Overly tired on runs? How to bounce back stronger than ever
Out of the blue, you begin to hit a wall. Workouts become tougher and tougher, and you struggle to make times that you could run in your sleep just a few weeks earlier. So, what happened?
Imagine you're training diligently for your next 10k, half marathon, marathon, or ultramarathon. Week after week you're pushing the envelope, and you find yourself running more miles than ever before. Your motivation to succeed is through the roof, and you're confident nothing can stop you!
But almost out of the blue, you begin to hit a wall. Workouts become tougher and tougher, and you struggle to make times that you could run in your sleep just a few weeks earlier. Your legs are feeling heavy, and you wake up fairly exhausted most days even after what should have been plenty of sleep.
So, what happened? Why the regression in your workout times and feelings of excessive fatigue?
Quite a few explanations exist -- from sickness to mononucleosis to iron deficiency anemia -- but in many cases, you may have simply overtrained.
Overtraining occurs when your body cannot adapt to the stresses placed upon it quickly enough. These stresses are usually thought of as those that come from training, but we know that life stresses can play just as big a role in the development of overtraining. In other words, if your life currently is beyond hectic and you feel like you're burning the candle at both ends, you are more likely to overtrain during this period.
Recognize the signs of overtraining early enough and you have an opportunity to get back on track and still have the race of your dreams. Follow these simple guidelines to give yourself the best chance of bouncing back in time for the big day:
Adjust your training
Immediately take off AT LEAST a few days from running, and then, so long as you're feeling more refreshed, start working in a few easy runs and cross-training to further assess how you feel. If you need some more complete rest, take it.
Only once you're feeling springier on your easier runs should you consider running faster. Make your first quality running workout (intervals, tempo run, fartlek, hill repeats, etc.) fairly achievable in terms of both pace and distance goals. Getting one solid workout under your belt will help boost your confidence and make the return to full training much more successful.
Eat more
Don't be afraid to eat a little more despite initially decreasing your training. To fully rejuvenate, your body needs the extra calories. The few pounds you may gain is a small price to pay to ensure you have full glycogen stores again. But don't just eat junk. Focus on increasing your total consumption of carbohydrates and protein, particularly in the first 30-40 minutes post-workout. For instance, eat a second bowl of cereal with milk at breakfast, an extra half a sandwich at lunch, a glass of chocolate milk immediately post-workout, and an extra serving of pasta (optimally with meatballs, meat sauce, or cheese) at dinner. Keep up this increased caloric intake until you're feeling 100 percent again in training.
Sleep more
Work on sleeping an additional half hour to hour each night, or if your schedule allows, take a short nap each day. Increasing sleep is one of the most effective changes you can make to your routine to help your body bounce back quicker.
Take some time to fully relax
If you're traveling through life at a million miles per hour while training hard, eventually you'll crash. Along with getting extra sleep, relaxation is key to a successful recovery.
Start a new book, take a weekend trip with your family, or spend an evening cooking your favorite meal. Slow life down, and soon enough you'll find yourself running fast on the road, track, or trails again.
Don't make the same mistake twice
Learn from your mistakes so that you don't find yourself in the same situation a couple months down the road. Make the necessary adjustments to your training and/or lifestyle to decrease the chance of overtraining when preparing for a future running event. Sometimes experience is the best teacher, so after you've overtrained once or twice, you'll definitely want to do everything in your power to prevent overtraining again!
Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness.