What happens when the race you've spent months preparing for becomes only one part of a much bigger story? In this deeply personal episode, I share how training for the Boston Marathon became intertwined with losing my father, recovering from norovirus just days before the race, and discovering that some of life's biggest goals matter because of what they ask of us along the way.

This isn't an episode about how to qualify for Boston or how to train for a marathon. It's the story of setting a long-term physical goal, trusting the process through uncertainty, navigating grief, illness, friendship, and ultimately crossing one of the world's most iconic finish lines. Along the way, I reflect on why meaningful physical goals can provide direction, resilience, and perspective—even when life doesn't go according to plan.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – This isn't a Boston training guide—it's my story

06:00 – Why I believe in setting big physical goals

12:15 – Deciding to qualify for the Boston Marathon

25:00 – Qualifying for Boston at the Bayshore Marathon

29:30 – Starting Boston training while injured

46:30 – Losing my dad during marathon training

48:15 – Getting norovirus one week before Boston

57:20 – Race morning

1:01:30 – Running the Boston Marathon

1:10:30 – What Boston taught me about goals, grief, and meaning

Some people say Zone 2 is the best way to train for fitness and health. Others say women should avoid it altogether. In this episode, I dig into what the evidence actually says about Zone 2 cardio by breaking down a recent review paper on the topic.

You'll learn what Zone 2 actually is, where many of the claims about it come from, what the research says about fitness adaptations like mitochondrial function and fat metabolism, and the practical pros and cons of moderate- versus higher-intensity cardio.

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EPISODE RESOURCES

Watch on YouTube: Simplify Cardio: What Matters for Results

Read the review paper Much Ado About Zone 2

Listen to The Real Science of Sport podcast episode featuring one of the authors of Much Ado About Zone 2

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Why Zone 2 has become so controversial

02:25 What Zone 2 actually is and why it's difficult to measure

04:20 Where the claims about mitochondrial function and fat burning come from

06:40 What the review paper found about Zone 2 versus higher intensities

08:00 Why Zone 2 is really moderate-intensity exercise

09:45 The CDC and WHO cardio recommendations

10:45 Does Zone 2 improve mitochondrial function and fat metabolism?

13:35 Why higher intensities often improve fitness more efficiently

14:15 The practical problems with trying to stay in Zone 2

15:50 The pros and cons of moderate versus vigorous cardio

18:55 Why the best cardio is the kind you'll actually do consistently

A lot of people think feeling tired, sore, or heavy after training means something is wrong. In this episode, I break down why fatigue itself is not the problem and how misunderstanding it can make training feel way more confusing than it needs to be.

In this episode, I walk through five common ways people misinterpret fatigue, including mistaking it for progress, assuming it means progress has stalled, and changing programs instead of letting adaptation happen.

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EPISODE RESOURCES

Watch on YouTube: How to Schedule Strength and Cardio for Better Recovery

Laurel's other podcast Movement Logic: Strong Opinions Loosely Held

TIMESTAMPS

01:05 Fatigue is not the stimulus
04:10 Fatigue can mask progress
07:05 Why changing things up can backfire
11:20 You do not need to feel fully recovered to train again
17:15 Why fatigue does not stay this high forever
22:10 What fatigue is and what it is not
24:05 Watch the YouTube video for weekly training structure

If you're consistently landing on even numbers or 10 reps for your sets, you might be stalling your progress. And in this episode, I explain why.

Most strength programs give you tidy rep prescription, such as to do 3 sets of 10. But when 10 becomes the thing you chase, it’s easy to lose sight of the variable that actually drives progress.

In this episode, I break down why reps and load are not the primary drivers of strength, why effort at the end of the set is what truly signals change, how to use reps in reserve, and how to spot a subtle clue in your training log that **might** mean you’re under-efforting.

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EPISODE RESOURCES

(Nuzzo, 2024) PMID: 38781472

TIMESTAMPS

01:00 The floor and ceiling of rep ranges
03:00 Why reps do not make you stronger
07:00 Effort as the real signal for strength adaptation
09:00 What effort reflects physiologically (motor unit recruitment)
14:00 How reps in reserve works
6:00 Failure as a reference point
22:00 What real strength progress looks like over time
26:00 How I program effort with clients
29:00 What rep drop-off across sets can reveal

If strength training keeps slipping through the cracks of your schedule, even though you know it matters and you want to be consistent, this episode is for you.

Most people are taught to organize strength training around workouts. And when workouts become the thing that matters most, missed sessions quickly turn into frustration, guilt, and the feeling that you’re failing at something you care about.

In this episode, I introduce a different way to think about strength training. Instead of organizing your training around workouts, schedules, or session length, we’re going to organize it around sets. This shift makes strength training more flexible and much easier to stick with over time, especially when your schedule changes frequently and life gets busy and unpredictable.

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Get my FREE STRENGTH “Macro” TRACKER

Follow @laurelbeversdorf on Instagram

Follow @laurel_beversdorf on YouTube

www.laurelbeversdorf.com

EPISODE RESOURCES

Watch on YouTube - How to Strength Train Whole Body When Your Busy

TIMESTAMPS

01:00 Why workout-based organization of strength training can make it hard to stick to
03:00 Sets as the smallest unit of strength training that matters
05:00 What makes a set challenging enough to count
07:00 Why strength doesn’t care how you package the work
09:00 Using short pockets of time to accumulate sets
12:00 Why doing something beats doing nothing
15:00 Client story: replacing long workouts with short daily sessions
19:00 Applying the sets framework to real, busy lives
22:00 How this approach supports long-term consistency