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Pandora Countdown To Dopey Day 9: Protect Your Energy Like A Race Resource
At nine days out from the Dopey Challenge, many runners start to feel unexpectedly tired, emotionally flat, or overwhelmed — even though training volume is lower. In Day 9 of the Countdown to Dopey, Coach Jill Bartholomew explains why this is normal and why it doesn’t mean you’re losing fitness. This episode breaks down how stress, sleep, travel planning, emotional load, and race-week logistics all count as training stress, especially during taper. Jill walks through common energy drains during runDisney race week — including park time, over-scheduling, standing too much, and decision fatigue — and explains how protecting your energy now directly impacts race-day performance. You’ll learn how to recognize taper fatigue, why rest is not weakness, and how to use “strategic restraint” to arrive at the start line healthy, rested, and ready to execute across all four races of marathon weekend.
takeaways
- Protect your energy like it's a race resource.
- Focus on lower intensity workouts during taper.
- Planning a racecation involves logistics and meal planning.
- Recovery is crucial between races, especially after a half marathon.
- Avoid over-scheduling during race week to prevent burnout.
- Emotional stress can impact performance; manage it wisely.
- Tapering allows your body to absorb training and recover.
- Resting and feeling bored during taper is a sign of doing it right.
- Stick to your training plan and listen to your gut.
- Give yourself permission to say no to extra activities.
If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.
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