How do you know when you’re overdoing it? When do your emotional, physical, and intellectual efforts start yielding diminishing returns? It’s not easy to know, especially when you’re balancing work, play, and relationships. Jesse and Lauren answer questions about persistent soreness during a training cycle (does it mean you’re over-training?), whether it’s wise to maintain a friendship with an ex when you still have feelings for them, and what it means when you start to backslide in your marathon performance. Plus, they discuss the intersection of inclusivity and competition when it comes to trans athletes, how to deal with hANGER, and Jesse’s arts-and-crafts skill level.

72: Training And Soreness, Trans Competitors, Relationships With Exes, Marathon Performance Consistency

Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas are world class professional endurance athletes, authors, speakers, and co-own a nationally distributed food products business called Picky Bars. They also happen to be married, still, and are raising two small children. They use their experience, stories, writing, and humor to answer to answer listener questions about sports, family, business, and the balance between all three! It's a circus, but hey, we're all in it together!

Sports & Recreation

Professional

Amateur

Outdoor

College & High School

Fitness & Nutrition

Health

Health & Fitness

Lauren and Jesse jump on the mic after Lauren passed a major milestone with her book and Jesse's recent win at the Bend Pole Pedal Paddle. It's been a busy year, y'know?! After some life updates, the WPL duo answer some tasty bites about board game recommendations, therapy, training for a half marathon, and more. Plus, they dig into how a triathlete can rebound after suffering severe cramps on race day, they offer advice to an active couple dealing with a tough medical diagnosis, and they answer some questions from someone who's scared about having kids when their partner's ready for family life. 

88: Book Update! Pole Pedal Paddle, Triathlon Cramps, Morton's Neuroma, Kid Fears

It’s been a while, and just *a few* things have happened since our last episode. Jesse and Lauren jump on the mic to talk about Laird Superfood acquiring Picky Bars and answer some of your burnin’ Work Play Love questions. They talk about racing stress-dreams, what activities you can do with an injured partner (when you’re sick of watching movies), diet-culture lingo, WADA and Sha’Carri Richardson, and more.  

87: Picky Bars and Laird Superfood Update, Racing Stress-Dreams, Sha’Carri Richardson, Diet Culture Lingo, Injured-Partner Activities

Spring has sprung, there’s some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and race season is starting up again. Everyone’s excited to get back outside and into the world, and the Work Play Love duo sits down to answer your questions about it. They answer questions about counting calories, how to properly wear running shorts (with undies, or without undies…that is the question), and how to best prepare for an upcoming race. Plus, they hear from a listener who’s struggling to achieve their “perfect” weight, they get a follow up about the hazards of having a bidet with toddlers in the house, and Jesse gives an injury update about his bruised ego.  

86: Counting Calories, The Return Of Race Season, Spontaneous vs. Responsive Desire, Achieving The “Perfect Weight”

You know it, we know it, vegetable lasagna knows it—communication is a huge help in finding balance in work, play, and especially love. Lauren and Jesse answer questions about navigating and communicating about depression in a relationship, how to find comfort with your changing body during your first pregnancy, what to think about when moving in with your partner, and how to develop a primary parenting strategy. Plus, they offer up some advice to a new business owner, talk about how they like their eggs, and of course, they answer the most important question of all: Red Vines or Twizzlers?

85: Depression and Communication, Pregnancy and Body Image, Moving In Together, Primary Parenting Strategy, New Business Advice

Finding that sweet spot between work play and love means checking your relationships with each one! And that’s just what folks are curious about in this episode. When it comes to sport, how do you balance performance (and is it OK not to?!) gains now while considering how it may affect your body and relationship with the sport in the long term? When it comes to relationships, how do you handle conflict or talking about the hard stuff when your approach is different from your partner’s? And when it comes to work, how can you fit in those big creative projects—like writing a book—when you already have a pretty full plate? Lauren and Jesse answer these questions, plus they discuss hydration, bidets, and Strava-crown glory.

72: Training And Soreness, Trans Competitors, Relationships With Exes, Marathon Performance Consistency

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