Ep 82: The Perfectionism Trap in Running - Why Your Training Plan Should Adapt to Your Schedule, Not the Other Way Around, with Dr. Michelle Quirk of Mindful Marathon

Ep 82: The Perfectionism Trap in Running - Why Your Training Plan Should Adapt to Your Schedule, Not the Other Way Around, with Dr. Michelle Quirk of Mindful Marathon

From Mindful Marathon Podcast by Michelle Quirk, MD

April 6, 2026 · 18 min · Episode 82

About this episode

This episode explores the perfectionism trap in running for physicians and emphasizes the need for flexibility in training plans.

Many physicians bring the same traits that help them succeed in medicine into their running: discipline, commitment, and a strong sense of responsibility. Give a physician runner a training plan, and they will often follow it almost perfectly. But sometimes those strengths can become a trap. In this episode, I explore the physician perfectionism trap in running and how the drive for consistency and high performance can sometimes lead runners to ignore signs of fatigue, feel discouraged after missing a workout, or hold themselves to unrealistic expectations. Running, like medicine, requires commitment. But unlike medicine, endurance training also requires flexibility, recovery, and the ability to adapt when life inevitably gets in the way. In this episode, we talk about how to recognize perfectionist tendencies in training and how to build a more sustainable, flexible approach to running. In this episode, we discuss: Why physicians and high-achieving professionals often bring perfectionist tendencies into running Why missing a run doesn’t derail your training The importance of paying attention to signals your body may need rest or recovery How unrealistic expectations can create…

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