Episode 143: Evolving Athletic Identities, Long-Term Goals, and Postpartum Training Reflections
In this week's episode, we discuss building an athletic identity that can evolve through different seasons of life, how to think about big goals on a 5-10 year timeline, and why giving yourself more grace often starts with acknowledging the context you're training in. Elena shares her perspective on intentionally stepping away from structured training to prioritize long-term health and performance, while Katie reflects on her biggest lessons from the first six months postpartum. We also crowdsource our favorite strategies for successful early morning workouts and share practical tips for making consistency easier, before wrapping up with this week's challenge and gear picks. Check it out!
Elena
Health/Training updates
My training update is that I’m not training! A radical test in what will make me feel good, with a north star of health and wellness.
Factors going into this→ feeling like I couldn’t string a solid training block together for a long time.
I could just tell that something is wrong in my body in terms of recovery and intensity balance
Not a permanent thing, just a temporary pause until I feel really solid and have a genuine spark again
Really wanting to focus on the athletic healthcare angle, so pouring more effort into that long term goal
A general challenge of often not seeing people at the top level take a full break from training for an extended period of time
Katie
Mindset shifts / incorporating context to give yourself grace when things feel tough!
We’ve talked about this before but definitely want to make it more concrete: we often judge ourselves based on our performance and feel on the very best of days, but those outcomes are always created by a particular context (maybe we had less going on, maybe life stress was lower, maybe physiologically our body was in a different place than it is now)
When we don’t feel good, it feels extra tough to be judging against that standard without taking into account the context (and honestly, sometimes the luck/random chance) that created that bar
Just like we remind ourselves that training isn’t going to feel the same when it’s 80 degrees and 80% humidity, it also isn’t going to feel the same in the context of ever-evolving life context → helps to label and contextualize what is going on with life NOW that can help us give ourselves grace when things feel particularly tough. Some examples:
Going through a big life transition (moving, new job, starting or raising a family, etc.)
Going through a non-linear health journey
Going through something hard relationally/inter-personally etc.
Particularly busy time in work/family life
Etc. etc. etc. -- the list goes on!
When all of this happens, sometimes a goal can become something like working on mental toughness, finding joy in things outside of performance, etc.
6 months PP insights and reflections
#1 main limiter is time (scheduling workouts around unpredictable baby schedules + feed/sleep is hard)
#2 main limiter is recovery (specifically not having time to do all the great recovery things, like uninterrupted sleep, downtime, consistent nutrition timing, massage, mobility, etc.)
Separate from that, fundamentally believe you can return to and exceed pre pregnancy performance levels *if that is your goal*
But even more notable is the shift in priorities/goals that surprised me; I want to perform well, but being a mom and being around with my kid is by far the most important thing. Major identity shift that came with a shift in priorities.
Follow up on bone density, a concern I had with pregnancy/breastfeeding long term
Worked closely with dietician and provider at WHSP immediately postpartum to make sure I was covering my bases
Got a DXA scan at around 14 weeks PP and compared to baseline → reassured to see solid bone density which I had established prior to pregnancy
As a result have felt good about mileage, but high priority on (1) fueling and (2) strength training have been essential
Strength training in general is I think what has made pregnancy and PP return to sport as smooth as possible. If I only did one activity through pregnancy/PP I would have done heavy weighted strength + walking in retrospect
Crowdsourced tips for early morning workout execution!
Recently did my first ever pre-baby-wakeup workout! And was reminded that there is an art to executing workouts first thing in the morning
Crowdsourced some tips from experts in our community. Here are some of the highlights:
Prep: EVERYONE says to lay all of your stuff out the night before, which means clothes (workout clothes and work clothes if e.g. going to work after), fuel/snacks, trainer set up if you are biking; mindset of setting things up like you would set up a transition area in a triathlon to make your transition from asleep → moving as quick as possible
A favorite quote: “I’ve even gone so far as to wear my sports bra to bed some nights—one less thing to put on in the morning!”
