At this point in the season, a lot of runners start to question themselves.

Races are getting closer. Training suddenly feels more exposed. Sessions that felt perfectly normal in winter now feel loaded with meaning. A flat run becomes evidence that something is wrong. A bad session suddenly feels significant.

And yet, objectively, many runners are actually in a very good place.

In this solo episode of the Pyllon Ultra Pod, I explore the strange gap between what’s actually happening in training… and what it feels like is happening emotionally. Why confidence often lags behind fitness. Why uncertainty never fully disappears, even for experienced athletes. And why learning to tolerate that uncertainty might be one of the most important skills in endurance sport.

I also reflect on my own training, conversations with athletes, old experiences in Chamonix, and the subtle psychological effects of comparison culture and social media.

This episode is about trust. Trusting consistency. Trusting the process. And trusting that progress often feels far less dramatic than we expect it to.

• Why runners often feel behind even when training is going well
• The difference between objective progress and subjective feeling
• Why confidence reacts faster than fitness
• The hidden psychological cost of comparison and constant visibility
• Why endurance sport demands commitment before certainty
• How experienced athletes learn to tolerate ambiguity rather than eliminate it
• Why patience and emotional steadiness matter more than most people realise

And maybe most importantly:

How to keep moving forward even when you don’t fully trust where you are yet.

If this episode resonates and you’re interested in coaching, you can find out more at:

pyllonultra.com

Pyllon is about more than training plans. It’s about building something sustainable and meaningful around running and life.

I also write regularly on Substack:

pyllon.substack.com

And you can follow along here:

YouTube: youtube.com/pyllon Instagram: @pyllon and @pyllonultra

If you enjoyed the episode, subscribing or sharing it genuinely helps support what we’re building.

Thanks for listening.

“I just don’t have enough time.”

It’s something I hear constantly from runners. From parents. From professionals. From people trying to hold a lot together.

But what if time isn’t the real problem?

In this solo episode, I explore a pattern I see again and again in the athletes I coach. The tension that builds when ambition doesn’t match the season of life you’re in. The stress of trying to run a professional-level training schedule inside a very non-professional reality.

This isn’t an episode about waking up earlier. Or squeezing more into your week. Or optimising your life.

It’s about alignment.

About recognising the season you’re in. About training honestly within your constraints. And about the maturity it takes to adapt your identity without lowering your standards.

I also share a few reflections from my own recent season, from steady progress in training to the uncertainty of building a new running project, and how showing up consistently, even without immediate feedback, is not that different from good training.

• Why “not enough time” is often a misdiagnosis

• The friction created when ambition and reality don’t align

• The hidden stress of pretending you’re in a different life season

• Why adapting your training is a sign of strength, not decline

• How clarity and acceptance often lead to better consistency and performance

If this resonates, take a moment this week to ask yourself a different question:

Are you training for the life you actually have?

I’m currently working on a big running project that means a great deal to me. If you’re a brand, business, or individual who feels aligned with Pyllon and would be interested in supporting or getting involved, I’d love to hear from you. You can get in touch through the website.

If you’re interested in coaching, you can find all the details at: pyllonultra.com

I write regularly on Substack, sharing longer reflections on running, training, and living the ultra life: pyllon.substack.com

You can also follow and subscribe here: YouTube: youtube.com/pyllon Instagram: @pyllon and @pyllonultra

If you found this episode helpful, subscribing or sharing the podcast genuinely helps support the show.

Thanks for listening.

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.

• 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.

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.