About this episode

Francesca Barbetta discusses her journey into ultramarathon training while balancing motherhood and the pressures of perfection.

Fresh off completing her first 50-mile ultramarathon on Mother’s Day weekend, running coach and mom of three Francesca Barbetta joins the podcast to talk about the realities of ultra marathon training, balancing motherhood and running, and learning how to let go of perfection in the process. In this episode, Francesca shares how she transitioned from chasing marathon goals into the ultra running world, why the ultra community completely changed her relationship with racing, and what training for 50 miles actually looked like while working full time, raising three kids, and coaching runners. We also dive into: Why marathon culture can sometimes steal the joy from running Managing mom guilt while prioritizing training Burnout, recovery, and the pressure to constantly “do more” The importance of fueling, sleep, and realistic training Why progress in running is never linear Learning to adapt training around real life The emotional lessons Francesca learned during this training cycle How running helped her reconnect with faith, peace, and perspective This conversation is honest, relatable, and deeply human. Whether you're training for your first marathon, thinking about ultras…

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