On this episode of The Dopey Diaries, I’m sharing one of the wildest plot twists of my marathon training so far: the week I quit my training plan… and then ran 26.28 miles.

We’re diving into why letting go of pressure can actually improve your running, how burnout affects your brain and body during Dopey Challenge training, and the powerful role your nervous system, mindset, and identity play in endurance.

You’ll learn:

✨ The science behind burnout and marathon training fatigue

✨ How stress and the sympathetic nervous system make running feel harder

✨ Why shifting into the parasympathetic nervous system boosts endurance

✨ What Atomic Habits teaches us about identity-based habits (“I am a runner”)

✨ How removing pressure can lower perceived exertion and unlock better performance

✨ Why joy, ease, and emotional relief are legitimate training tools

✨ How a spontaneous long run can reveal more about your fitness than a rigid plan

If you’re training for the Dopey Challenge, a marathon, or you’re simply hitting a mental wall in your training cycle, this episode will help you understand what’s really going on inside your body — and how giving yourself a break might be the breakthrough you actually need.

Whether you’re feeling burnt out, stuck, or doubting your ability to get to race day, this episode will remind you of one truth:

You are a runner — and runners keep going, imperfectly but powerfully.

⭐️ RESOURCES MENTIONED

These studies and books informed the science in today’s episode:

📚 Books:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear — Identity-based habits and sustainable behavior change.

🧠 Nervous System & Performance Research:

• Harvard Medical School – Research on chronic stress and sympathetic nervous system activation during prolonged training.
• Frontiers in Physiology — Studies on parasympathetic activation improving endurance and lowering perceived exertion.
• University of Cape Town – Research on relaxed states improving oxygen efficiency and delaying fatigue.
• Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance — Flow state and performance under reduced cognitive load.
• Journal of Applied Physiology — Dopamine’s role in endurance, pain perception, and motivation.
• University of Birmingham – Positive emotion increasing time-to-exhaustion in endurance athletes.

🧩 Psychology & Behavior:

• Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin — Identity-based behavior and motivation.
• Studies on decision fatigue and role identity from the University of Minnesota.