it was time to decide on my next goal…I was beside myself. I wasn’t motivated. I definitely wasn’t disciplined. I was also unnecessarily comparing myself to everyone else and it kept feeling like everyone was running a marathon in like Tokyo or France (even Chicago) or doing something equally as cool or impressive. Have you ever compared your running or training to someone really getting after a BQ marathon time, or training for The Speed Project or Hyrox?! I don’t recommend. Comparison is the thief of joy, I’ve heard.
ON TO 2025
I quit my corporate job and started teaching fitness classes and run coaching full-time at the beginning of 2025. I immediately signed up for the LifeTime Spring Half Marathon in May and got back to training. I think it was adrenaline and excitement that carried me through the first five months of the year, because that training cycle was awesome and I unlocked the mental part of racing I’d been missing and hit a shiny new PR that day! Onward to fall half training to actually train to be fast at this distance.
The way I was so excited to have big pockets of time back for training and workouts, just to be completely humbled by how physically tired my body would be after coaching heated classes all week. I love teaching those classes so much, so I pushed through. I talked openly with Coach Marina about the challenges I was having getting the running work done at the beginning of that next cycle. Being a coach and also getting your own stuff done isn’t easy. It’s actually surprisingly hard. We adjusted, and we kept adjusting…and then life kept happening.
My dad got sick and I got really scared. There were changes happening at my other job that I would think myself into a negative spiral I couldn’t get out of. I was so stressed that I kept getting sick and couldn’t stay healthy enough to work through a training cycle, which meant I wasn’t running or managing my stress and anxiety and well, you know how that circle goes. I felt a lot of shame that I was unwilling or unable to do the things that people paid me money for.
I took another running break. I decided to actually listen to what my body was telling me.
It snowed so much this past winter that I actually got the break I needed. I got to use my free membership at the studio I teach classes at. I took so many classes, I got stronger. I found a routine that worked for me, where I felt at home in my body. That turned into confidence in myself and the energy I brought to work and into my friendships and relationships changed in a positive way. I had the ability to say no to some things, the desire (finally) to say yes to others.
ON TO 2026
Some switch flipped. I felt rested for the first time in over a year. I realized that I was leaning too heavily on motivation and good weather to get outside and run. And I put that learning into action.
I chose to at least go out for 10 minutes when I had a workout scheduled. I wanted to feel more disciplined again, after months of waking up and deciding what my body wanted for the day in the short term. I had a goal again. Not a race goal, but a goal based on how I wanted to feel in the next couple of months. Getting back into running shape isn’t something I wish upon a seasoned runner (stay ready so you don’t have to get ready, right?!), but it provided a goal that didn’t include a finish line or a chip time.
Eventually, I started to see this challenge as a privilege—it felt less like “I have to do this” and more like “wow, I GET to do this”. The weather started turning and I was rewarded for doing the hard work building the discipline by feeling the sun on my face and actually feeling GREAT during my runs.
Am I ready to PR my half marathon? Absolutely not. But that isn’t my goal in the first place.
Life happens. Goals don’t have to be time-based to be important. There are more important things in life than running. Running and training should support your overall health and well-being, it isn’t the only thing that matters. It’s a part of your well-rounded experience on this planet.
Push where you can push. Pull back where you need to pull back. Practice discipline over relying on motivation. You might be surprised where you land if you let yourself live a little.
