How I avoid burnout & bday recap!

(top, socks, shorts, shoes ((20% off)))

9.4 miles @ 8:24 average before everyone woke up and then it was straight to birthday celebrating. We got him the GoPro 11 so he was on cloud 9.

We then went straight for some acaí bowls.


The coconut almond butter from Bowls Superfood is absolute perfection.

Brooke is very calculated with her acaí bowl eating.

Of course we stopped here!

We watched Harry Potter during Beck’s nap and then we went to Top Golf.


We finished off the day with his favorite coconut cream pie!

Arthi asked a great question the other day that I thought I would answer here! “Do your legs ever feel fresh at this point in training? I feel like even with rest days built in, I’m constantly training on tired legs and just accept it until the taper/race day. Also, wondering how you avoid burnout with the high mileage/intensity you do!

Over the years of training, I have definitely reached burnout with my training. But between some changes I have made and my body adapting to years of training this way (when I first started training with them I thought they were crazy but now it feels normal after a few years of doing it)… I have had a good streak lately avoiding burnout.

I definitely felt burned out at CIM 2019… two back-to-back marathons that year was way too much for me.

This is a great article on what burnout is and additional tips on how to avoid it!

So here are a few things I do now to help avoid burnout.

*I run my easy runs at truly an easy pace. I can’t tell you how many times I have told the people I am running with on my easy days that I need to slow down. I really let my body do what it needs on the easy days and could care less what my watch says those days.

*One rest day a week! I might do some light yoga on my rest day but other than that, I don’t walk over 1000 steps on Sundays. I take it seriously.

*I think a lot of times we underestimate our energy needs during training. I really need to make a movie of how much and how often I am eating on a typical day of marathon training. It is non-stop. Back when I wasn’t eating enough (sometimes intentionally and sometimes not intentionally), I felt burned out all of the time. Eating within minutes of finishing each run has made the biggest difference for me in avoiding burnout and getting my body to recover quickly.

*A few months ago, I was feeling off for a few weeks in a row. I was just so tired. I went in and had blood work done, and they have been able to help me with what supplements I needed to get things back to normal again. I feel so much better and will continue to get my blood work done when I am training a lot.

*I sleep so much. When I didn’t sleep much back when I was single, I felt burnout all of the time. Short naps through the day at times helps me a lot too.

*Training with people… I swear I feel burn out so much more when I am running alone but that might just be because I am addicted to socializing as much as I can throughout the day.

*I may have become a little too cautious about injuries. Any time I feel the smallest thing, I stop until the pain is gone. It took about 10 years of training to figure this out. If I get an injury now, it will be one of those things that just hits me out of nowhere… because I refuse to run on something small that will only get worse with more running.

*Get help if you can. When I marathon train, I hire cleaners. I can’t keep up with it all and they are the best. I say no to some things and give myself grace to rest when I need to. We can only do so much and trying to do it all results in burnout.

*We can’t race our workouts! If we push too hard in our workouts, we will burn out before race day. Also, we don’t need to push the w/u and c/d of our workouts. Focus on the intervals and the rest should be at a comfortable pace.

*Having an awesome coach. He knows what he is doing and is always asking about how I am feeling etc, in order to figure out what mileage/workouts I need. Having an outsider telling you what to do is really helpful to avoid burnout.

*Usually, I am doing a few runs a week on the dirt (too snowy this winter) and that helps me to avoid burnout a lot.

*My biggest training burnouts were during stressful times of life. The body keeps score with our life stressors and I can’t handle that and training hard at the same time. Training hard will be there waiting for us when life calms down again.

*Remember that running is supposed to be fun and if it’s not, a break can work wonders! Mental signs of burnout can be things like depression, more anxiety and not wanting to go out and run. Of course its normal to have days where you don’t feel like getting out but if this is happening every day, it could be time for a break.