Accountability partners: “Find training buddies who are willing to do that early morning routine with you. It is really hard to let someone down when you know they are waiting for you, or that they need you there for safety. Knowing that my training peeps will be at the lake at 5:30 AM twice a week, and knowing that it’s not really safe for me to go out swimming by myself in the dark, really motivates me to make sure I make those days.”
The power of getting out of bed: “If the alarm goes off and you’re feeling too fatigued or want to skip, make yourself physically get out of bed. Go to the bathroom, wash your face, brush your teeth. If you’re still feeling like you need that extra sleep, then it feels like you’ve really had a chance to think it through and it’s justified. But 95% of the time, once I’ve brushed my teeth, there’s no turning back.”
“Once you step out of bed there is no turning back so just make the first step out and it’s all going to happen from there.”
Fueling: quick snack and coffee or tea (crowdsourced ideas include a bar, graham crackers, honey stinger waffle with almond butter…)
“find a type of fuel that you are actually excited to eat at 5 or 6am and doesn’t take much effort to prepare. I’ve tried out so many options and struggled with just not wanting to eat or not having enough time to prepare things at that hour. What works for me now is having an almond butter honey stinger waffle because it’s so easy to grab on the go and never makes me nauseous in the morning. But just like fueling during big workouts is trial and error, morning fueling is too. And I think the biggest trick is to find something that 5am you isn’t going to hate eating. And if you are squeezing in a double session before work, understand that that requires double the fuel. So in those cases I bring an extra honey stinger with me and re-fuel after the first session. Especially because you haven’t had a real meal yet it’s so important to have snacks easily accessible, the hunger after multiple morning sessions can be insane otherwise”
Plus bonus tip: “Bring a gel no matter how long or short the run is because some mornings you just need it even if it’s a short run.”
Sleep: “100%, the number one factor is getting to bed earlier than you think you need to. I know that if I want to be asleep by 9:00, I really need to start heading upstairs by 8:00. That means going through my bedtime prep routine and, ideally, sitting in bed and reading for a couple of minutes—not on my phone… an actual book! It really helps my mind wind down.”
Safety: “I choose well-lit, well-traveled routes in the early AM. In the dark months, I wear a lighted vest.”
Mindset shifts/rewards:
“It’s also good for me to remind myself of how I’ll feel after. Thinking of how good breakfast is after a morning workout is particularly motivating!”
“Make deals with yourself about rewards. And by rewards, I mean things before or after your workout. On the days that I go running, I know I’m going to have a cup of coffee first, and that gives me 10 minutes of sitting quietly in my kitchen before I have to go do any activity. (Granted, the reason I do that is to get things moving and take care of the bathroom situation before I head out for a run, but whatever… it gives me a deserved minute of Zen! 😂)”
General thoughts on mixing early morning workouts with busy lives, e.g. corporate job:
“for everyone working a corporate job or any job that’s not a true 9-5, a lesson I learned very quickly is that morning workouts are absolutely essential if you want the security of knowing you’ll actually hit your planned sessions. I tried doing evening workouts for a bit but ended up constantly anxious about whether something would come up at work that would pull me away from my workout, or if I needed to work too late to make it happen, etc… with my job I know that no one will ever ask me for anything before 9am, and that security makes it so much easier to actually get the sessions done and feel less anxious about fitting my training plan in with work. Knowing that helped me build the habit quickly because it was always worth the 5 minutes of discomfort getting out of bed in the morning to avoid feeling anxious at work all day about whether I would actually have time for my workout. And once you have the habit, it’s so easy to maintain. Your body is used to it and even when you’re unmotivated you just get it done because it’s what you always do.”
Challenge/Resource of the Week
Katie: Identify something contextualizing your life right now that creates some space to give yourself grace!
Elena: Revitalize your weekly planning meeting– does it feel good, is it helping, etc.
Gear Pick of the Week
Katie: Repeat pick but huge fan of Nathan Exoshot 14oz with LMNT inside it for the hottest/humidest days