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Overtraining blahs (Read 374 times)

JimR


    For the last couple of weeks my runs haven't felt as good, my times have stopped improving,

     

    You're expecting your times to continually improve?

    mrmky


      is there any reason why I shouldn't? I'm very much a newbie runner, and I realize that  the gains will be slower as I become more fit. Why would any one put in 6,7 or more hours a week to get slower? Your question seems strange to me.

      I did rebound after just a couple weeks of shorter, easier runs. Not only are my times improving, I am looking forward to each run instead of dreading it.

      carlos49er


        You're training log only shows the last couple of months. Is that all the running you've done? Or just when you started logging it? At face value I would say you're probably over doing it. Why do you have to run a marathon this year? Can it wait another year or two? If you're not feeling it then walk. Running isn't suppose to be disconcerting.

         

        Quite the opposite you should enjoy it. I've met a bunch of people who take up running for the sake of a 5k or half.  They find some training program that gets them there but some programs can be a little demanding. Eventually after they reach their goal they stop running because they burned out. They find running to be a chore.When you go out running you should be having a good time, happy about being outside and taking it all in. Yes, some runs will require hard work but over time you'll come to enjoy those as well. When I first started running my only goal was to decompress from work and stress. I ran my first half 2 years after I took up running and my first full marathon a year later. When I see someone running or riding on my way to work, I feel jealous. So relax, forget times and distances, just put on some good music and hit the pavement. Run at a pace that you can carry a conversation. Before long you'll be running half marathon distances just for kicks, then you'll be like "Marathon? me? sure why not." Races will be available long after you and I have left this life.

        mrmky


          I started running several months before I started logging it, usually every other day, 3-4 miles, always easy.

          Running has become a way to unplug from stress as much as to become fit. I have always been fairly active till the last few years, and losing 25 lbs over the last year has made me enjoy running that much more.

          i chose a marathon because I had never ran that far before and I knew it would take a high level commitment, also cause I knew I could finish a half without too much trouble. I will most likely try a 5k and a 10k or hm before the full to get a better idea of what kind of performance I can expect for the big one.

          Thanks to all for your thoughts and help!

          JimR


            Why would any one put in 6,7 or more hours a week to get slower?

             

            Slower when?  You mean while you're training, or are you thinking longer term?

            kcam


              is there any reason why I shouldn't? I'm very much a newbie runner, and I realize that  the gains will be slower as I become more fit. Why would any one put in 6,7 or more hours a week to get slower? Your question seems strange to me.

              I did rebound after just a couple weeks of shorter, easier runs. Not only are my times improving, I am looking forward to each run instead of dreading it.

               

              Dude you're not 'overtrained'.  You're not even trained!  We all feel tired and get the blahs.  Slow down your runs and take it easy for awhile but I wouldn't recommend stopping running or you'll never get over this hump and get to the next level (which it seems you want to do).

               

              His question is entirely valid.  I train 10hours a week and have gotten slower and slower over the years ON MY EASY TRAINING DAYS.  I race, however, faster than ever.

              JimR


                Training is like renovating a house.  You could do it such that it looks a little nicer each day, or each week.  Or train so you get a little faster each day, week, etc.  It's progressive but it's superficial and will become a painfully slow and ineffective process.  If you really want to do it properly, you gotta trash it and make it unliveable for a while, fix the underpinnings and structure, and then really make it what you want.  To really improve as a runner you will need to fix that structure and it will make you tired and sore and even slow for a while.  The payoff comes later and it's a much bigger payoff as the end product is far more robust.

                  Everyone's body responds differently.  I, for example, could not maintain 30 miles per week until after 1.5 years of running.

                   

                  A friend was in shape to run a marathon less than 3 months after starting running.  It took me 4.5 years.

                   

                  Run what you can without beating yourself up.  If your goal is to run a marathon, stick to running easy until you can maintain more than 40 miles per week.  Fifty miles per week would be even better.  Let your body tell you when it's ready to run a marathon.

                  mrmky


                    A quick summary, I started running last summer, did tmts and got a sore IT band. Then I read somewhere that running "fast" might not irritate it. Several 200 and 400 repeats later I strained my achilles. I felt like a poster child for how not to run.

                    during this downtime I started to read about low heart rate training. It sounded like a good way to keep from injuring myself, so when I could run again I did it with a monitor and followed the Hadd training post.

                    It was great, I felt better after every run and after about 2 months my mile pace at 140bpm had dropped 2 minutes.(this is what I meant about getting faster)

                    A couple of hard work weeks later( I am a stucco man) coupled with my highest mileage week to date and I started to get slower at any heart rate, had a hard time sleeping and an elevated resting heart rate as well. This was when I asked you guys about overtraining.

                    I followed several good suggestions posted here and have started improving again.

                    I'm really trying to do this as safely and efficiently as possible, I'm 42 yrs old and really want to find out what I'm capable of in the next several years. I really appreciate the help from all you running vets.

                    Kencamet, wow, 20,000+? That's amazing!

                       

                      A couple of hard work weeks later( I am a stucco man) coupled with my highest mileage week to date and I started to get slower at any heart rate, had a hard time sleeping and an elevated resting heart rate as well. 

                       

                      Classic recipe for, and description of, overtraining.

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