During marathon training (at least after the first few weeks of training), my legs never feel fresh. Sometimes they feel less dead than other days but the accumulation of mileage and workouts just make them tired constantly. They do feel a bit better during cutback (less mileage and intensity) weeks that happen every 3ish weeks during training. This is what makes marathon day magical… we will be able to run fast paces on fresh legs after the taper!

And PS, an error that I made recently was getting back into working out (the Peloton) too soon after the Big Bear Marathon this last November. Working out helps my mental health so much and sometimes I don’t know how to cope well without it, BUT from here on out, I am going to take a full week off and then gradually begin again after a marathon.


What are some things that you do to avoid burnout? Have you hit burnout with running?

Any errors you have made in your training?

What’s your workout today?

Ever been to Top Golf? Ever been golfing?

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30 comments

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Happy belated to Andrew!! Hope he had the BEST bday and looks like it was a great day :)

Thank you SO much for this post! It’s so helpful to hear your experience/strategies and I am so glad I’m not the only one that feels like their legs are constantly tired. Kind of makes me feel like I’m doing something right lol. I def need to get back on the trails … We’ve had so much snow followed by so much sunshine that everywhere is just a muddy mess right now.

I think my biggest pitfalls are 1.) Nutrition. I’m trying to be more intentional about getting something in right after a run but who knew it would be so hard to figure out how to eat lol 2.) Too much volume too soon. I like that you talked about how your body adjusted to that level of training over years of doing it! Good reminder that it takes time!

You’re the best, Janae. Thank you for this and cannot wait to watch you CRUSH Boston!!

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Thank you for asking, you are just the best. Nope, everyone’s legs feel like death during training haha. I hope we get those dry trails soon, we need them. Seriously, isn’t it funny how hard it is to eat during and right after a run?! It should all be easy! Luckily, Maurten and Core Power have made those two things so much easier for me. I hope you are having a beautiful day and thank you SO much!

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It’s funny that you addressed this today, because yesterday I was just thinking – WOW these are some tough workouts that she’s doing! Seriously, the intensity and the distance that you’re tackling … I’m just so impressed. You really seem to have a handle on the recovery and nutrition side too. Thanks for being such an incredible inspiration. We certainly can do hard things! Also – HBD to Andrew. That pie looked fabulous!

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Thank you, Maria! This means the world to me… I definitely failed my way to finally figuring out the recovery and nutrition ha. Hope your day is off to a great start!

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We love Top Golf! The view from yours is amazing! Those mountains!
I have definitely dealt with burnout a couple of times over the years. And you’re right, taking a break is so helpful. I’m currently in a stage where I have no desire to train for a race. It’s weird since I have done at least 2 half marathons every year for 10+ years, and 1 full marathon for 5 of those years. But I am listening to my body and mind, and giving them what they need. I do have some goals in mind, and when I am ready, I will go after them with my whole self. But for now, I’m rediscovering why I began running in the 1st place, and enjoying other types of workouts. I actually stopped following some people on social because I realized I kept comparing myself to them… And they’re in their early 30’s, semi professional athletes… I’m not! And doing that has made a huge difference for my mental state. Life definitely goes in cycles!
Today is another easy pace long run for me, followed by core work.
Have a great Wednesday Janae 😊

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I love that you are listening to what you need and sticking to it rather than forcing yourself to continue on with races right now. WHEN YOU ARE READY–> yes! I am so glad you did what you need to do on social media too. Such a great reminder that we get to choose what we are putting into our minds and we can be picky. Hope your long run and core work were fabulous. Thanks Wendy, you too!

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Ditto on Maria’s comments. I run before work but if I did the same mileage and intensity as you I would be sleeping at my desk all day :). Besides the fact it’s cold and snowy! Kudos to you on your dedication and commitment to training.

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Seriously, if I worked full time there isn’t a chance I could do this. SO impressed by all of you running before a full work day. That takes dedication. Have a wonderful work day, Deirde!

