Work, Play, Love with Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas

In your athletic career and in life, keeping your eye on the horizon can take on a few meanings. When you're balancing your busy life today, how can you stay prepared for athletic goals in the future? How do you come to terms with an aging body on and off the field? Lauren and Jesse jump in to a fast and action-packed episode to answer these questions and more. You'll also hear about how to support your partner through a tough time, some recommendations for race-day apparel, and how to handle hilly runs.

It's the "Dad" episode! In honor of Fathers' Day, Lauren and Jesse field questions all about parenthood through the lens of being a dad, relationships with dads, and more. They cover topics like post-partum depression for dads, what to do when your kids favor mom more than dad, how to maintain a healthy relationship with a dad after divorce, and how to respond to your dad when he lectures you about your life choices. Plus, Jesse and Lauren talk snack science, writing workshops, and listeners write in with follow ups about mom guilt, leg-shaving, and more.

This episode is brought to you by New York Road Runners—an awesome organization whose mission is to inspire people through running. This month, NYRR is holding a virtual Pride Run 5K through Strava. You can run the race any time between 6/22-6/30. Head over to Nyrr.org/virtualracing/workplaylove to register and show your Pride today!

You want tips about work play and love? We got tips. Whether you're wondering about the best way to fuel after a workout, how to handle all-consuming "mom guilt", how to navigate whether you should date a teammate, or how to race your best in the heat, Lauren and Jesse offer up a healthy dose of advice on what's worked for them. Plus, the Flomas duo talk about cool vacation spots for active couples, where to go swimming in Bend, and exercise resources for postpartum diastasis recti.

Confronting yourself or someone close to you is a major challenge, but it's often worth it. Whether you're approaching a tough conversation with a loved one, addressing your sleep-depriving excitement or anxiety before a race, or digging deep to get honest with yourself about how to spend your time, Jesse and Lauren offer tips on how to push through it in work, play, and love. You'll also hear about the best 5K workouts, sweet podcast recommendations, and the best jogging stroller. Plus, follow-ups about runner's PTSD, and changing your name.

What does it mean to step up at work, in sports, and in relationships? What does it take? Lauren and Jesse share their feelings about the rapidly developing story of former Nike athlete Alysia Montaño, who was recently featured in the New York Times speaking out against industry sponsors and their (lack of) maternity leave policies. They also talk about stepping up to a marathon after you've run a few halves, and stepping up to support your partner's goals, even if it means temporarily sacrificing your own.

Today's episode is brought to you by Global Running Day: a day where people around the world pledge to move their bodies. Celebrate running and movement with Jesse and Lauren! Pledge to run a mile (or more) on June 5. Pledge here: https://globalrunningday.org/workplaylove

Worrying about how you might be perceived by others can make it challenging to make decisions, pursue your goals, or figure out your next moves. If you're failing in a project, you might be able to realize it yourself, but how do you break it to your community? If you leave work early for a weekly running group or other exercise, will it jeopardize your job? Should you keep your last name when you get married, or will your family and your in-laws be disappointed? And if your race didn't turn out the way you expected, does that mean you didn't train well enough, or race smart enough? Lauren and Jesse tackle these questions about perception and more—like, you know, if a triathlete pees on the bike, do they smell when they reach the finish line? Most of the time, it's best to take a look at the evidence and let you do you.

Worrying about how you might be perceived by others can make it challenging to make decisions, pursue your goals, or figure out your next moves. If you're failing in a project, you might be able to realize it yourself, but how do you break it to your community? If you leave work early for a weekly running group or other exercise, will it jeopardize your job? Should you keep your last name when you get married, or will your family and your in-laws be disappointed? And if your race didn't turn out the way you expected, does that mean you didn't train well enough, or race smart enough? Lauren and Jesse tackle these questions about perception and more—like, you know, if a triathlete pees on the bike, do they smell when they reach the finish line? Most of the time, it's best to take a look at the evidence and let you do you.

Spring training is ramping up, and Lauren is riding high from recent workouts with her athletes. Meanwhile, Jesse wonders whether he set a world record for fastest 5K on crutches. This week, Jesse and Lauren discuss gender in sport, and the challenges that DSD athletes face in light of the recent the Caster Semenya case. They share how they mentally prepare for races, and talk about wisdom from coaches throughout their careers. Lauren talks about racing after injury, and how she worked with Mel Lawrence to recover from a string of injuries and come back to set a 5K PR at Payton Jordan 2019. They also dig in to who does what when it comes to late-night baby duties.

Don't forget that June 5th is Global Running Day! Head over to globalrunningday.com/workplaylove and celebrate moving your body by pledging to run!

This week's episode is sponsored by Jaybird wireless earbuds for athletes. Visit jaybirdsport.com and use promo code workplaylove to get 20% off your order.

Jesse's training up for the Wings For Life World Run, where he plans to smash out a 5K. The catch? He's doing it on crutches. He talks a bit about the race while Lauren makes some predictions about Jesse overdoing it. Meanwhile, Lauren's just back from the Eugene Half where she ran a 1:17:27. They talk about how racing as parents has completely changed the pre-race dynamic, and how it's difficult to take a race seriously while also taking care of the kids. The two also talk about exciting developments at Picky Bars before diving in to your questions. In this episode, Jesse and Lauren cover performance and alcohol, fatigue and iron, maintaining career motivation, and running while (trying to get) pregnant.

This week's episode is sponsored by Jaybird wireless earbuds for athletes. Visit jaybirdsport.com and use promo code workplaylove to get 20% off your order.

Sometimes when the going gets tough, the tough get to Work-Play-Love-ing…! Whether you're going hard at a dance party after a long weekend of parenting (and racing) like Lauren, or you've got renewed focus at work because an injury is keeping you off the field like Jesse, balancing relationships, sports, and work is just that—a balance. Listener questions are all about the hard stuff this week. Jesse and Lauren talk about racing (or not racing) after you've lost a loved one. They offer some dating advice for late bloomers (like them). They talk about how to navigate relationships when you've got a big training commitment. And they share their thoughts on message-board trolls.