Feeling tired but not fitter? This might be why.
- Emma O'Toole
- Oct 26
- 5 min read
Most runners and cyclists don’t not get fitter because they’re lazy, they don't get fitter because they train reactively.
Reactive training is when you let how you feel in the moment decide what you do, instead of following a structured, intentional plan. In this guide, you’ll learn what reactive training looks like, why it stalls progress, and how to train with intent so your sessions finally move you toward your goals.
Strength training for runners and cyclists over 30 is a game-changer for performance, resilience, and long-term health.
If you want the full breakdown, check out my Strength Training Over 30 Guides:
TRAINING BREAKDOWN
"Reactive training keeps you fit enough to feel tired, but not fit enough to perform"
By Emma O'Toole
Hi everyone,
We’ve been talking a lot about the off-season these past few weeks, but in today’s newsletter I want to talk about something that can show up at any time of the year in your training, not just in the off-season.
It’s called reactive training.
Reactive training is when you let how you feel in the moment dictate what you do instead of following what your body or your training plan actually needs.
It’s subtle, it doesn’t feel reckless, in fact it often feels like you’re being intuitive with your body. However over time, it’s the reason so many runners and cyclists plateau, burn out, or spend months “busy training” without really getting fitter, faster and stronger.
Here’s what reactive training can look like:
You’re midway through a training block, feel tired, and skip your planned intervals for that day, so then try to make them up the next day.
You’re tapering, but panic and squeeze in a few extra hard efforts “just to be sure.”
You open Zwift, Rouvy, or TrainerRoad and pick a workout based on what sounds fun to you that day, not what fits your progression.
Sometimes it happens because of motivation; other times, it’s fatigue, life stress, and sometimes it’s even boredom. Whatever the reason, the outcome is the same: you stop training with intent.
Now, it’s important that actually a little bit of reactive training can do wonders for motivation. If you feel as if you’re in a slump with your training and are struggling to get out the door, having a few “no-target”, “go as you feel” sessions is great and something I prescribe to my runners and cyclists after a training season for the mental benefits it bring.
The caveat is where you go from riding or running purely on feel, (which is fine for a couple of weeks), for months. You miss sessions because of the weather and then play catch up stacking back to back hard sessions.
Now, when we’re in our 20s, we can get away with it because our recovery is faster, our workload tolerance higher, our system more forgiving and generally we’re far less stressed!
Your life right now likely looks miles away from life in your 20’s and you body tells you this by how you feel. In terms of your training, your recovery takes longer. These random intensity spikes lead to soreness and slower progress. Your muscles and tendons take longer to adapt and your body thrives off of consistency.
Also when life is busier, you can’t afford wasted sessions: every minute needs purpose.
Progress depends on accumulation. The athletes who stay consistent, not reactive, are the ones who improve year-on-year.
In short, reactive training keeps you fit enough to feel tired, but not fit enough to perform - we’re effectively making it up as we go along.
Imagine this, you’ve 45 minutes for a run, you’ll decide what you’re going to do during that run. There’s no planning, there’s no foresight as to how this fits into the bigger picture of what you want to achieve be that improving your general fitness to specifically targeting a race time…. and a big one is that there is no challenge- unless you push your body, you’ll never know what it’s truly capable of.
Intentional training, the unsung hero.
Intent gives direction. Intent tells your body what to adapt to, and helps you know what to say “no” to. When every session has a purpose: endurance, power, speed, strength, recovery, the training adaptations compound.
Fitness comes from a basic principle: Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand, the SAID principle.
If your imposed demand is random and chaotic, so too will be your adaptions.
How to stop training reactively
Here’s 5 ways to begin training with intent without losing flexibility:
1. Know the intent before you start.
Every session needs a single goal: build, maintain, or recover. If you can’t say what it is in one sentence, you’re probably reacting.
2. Anchor your week.
Set your key sessions in stone, the ones that are going to improve your fitness and bring you closer to your goal. Then build the rest of your week around them.
3. Adjust, don’t abandon or overload.
If you’re tired, reduce the volume not the purpose of the session. If you’ve missed a session, don’t play catch up and try to cram that session into your week. Adjust the rest of your week smartly, so that you’re still getting training quality in.
4. Plan your rest before you need it.
Recovery = adaptation. It’s as important as your session. Make sure that you treat it as such.
5. Reflect weekly.
Look at your sessions. Did each serve a clear purpose, or did you “wing” a few because they looked fun? Being aware of what’s working with regards to your training is so important to your progress.
I’ve talked previously about Decision Fatigue (watch a <10 min webinar on that here). Decision fatigue is closely tied to reactive training as throughout the day we' make thousands of decision, some a lot bigger they take contemplation. Others so small we do them on autopilot.
If our training is reactive, it’s yet another decision for us to make in the moment and as you can imagine, if you’re already fatigued by making decisions then your decision likely isn’t going to be the best for your training and progress.
Reactive training can feel good in the moment, it can feel like you’re being kind to your body and spontaneous.
However it is not the answer to long term development and progress. The runners and cyclists who plan, adapt, and train with intent are those who make real progress year-round.
So before you start your next session, pause for a moment and ask yourself:
“Am I training with intent, or am I just reacting?”
Every time you choose the first answer, you take another step toward being stronger, fitter, and more consistent.
And an extra bonus here is that intentionally planning your training can re-spark your motivation to train in the first instance, like Rob - a fantastic multisport athlete found in our free community for everyday runners and cyclists over 30. I helped Rob out with some training suggestions for his running in the week and his motivation to train shot straight back up - that’s the power of training with intent!
Have a great day!
Thank you!
Emma x
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