If We Could Start Running Over: 6 Things We Wish We Knew Sooner

Episode: S6E12 | Hosts: Amanda Katz and Nick Klastava | Aired April 16, 2026 | 54 min

Author: Nick Klastava

Listen: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

If you could sit your younger runner self down for one conversation, what would you tell them? Coach Amanda and I took on that question directly in this episode, walking through the six things I wish I knew before I started running. These are not rules to overhaul your training tomorrow. They are hard-won reminders that apply just as much to someone in week one as someone twenty years into the sport.

Key Takeaways

•             The more pressure you put on a result, the harder that result becomes to achieve. Presence beats outcome-chasing almost every time.

•             The finish line feeling is real, and it is also fleeting. Chasing non-time-based “PRs” builds a relationship with running that lasts.

•             Perfection in training is a trap. Consistency over time beats a flawless three-month block.

•             Feeling flat is often a fueling problem before it is a fitness or mental toughness problem.

•             Balance, in life and inside your training itself, is a performance enhancer, not a compromise.

•             Respecting your recovery time is just as important as respecting your training time.

Lesson 1 Of The Things I wish I knew Before I Started Running: The More Pressure You Add, the Harder the Result Gets

I learned this one the hard way as a senior in high school, reading strangers on a county running message board predict I would lose an upcoming championship race. I let it get in my head. The week I ran my best race, a county title, I went in having let go of the outcome and just competed in the moment. The very next week, at sectionals, I cared intensely about the results and bombed three races in a row. Pressure you put on yourself does not help you perform, it gets in the way of the training you already did. Caring is not the problem. The internal pressure stacked on top of caring is.

Lesson 2: The Finish Line Feeling Doesn’t Last, So Find Other Wins

Amanda’s take: crossing a finish line at your goal time feels incredible for about five minutes. Then it fades, and if a time on the clock is the only thing you are chasing, running gets a lot harder to love long term. The fix is finding other “PRs” that keep you invested: finally eating enough before a run and feeling the difference, structuring travel around races, or simply recognizing that showing up consistently two or three times a week already puts you ahead of roughly 70-75% of the US population that does not exercise regularly. Zoom out and notice what you have made ordinary that is actually extraordinary.

Lesson 3: Chasing Perfect Training Backfires

I was the “practice champ” in high school, always hitting or beating my workout splits, and then flat on race day. Chasing a perfect training block added pressure that showed up as either overtraining or self-doubt the moment a number did not match a past effort. The fix is patience: trust that consistent work compounds over 12 to 24 months, not over one three-month block. A rough workout today does not erase the fitness you are building for a race down the road.

Lesson 4: Feeling Flat Is Often a Fueling Problem

Amanda’s point here is simple and often overlooked: a lot of what runners chalk up to a bad day or not being mentally tough enough is actually under-fueling. Working with a sports dietitian, not a fitness influencer or an AI chatbot, can solve problems that no amount of willpower will fix. This goes beyond performance too. Amanda shared how properly fueling her running helped heal her relationship with foods she used to label as “bad” during a past eating disorder, turning fueling into something that supports both performance and peace with food.

Lesson 5: Balance Is a Performance Enhancer, Not a Compromise

Skipping social plans to protect a workout, refusing to run with friends at a slower pace, treating every run like it needs to be optimized: none of that is required to perform well, and often it works against you. Having fun on a run and in your life outside of running is backed by real physiology, not just vibes. Elite athletes build in short, focused blocks of intensity surrounded by longer stretches of balance and recovery, not twelve straight months of grinding.

Lesson 6: Respect the Time You’re Not Running

Recovery is not passive, and it is not optional. That means real sleep, real rest days, and adjusting your expectations as you age instead of clinging to what worked in your 20s. The 22 to 23 hours a day you are not running matter just as much as the training itself, because consistency, the thing that actually drives long-term progress, depends entirely on how well you recover between efforts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does putting pressure on race results make performance worse? Extra internal pressure adds a mental load on top of the physical demands of racing, which pulls focus away from execution and into anxiety about the outcome. Runners who focus on effort and presence in the moment, rather than a required result, tend to perform closer to their training fitness.

How do I stop chasing a “perfect” training block? Shift your timeline from one training cycle to 12-24 months. Consistency compounds over time, and a single missed workout or imperfect week does not erase the fitness you’re building. Judge your training by whether you’re showing up consistently, not by whether every session hit its target number.

Why do I feel flat or exhausted on runs even when my training looks fine? Under-fueling is one of the most common and overlooked causes of feeling flat, especially on long runs or during high-mileage weeks. Working with a sports dietitian to match your intake to your training load often resolves fatigue that looks like a fitness or mindset problem on the surface.

Does taking rest days or having fun outside of running hurt performance? No, the opposite. Balance and enjoyment are linked to better long-term performance and adherence. Elite athletes build recovery and life balance into their training deliberately, using short, focused blocks of hard training surrounded by rest, rather than treating every day as maximum effort.