Make 3 interest-free payments. 
As runners, we all go through periods where training and racing can feel like more of a burden than a pleasure.
The reasons for this can be many and varied. Often it can be a ‘simple’ case of overtraining, but is it really so simple?
Sure, in the day-to-day existence of a runner there will always be performance peaks and troughs, but in an ideal world, these will be by design rather than through circumstances we fail to recognise or control.
What is overtraining?
Let’s be clear here – overtraining syndrome (or OTS) is NOT the preserve of the elite or the high mileage runner. It can afflict pretty much any committed runner training seriously. It’s all relative to the balance of your training and a myriad of other factors attributed to your lifestyle.
It’s easy to put on the blinkers and our cloak of invincibility and train away. Ignoring paying the necessary attention to nutrition, sleep, recovery and the impact and demands brought on by a busy, stressful life outside of running. But in doing so it’s very easy to set yourself up for burnout.
A vicious cycle can quickly ensue. You’re not performing as you’d like so what do you do? Push yourself harder. And so it continues. There’s no finite time when the scales tip and you’re on the side going down rather than the one going up. It can be a slow burner. Speaking from personal experience, the house of cards you’ve spent so long building can come crashing down when you least want, or expect it to.
How does overtraining occur?
I can recall my own 2014… it started well with a big block of mileage in the early part of the year as my London Marathon training ramped up and a big half marathon PB along the way. Come marathon day, my run didn’t go entirely to plan, but it could have been worse. I’d put the building blocks in place for a good year of racing and sure enough, in the subsequent 4 or 5 months, I raced better and more strongly than I ever had.
Donning my very own cloak of invincibility, I ran huge PBs over 10k and half marathon distances. I approached my Autumn marathon (Frankfurt) confident that my rich and prolonged vein of form would continue. Certain I’d run the marathon of my life. But it wasn’t to be.
Looking back (and hindsight is a great thing if used effectively!), I now recognise where the cracks started to appear. The half marathon PB a few weeks before Frankfurt had come at a cost. I’d run a time I’d previously only dreamt of achieving, but the last couple of miles had been hell. Cramping in my calves ensured the run-in to the finish was a real struggle. But I’d ran a PB so what did it matter? I cracked on with training over the next few weeks. My calves never really feeling totally relaxed and my body never feeling truly rested. That cloak of invincibility was getting comfortable.
Race day in Frankfurt came around. I’d got to the start line, it was now just a case of putting it all on the line and a PB was assured. That was honestly what I thought right up until the moment I stepped off the course only 10k into the race, my calves cramping and my body devoid of energy. It sounds straightforward and I guess it was. I had well and truly overcooked my training, digging a deeper hole to eventually fall into. I just hadn’t realised how deep I was digging.
Signs and symptoms of overtraining
There can be a number of tell-tale signs that the scales may be tipping the wrong way. You may not experience them all but they’re all worth keeping in mind. Some are easier to address than others, but there is a way through each of them (and please note that this list is by no means an exhaustive one!):
Chronic fatigue
You may feel consistently tired all day long, no matter how much sleep you’re getting through the night. This soon results in a loss of that real motivation which gets you out the front door day after day.
Elevated heart rate
Your resting heart rate may be higher than normal for more than a few days in succession. Start noting what your resting heart rate is each morning (immediately after you wake up and before getting out of bed). If it fluctuates wildly, take this as a warning sign.
Lack of training progression
If you’re finding it harder to achieve consistency or to make the moves forward you seek, then beware. Remember that training plateaus do occur, particularly if you’re a newer runner on a natural improvement curve. If supposedly easy runs feel like you’re running through treacle, then take heed!
Slow recovery
Persistent minor aches, pains, and injuries, plus muscle soreness for days after a run? Slow recovery can be a quick indicator of overtraining.
Weak immune system
If you’re picking up every illness and infection around it can be a sign that your immune system is being overstretched.
Irregular sleep patterns
Disturbances to sleep can be another sign that you’re pushing the envelope. Normally, your body should crave rest and recovery, so if it’s taking time to settle down after training, you may need to adjust the timing and intensity of what you’re doing.
Weight fluctuation
If your weight is fluctuating significantly outside its usual range (up or down), it can be due to your metabolic system struggling to cope with training loads. As a result of this the rate at which you process food may end up out of sync.
Mood swings
These can be an indicator of stress. Stress can be a contributor to the overtraining cycle.
Cravings
Excessive and unusual cravings (particularly for sugar and salt lost through the everyday routine of running) can indicate a potential problem. Deviation from your usual dietary pattern borne through what seems like necessity isn’t ideal. Though, often an increase in sugar and mineral intake can be fully justified and necessary if the training load is increasing within reasonable parameters.
Loss of appetite and/or libido
In some instances a loss of both appetite and libido can also occur. Often this is related to the fatigue and stress issues mentioned above.
How to avoid overtraining?
The list above looks long and sounds serious, but remember that it’s unlikely you’ll experience all of the signs and symptoms. Taking a step back, analysing your training and racing over the preceding period (however long that may be!), and making some straightforward changes can be hugely effective in achieving the balance we all want as runners.
Rest
Think seriously about rest. Real rest. Back off, chill out for a spell and allow your body to relax and recuperate. There’s no timeline on this, but you’ll soon recognise when you’re ready to go again, be it 48 hours or a month later. Always remember that rest and recovery is an enormously important part of any training plan.
Shop Running Injury Prevention & Recovery
Tackle sources of stress
Try to remove stress from your life (often easier said than done!). If you’re busy at work or having family or relationship problems this can exacerbate your condition. If possible, try to isolate any such sources of stress and lock them away while you’re training. Think of why you’re running, you love the feeling of getting out there, let that be the focus during training time.
Have a training plan
By planning ahead you can break up potentially harder and prolonged periods of training. Training periodisation can help to reduce the focus on the bigger end goal, giving a number of smaller, more manageable intermediate goals. It’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the big end goal and to over-reach in trying to meet it! These shorter training periods should be interspersed with ‘mini rests’ between them.
Sleep
Sleep (and lots of it) can help more than you’d imagine. Banish phones, tablets and TV from the bedroom and avoid caffeine, excessive sugar and alcohol in the couple of hours before your head hits the pillow to ensure a good night’s rest and recovery.
Eat and hydrate well
Refuelling with key vitamins and nutrients, and enough calories to optimally recover for the next training run will undoubtedly smooth out the unwanted and unplanned-for peaks and troughs. Think about when you’re increasing, for example, your protein intake (immediately post-hard session) to aid recovery and to speed the rebuilding process.
Shop Running Nutrition
The big picture
We all run for our own different and often very personal reasons with our overall end goals varying massively. You may be trying to finish your first 10k, be striving for a marathon finisher’s medal or simply looking to take in the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside around you. There’s no definitive goal we should all be aiming for! We all need to recognise and train with our own personal goals at the forefront of our mind.
Some of us love the burn of lactic acid in the muscles. Others love the social aspect of a group long run. Perhaps you love the simple solitude of running through the wilderness.
But what we should never do is actively undermine our personal, loving relationship with running by overreaching in our training. Try to avoid that at all costs! Through training effectively and with an eye firmly on what you want to get from putting one foot in front of the other repeatedly (and how to get it), you’ll go an awful long way towards taking a front row seat and getting a perfect view of your very own BIG PICTURE. And the front row of the cinema is just as good for sealing a loving relationship as the back row!