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I love your commentary about layering life stressors. I always thought by this point I would be “ramping up” running but I am still FIRMLY in the “casual/inconsistent runner” phase right now—and I was shocked to see that I actually hit a hearty handful of the burnout indicators for completely non-training reasons!! Layer pregnancy in there and it’s virtually all of them….

Wanted to say that I did ensign peak with our kids yesterday after following up on your suggestion!! It definitely pushed them beyond what they were comfortable with but *I* loved it and they agreed to try again sometime!! Can’t wait for dry trails, it was pretty slick and muddy! Thanks again for the suggestion!!

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Absolutely. Stress in the rest of life burns me out way more than running. And yes to pregnancy, that is a whole other topic that just adds so much to everything. YAY for ensign peak, I hope it wasn’t too crazy and I’ll put together more kid friendly hikes for when things are dry. Have a beautiful day, Lydia!

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Did Brooke not have school to go with you on his bday activities?

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They didn’t have school on monday or tuesday this week, it was so nice. She was so happy to get to go to all of the activities! Have a great day, Mary!

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I think I’ve been to that exact Top Golf! Last time we were in UT to ski we stayed near one and it was the first time I’d gone – so fun! That was 2020 – only 2 weeks before the world shut down, and we are due to go back. Love Utah 😊

Training mistakes? Wow, have you got 5 hours to spare? Yep, so, so many. But we live and learn, right? As of right now, I am on the injured list (again). I had a full year, with two big marathons (one of them was a PR) and zero injuries. And then at the very end of 50 mile training, in January, I started having hip flexor pain. My doc was out of town and I didn’t get to it immediately. I figured I only had one week until tapes and I would rest it then. But it was too much. I went to PT religiously throughout taper and it seemed better, but the 50 mile race brought it all back. I rested for 2 weeks and then tried to run on it, but the pain was there. Last month, I made the decision to pull out of Boston, which I am both super bummed and relieved about. After almost a month off, I tried 3 miles last week and it was a no-go. So, I am having an MRI next week to see what is going on. In the meantime, I am doing what I can to keep from losing mind without running. Hopefully it won’t be much longer after we figure out what is going on!
Sidebar:
As far as the 50 miler, it was both an amazing and grueling experience! I had GI issues starting at mile 5 and had to stop A LOT which slowed my race down. I didn’t hit my goal (I wanted sub-9, but I finished in 10) but it was Ok. I know in my heart that if I felt my best I could have done it. My people were all there, which made me smile so much! My 8-yr old nephew made me a Spotify playlist and he nailed it! He even threw a few silly songs in there to make me laugh, which helped me get thru the dark miles (36 – 43) before I picked up my pacer (my sis!) And those last 7 miles flew by bc we chatted so much. I do have some great memories of that race, though I think I’ll stick to 26.2 from now on 😉

Best of luck with Boston, you are going to kill it 💪

Have a great day, Janae!

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Utah needs to have you guys back! Glad you were able to do that trip before everything shut down. I DO have 5 hours to chat! I am so so sorry you are injured again. This is the worst. You made the right call to pull out of Boston and I hope that your MRI can really help you figure this out and get back soon. Congratulations on your 50 miler. You are SO impressive to finish after having GI issues from basically the beginning. I love that he made you a playlist. Such a great idea to do that and you had your sister! I understand… such a cool experience to do 50 but I’m here for the 26.2 ha. Thanks friend and please keep me updated with how you are doing and what the MRI says. Thanks Annemarie!

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Happy belated birthday Andrew!! Looks like an awesome day with good food.
They are opening a Top Golf near me soon and I can’t wait to check it out. I don’t golf but I heard Top Golf has fun games.

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You are going to love Top Golf! It seriously is so much fun and I’m not a golf person either. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Have a great day, Alicia!

