When Training Stops Feeling Right

Burnout Wasn’t Supposed to Happen to Me

For years, I denied burnout because I loved training too much to believe it could happen to me. If you had asked me back then, I would have said burnout was something that happened to athletes who no longer enjoyed their sport and who were overtrained. That was never me. I have always loved training more than competing. And, the joy of triathlon training is the focus on different sports and different distances, I will never feel “burnout”

Over the years, however, I learned that burnout and overtraining are not always the same thing, and sometimes the difference comes down to listening to both your mind and your body.

The First Signs Appeared Early

My first experience came during my sophomore year in high school swimming. I had the sophomore “slump” I was “drained/overtrainined” and could not compete worth anything. Eventually, my coach made me take time out of the pool and join the track. I didn’t understand it, but looking back, that period of rest was one of the most valuable lessons I learned as an athlete. Sometimes stepping away from your sport is exactly what allows you to move forward, get that “hunger” to compete back and rest….what a concept!!

Later, in college swimming, I experienced something different. As I wrote about in last month’s article, swimming had become more about the scholarship than the joy of the sport. Physically I could still do the work, but mentally I was disconnected. That was probably my first true experience with burnout.

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Finding Joy Again Through Triathlon

Triathlon brought the joy back. One of the things I love most about triathlon is the variety. When one discipline feels stale, there is always another area to focus on. Even when I experienced Ironman burnout years later, I didn’t quit. Instead, I shifted my attention to shorter races and different challenges. That change helped me rediscover why I loved the sport in the first place.

More recently, during perimenopause, I faced another challenge. At first, I thought I was burned out. Looking back, I don’t think that was the case. My mind still wanted to train, but my body wasn’t responding. Hormonal changes, anemia, and exhaustion were creating barriers I didn’t yet understand.

Today, I think of it this way: when your body says no but your mind says yes, you may need recovery or answers. When your body says yes but your mind says no, burnout may be starting. When both say no, it’s time to listen.

The Most Important Lesson I Learned

Every phase taught me something. The goal was never to quit. The goal was to keep learning how to continue doing what I love while loving what I do.

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