454: The Hidden Weeds Sabotaging Your Running

As runners, we love a challenge. We love the doing. If we aren’t seeing the results we want, we usually think something is missing — that we need to ADD something in and do more. 

But what if it’s not about doing more?

What if you could make more progress by clearing out what’s getting in your way?

The other day our dog Jasper ran outside for a few minutes and came back completely covered in those sticky backyard weeds. What should’ve been a quick in-and-out turned into a full cleanup operation.

Picking weeds out of his fur (as he tried to pull away). 

Wiping his dirty paws and face.

Vacuuming the floor to clean up all of the weeds and dirt. 

And I couldn’t help but think… how often are runners doing the exact same thing?

You’re putting in the effort. You’re showing up. But you’re also carrying around a bunch of “stuff” that doesn’t belong—and it’s slowing everything down.

Those are the weeds.

Just like weeds in a garden take up space and don’t belong, pulling away resources from the flowers that you actually want to grow, training weeds create extra work, drain your energy, and pull your focus away from what actually matters.

These weeds don’t usually show up as obvious problems. They sneak in, build over time, and before you know it, they’re taking up space in your routine, your energy, and your mindset.

Identifying the Weeds in Your Training

If you want to make progress, you’ve got to start asking: What doesn’t belong here anymore?

Here are some of the biggest weeds we see runners dealing with:

1. Focusing on the 1%

It’s easy to get caught up in the small details—perfect fueling timing, the “best” gear, the exact right recovery tool.

But if your consistency, sleep, nutrition, and overall training structure aren’t solid, those little things don’t matter yet.

We always say: focus on the big rocks first.

2. Plan Hopping

Jumping from plan to plan, coach to coach, or method to method might feel productive—but it’s usually just creating noise.

Progress comes from giving something enough time to actually work.

Consistency will always beat constantly starting over.

3. Living in the Gray Zone

This is a big one.

If most of your runs feel “kind of hard,” you’re likely stuck in that middle zone where you’re not recovering well or building effectively.

Instead, your training should have intention:

• Easy days that are truly easy
• Hard days that have a purpose

That contrast is where growth happens.

4. Random Strength Training

Strength work is powerful—but only when it supports your running.

If your strength workouts are leaving you exhausted, sore, or unable to complete your runs as planned, they’re not helping—they’re competing.

Your training should work together, not against itself.

5. Data Overload

We love data—but only when it’s helpful.

Too many runners are constantly checking pace, heart rate, cadence, recovery scores… and it starts to create confusion instead of clarity.

At some point, you’ve got to come back to this:

Can you listen to your body? Do you know what it’s trying to tell you?

6. Negative Thought Patterns

This one might be the most important.

The quiet thoughts of:

• “I’m falling behind”
• “I should be further along”
• “Maybe I’m just not built for this”
• “Maybe I’m getting too old.”

Those aren’t just thoughts—they become beliefs. And those beliefs shape your actions.

If you don’t pull this weed, it spreads into everything.

These weeds aren’t harmless. They are draining you.

They take your time, your energy, your recovery, and your mental space—and they do it slowly enough that you might not even notice.

So if you’re feeling stuck, plateaued, or frustrated… there’s a good chance it’s not because you need more.

It’s because something is in the way.

Awareness is your first step.

Start paying attention to where your energy is going. Start questioning what’s actually helping versus what’s just taking up space.

As you move through your training this week, we want to challenge you:

Identify one weed.

Think about where you’re spending your time and energy (both mental energy and physical energy). 

Ask yourself if it is truly helping you move forward, or if it’s quietly taking time away from what really matters. 

Then pull it out. 

Don’t do that thing for a week. Remove it completely. 

See how you feel in a week then reevaluate. 

Progress doesn’t come from always adding more to your plate. It comes from creating space for what actually matters.

And if you’re feeling stuck trying to figure out what your weeds are or what to focus on next—that’s exactly why we do what we do. Inside our membership and programs, we help you simplify, focus, and build a plan that actually works for your life.

Because better results don’t come from doing more.

They come from doing what matters—and letting go of what doesn’t.