By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

Running works just like your day job: push too hard for too long without proper rest, and burnout is inevitable. The fact running provides great health benefits doesn’t preclude you from getting there if you overdo it.

The most successful professionals aren’t the ones working the most hours—they’re the ones who work smart, stay focused, complete their tasks, and maintain a well-rounded life. The same mindset applies to our running journey. To thrive as runners, we must balance training, recovery, and personal life to stay healthy, motivated, and injury-free.

Here’s a list of areas where opposite forces must balance out so we can have a healthy life where running is an important component of it:

Tread carefully around the fine line between growth and burnout: Working hard is awesome. The feeling of a runner’s high after a solid workout is exhilarating. Setting up that PR and/or climbing the podium in front of all your friends validates your sacrifices. However, the human body can only be at its peak for a limited time. It requires rest and recovery to keep itself functioning properly. Don’t overdo it.

Pay attention to detail without overthinking everything: Unless your livelihood depends on your running performance, it is important to keep the reason you are a runner present. Enjoy the journey and have fun with it. These days, our watches and wearables measure everything. Vertical oscillation, VO2Max, and critical power won’t help you if you don’t know what they are. Don’t let the mumbo-jumbo take away your enjoyment. Once it’s gone, you will start looking into golf or checkers.

Invest emotionally while still knowing when to let go: Bad runs are part of the equation. Failure, injuries, lack of motivation, and others are also factors. Once we know and accept this, we can use these peaks and valleys as growth opportunities instead of measuring our value as a runner or a person. If your spouse/friend won’t love you because you are not a Sub-3 marathoner, maybe it’s time to reevaluate that relationship, not your running.

Pushing with intensity without causing harm: Training consists of two equally important elements: work and rest. It is impossible to perform at your best if you skip or skimp on one of those elements. Working hard is essential. It feels great to nail that workout and start dreaming about what’s possible. But if you do it again tomorrow and the next day and refuse to take a day off when your body screams for it, you will harm yourself physically. Then you won’t be able to run, which is what you originally wanted anyway.

Running is important but there are more important things in life: We have all sacrificed something at one point so we can run long tomorrow. But one thing is skipping happy hour on Friday; another is missing your son’s wedding because he chose to marry on Friday night, and you have  20 miles to tackle the next morning. Keep your running and your competitive schedule in perspective, and always know what’s most important. Allow a friend/spouse to keep you in check and be able to have uncomfortable conversations if necessary.

Believing in yourself without becoming arrogant: You must be confident to perform at the level you have trained for. But your next race is not a dog fight. You earn bragging rights if you beat your training buddy or if you win a friendly wager. Enjoy that PR. Share it on Instagram and get tons of likes. But don’t become a jerk because of it. No need to belittle your friends or opponents. Don’t become “that runner” we all know.

In Conclusion

Running is awesome. It can add so much to our lives. It provides health, social interaction, distraction, me-time, and more. So, if you want to be like Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, who says: “I’ll be happy if running and I can grow old together”, make sure you keep opposing forces well balanced. It does require work and even the occasional intervention. But it is worth every step and sweat drop.

How do you balance opposing forces to avoid burnout? Share your tips or stories in the comments below—your experience might be exactly what another runner needs to hear.