Why Do We Feel Guilty When Training Feels Easy?
Thu Feb 05 2026
Easy training is meant to feel restorative.
So why does it so often leave us feeling uneasy?
In this solo episode, I explore a feeling many runners carry quietly: guilt when training feels easy. The sense that if a run doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t quite count. That we haven’t earned it.
We unpack where that belief comes from, how endurance culture and comparison shape our relationship with effort, and why ease can feel undeserved even when we know it’s essential.
I also share personal reflections from my time training in Chamonix as a full-time athlete, and a moment on an easy run that turned into something else entirely, driven by ego and the need to prove commitment.
This episode isn’t about justifying easy days.
It’s about questioning why discomfort has become our proof of worth, and what it might mean to let training be enough without suffering.
In this episode:
Why easy training can feel emotionally uncomfortable
How guilt creeps into rest and recovery
The influence of comparison and endurance culture
When effort becomes a measure of self-worth
Reframing easy training as a skill, not a weakness
If this episode resonates, take a moment on your next easy run to notice what comes up. Sometimes the most important work isn’t visible.
Coaching, Writing & More
If you’re interested in coaching, you can find out more at:
pyllonultra.com
I also write regularly on Substack, sharing longer-form reflections on running, training, and the wider ultra life:
pyllon.substack.com
You can follow along and subscribe here:
YouTube: youtube.com/pyllon
Instagram: @pyllon and @pyllonultra
If you found this episode useful, subscribing or sharing the podcast really helps support the show.
Thanks for listening.
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Easy training is meant to feel restorative. So why does it so often leave us feeling uneasy? In this solo episode, I explore a feeling many runners carry quietly: guilt when training feels easy. The sense that if a run doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t quite count. That we haven’t earned it. We unpack where that belief comes from, how endurance culture and comparison shape our relationship with effort, and why ease can feel undeserved even when we know it’s essential. I also share personal reflections from my time training in Chamonix as a full-time athlete, and a moment on an easy run that turned into something else entirely, driven by ego and the need to prove commitment. This episode isn’t about justifying easy days. It’s about questioning why discomfort has become our proof of worth, and what it might mean to let training be enough without suffering. In this episode: Why easy training can feel emotionally uncomfortable How guilt creeps into rest and recovery The influence of comparison and endurance culture When effort becomes a measure of self-worth Reframing easy training as a skill, not a weakness If this episode resonates, take a moment on your next easy run to notice what comes up. Sometimes the most important work isn’t visible. Coaching, Writing & More If you’re interested in coaching, you can find out more at: pyllonultra.com I also write regularly on Substack, sharing longer-form reflections on running, training, and the wider ultra life: pyllon.substack.com You can follow along and subscribe here: YouTube: youtube.com/pyllon Instagram: @pyllon and @pyllonultra If you found this episode useful, subscribing or sharing the podcast really helps support the show. Thanks for listening.