When You’re No Longer Training for Something: Staying an Athlete Without a Target

About this episode

Maddy and Corin discuss the emotional challenges faced by athletes after achieving a major goal and how to redefine identity and motivation in the absence of structured training.

What happens when the race you’ve built your life around… ends? In this episode of The Psyche Behind the Physique , Maddy sits down with her friend Corin, a seasoned marathoner who went into her 13th marathon at the Glass City Marathon in Toledo, Ohio fully believing this would be the one that qualified her for Boston. She trained smarter, managed an injury well, tapered intentionally, and focused on mindset—only to have race day derailed by unexpected GI issues from new gels. But this conversation isn’t just about a race that didn’t go to plan. It’s about what came after . Maddy and Corin unpack the emotional crash that followed: low motivation, not wanting to leave the house, skipping workouts she’d planned, and feeling unmoored without the structure and identity of marathon training. They explore the fears so many women face after a big goal or intense season—whether it’s a show, a Hyrox, a wedding, or a major fat loss push: Who am I if I’m not “the runner” or “the fit girl”? What if I lose this level of fitness and conditioning? Can I actually trust myself to find a new rhythm I feel proud of? Maddy breaks down how the brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS), Default Mode…

People in this episode

Host: Maddy Michielssen

Guest: Corin

Topics covered

• athlete identity
• post-race emotions
• motivation
• fitness transition
• endurance training
• mental health

Keywords

• marathon
• motivation
• athlete identity
• fitness transition
• mental health
• endurance training
• post-race

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Toledo, Ohio, Boston

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