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Hi Janae! Top golf is so much fun for group events! Good job on that pie it looks fantastic! Looks like Andrew had an awesome birthday!
I seriously struggle with being kind to my body. I’ve learned over the years but it is still not easy. Thanks for today’s post!

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I’m always here if you need to chat about that, Amy! We can do this together and be kinder to ourselves! You deserve the absolute best. Have a wonderful day, Amy!

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TIp to avoid burnout: Always come back to your WHY.
If the WHY is not aligning with your heart, morals, values…….burnout city.

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AMEN to this. Yes yes and yes. Hope you have a beautiful day, Erica and I love hearing your perspective. It always makes me feel calm.

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I’ve golfed..I don’t driving ranges, but golf……haven’t for decades. my dad was great at it, and loved beating me…may be why
today’s work out is a run tonight…feeling kind of bummed out today, so chill, lots of H2O and am thinking about taking another shot at the 75 Hard ….2 workouts a day, lots of water, reading, watching the diet, so maybe a spring thing…

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I hope you are able to start feeling better. Have the best run tonight, Warren!

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Never been to Top Golf but I was thinking of trying it out for my birthday on Sunday!
Does anyone whose been thinking would be a fun solo activity?

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YOU SHOULD DO IT! Andrew would happily go alone there. I don’t know if I like golfing enough to go alone but if you love golf, you will have a blast alone or with people. Have the best day, Jamisen and happy birthday!

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“When I marathon train, I hire cleaners” Thank you SO MUCH for disclosing this type of thing. I think all too often, we feel like we have to do it all — family, running the household, managing careers — and if we can’t, we are failures.I know I have those thoughts. Seeing someone like you who appears to be juggling everything so seamlessly admit that you hire help when things get busy is SO refreshing.
I actually took today off from running because I almost fell on ice the other day walking our dog. The correction I made with my leg to prevent the fall caused my right buttcheek to hurt. I’m at an age now where I can’t risk running with pain. The day off already has me feeling better, so I’ll get back to it tomorrow.
Happy running, Janae. Thank you for all you do :)

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I need to add those reminders in more often! There is no chance I could keep up with everything! I am so glad you didn’t fall yesterday and good call on taking the day off. I hope you are 100% tomorrow and you did the right thing. We have finally learned to not run on pain… I’m proud of us. Thank you, Stacey! I have appreciated your friendship over the years a lot. Have a beautiful day!

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Thank you so much for this! I found when training for my first marathon, it truly effected my sleep towards the end. I just was not recovering fast enough!! You pointed out about eating after a workourt. I know that you love your Core Power, but I can’t get that in Costa Rica. Can anyone recommend an easy go to, to help with recovery after a tough workout? I find that after my long run I don’t want to eat for a couple of hours and I don’t think that is good……

OH…and I fly out for NYC tonight for the half marathon this Sunday!! Looking forward to running in the frigid temperatures……

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I wish I could ship Core Power to Costa Rica! I honestly think chocolate milk and a slice or two of bread would work great for you. Eggs and a tortilla. PB and banana rolled in a tortilla. Oatmeal and eggs. Beef jerky and some toast. Avocado toast. Yogurt and fruit. Graham crackers and peanut butter. I’ll keep thinking of a list for you! Yes, you definitely need to get in fuel right away to maximize performance and recovery. Have the best time this weekend, I am cheering SO loud for you! Let me know how it goes.

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Your suggestions are fantastic! Also, what an amazing view at Top Golf!!

I recently did something super dumb in my training and wore brand-new shoes on a long run. They felt great during the run, but they are higher profile than I am used to and my Achilles hurt almost immediately after my run. I did a super easy run the next day but quickly realized I needed to see my sports chiropractor and take a few days off. So, today was a full rest day (+ some light stretching) so that I can be back at it ASAP.

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Appreciate your comment about the Peloton following the Big Bear Marathon. We can see your Peloton workouts and you were working crazy hard when you said you were in recovery mode. Take it easy!

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