How Letting Go of Perfection Made Me a Faster Runner
Do more of what gives you energy + Post Marathon Low Carb Flu
The Map Before the Mission
🔋 Do More Of What Gives You Energy & Less Of What Drains You
🤒 Training Update: Not Sick, Just Stupid: The Hidden Cost of Tempo Runs (Central Nervous System Fatigue/Post Marathon Low Carb Flu)
🔋 Do More Of What Gives You Energy & Less Of What Drains You
Here’s a slightly dangerous but important question to ask yourself mid-week: “Is this activity giving me energy or draining me dry?”
It sounds simple. But runners (and those silly regular humans) are experts at ignoring that little dashboard light. We confuse struggle with progress, glorify grind, and somehow, we think running ourselves ragged is the same thing as building endurance. While the whole “cumulative fatigue” thing is a very real concept in building up fitness in distance running, there is a fine line that most of us cross and don’t even know it.
Here’s a quick checklist for you to see if you’re getting or giving energy in different areas of your life.
Running Example
There’s a difference between a long run that leaves you tired but satisfied and a tempo session that feels like emotional bankruptcy. One deposits into your fitness bank. The other might be overdrafting it.
The key is noticing which one leaves you wanting more. Not every run needs to be a Rocky montage. Some days, a 30-minute trail jog in silence fills you up more than a monster workout.
Work Example
Deep work feels and is very, VERY different from busywork. Your brain and body know this. When you’re building something meaningful like a video, a strategy, or a piece of writing, you might finish exhausted but buzzing to wake up the next day and keep going. That’s good energy spent. But seven back-to-back Zoom calls about a lot of stuff that could be fixed with a few short and well-structured emails by people who are above your pay grade? That’s just pulling from reserves you don’t have.
Friends Example
Ever hang with people who light you up? Where three hours feel like ten minutes? That’s energy well spent. Contrast that with the casual friends/work colleagues who treat every coffee catch-up as a therapy session (for them). It’s obvious which one leaves you better and which one will leave you hollow.
It’s not about avoiding hard things. It’s about choosing which hard things matter.
👌 How Letting Go Of Perfection Made Me a Faster Runner
What if missing a run was actually helping you get faster?
Trying to be the perfect runner? That mindset might be what’s holding you back. In this episode, I dive into why perfectionism leads to burnout and how embracing consistency, flaws and all, can actually help you run faster and stronger. I’ll break down the simple mindset shifts that turned my own running around, how to enjoy the process, and why missing a workout now and then won’t derail your goals. It’s all about small, daily improvements that compound over time.
Key Takeaways
Perfectionism stalls progress—consistency is what truly compounds over time.
Letting go of all-or-nothing thinking leads to more sustainable, enjoyable running.
Small daily actions, even imperfect ones, are the secret to long-term success.
Watch, read, and listen to this on your next workout or run.
🤒 Training Update: Not Sick, Just Stupid: The Hidden Cost of Tempo Runs (Post Marathon Low Carb Flu)
A few weeks ago (2.5 weeks after my marathon), I did a Rosario 800 float workout. I felt amazing during it, like that “I’m so back” feeling. I biked to my meeting after, uphill, with all of my production gear and had that classic “I’m fit again” energy. I even made sure to fuel up like crazy, hydrate, electrolytes, etc., because it was a bigger morning.
But by 4 pm, I got weird body chills, I felt weak, and my body was like, “nah man, we’re done here.” Not sick, no fever and no sore throat. Just straight-up glycogen stores depleted, aka central nervous system fatigue, aka Post Marathon Low Carb Flu. Classic mistake.
I ate “well” but not “enough” and not straight carbs weeks after the marathon. I slid too quickly back into my low to moderate carb intake because I don’t like eating a lot of carbs, as they make me feel weird.
Let’s rewind for a second
Even though I was almost 20 days post-marathon, I was still low on carbs/glycogen. The tempo run didn’t drain me. It was the three days before the run that did the damage.
Sunday, I did my first long run in two weeks. Ate normal, but still running on empty from the marathon. Didn’t refuel enough. Later that day, I hit a strength session because I felt fine. More carb depletion.
The next day, I wanted to be productive — wake up early, get stuff done. So, I fasted like usual in the morning, didn’t work out until 12 pm, trying to power through. When I train later, I don’t eat much beforehand. Finally ate after my 1 pm home strength workout, but overall calories were way too low. A few hours later, I went for a short, easy run with some strides and skips.
Right after, I was starving. Like “haven’t eaten in days,” starving. I ate all night. The next morning, I woke up and went straight into my Rosario 800s workout. Took in some carb electrolyte mix before, but it wasn’t enough — not after the beating my body took those 2-3 days before.
Tempo floats are sneaky, and they don’t spike HR crazy high, so you feel like it’s not that hard, but they drain the tank slowly till you're running on fumes.
Fast forward a few days later and I woke up better but still had those annoying chills and that “fragile” vibe going on. I ignored my ego and kept the run easy. I drank water every 5 mins, smashed gels like it was a race. HR was low, felt smooth after 15 mins. I still wasn’t 100%, but definitely feeling better. It took me another few days to get rid of the chills feeling on my arms. So odd.
The lesson learned? This wasn’t a sickness thing, but it was an under-recovery thing. My body’s still patching itself up post-marathon, and even though I was 2.5 weeks out, it still wasn’t enough. The marathon takes 3-4 weeks to recover from properly, and that’s building up the carb/glycogen stores again.
Tempo days + life stress = glycogen debt and I can’t out-hustle physiology… yet (maybe in the next 5-10 years with AI or something).
Ibuprofen got me through some work days, so I wasn’t feeling terrible, but it’s like duct-taping the oil light on your car. It doesn’t fix the problem. You need carbs, salt, sleep—not a painkiller.
So yeah, reminder to Future Me (and you):
After a big session, especially post-marathon, eat until you’re slightly too full, salt your food, and prioritize boring recovery.