As distance runners, we tend to lean towards the extreme forms of training. We try to run long, pack in one too many extensive speed sessions, and then try to carry out our regular daily activities and obligations. It’s true that in order to get to the next level, you have to challenge your body with more advanced speed work, somewhat higher mileage, and the outer layer of training—cross training, strength work, and more recovery time. Adding all of these components in is a challenge in itself, since the majority of us have full time jobs with limited time to begin with. Even with the limited hours in a day that we have, many of us will still pack in what it takes to improve, minus the extra sleep and ‘down time’ we need with the increased load.
The term “overtraining” is a bit confusing in a sense, since the effects come more from insufficient rest for the particular performance load. Your training load may not be high at all, but if you are experiencing any outside stressors that impact your actual ‘recovery’, then you will dip into overtraining effects. A newer term for this condition is Unexplained Underperformance Syndrome (UPS). Unfortunately the higher mileage you think is helping you improve may actually be decreasing your fitness and risking injury and poor race outcomes in the near future. The good news is that there are specific signs you can look out for so you can switch up your program to get out of the rut!
Signs & Symptoms
Poor/Disrupted Sleep: If you find yourself having a harder time falling and/or staying asleep at night, feel restless when you wake up in the morning, or feel lethargic during the day, but not so sleepy when it’s time for bed, you may be in the UPS zone
Frequent illness: During cold & flu season, many of us will experience a bout or two of a short-lived cold, but those who overtrain may experience frequent colds year-long that last longer than usual. This is a factor of a weaker immune system from consistent inadequate recovery times in between hard workouts.
Lingering soreness & prolonged injuries: soreness is normal after a tough workout or longer than usual run, but after a couple of days it should subside. Scheduling easy runs in between hard sessions helps to combat soreness and keep muscles circulated. If you’re not recovering enough between sessions and going hard AND/OR long on every run, you are dipping into the overtraining zone and will end up rarely feeling ready for your next workout.
Increased effort on easy runs and same workouts: Every once in a while, it’s okay to feel a little more tired than usual on an easy run that normally feels like a breeze. The problem is when almost EVERY easy run feels this way. This goes for long runs and regular workouts as well. If it’s getting tough to run your same tempo run of goal paced miles, instead of getting more comfortable, it’s probably time to scale back and focus on recovery.
Lack of improvement in race times: If you have been training hard and your race times are not improving, this is an indicator that your body is in overdrive.
Get Out of the Rut
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and consistently underperforming in your workouts and/or races, it’s time to evaluate every contributing factor. Have you been dealing with an increased load at work or family/home obligations? Sleeping poorly? Are you eating too little or maybe too much junk food? These are just some causes of declining performance. You should look at training as a baking recipe. Leaving out just one ingredient will affect the outcome. The only difference between running and baking is that you may not notice the missing ingredient in running right away, but sooner or later the effect will be evident—either with poor performance or in the form of an injury. Here are some steps to get back to your best work:
Scale back the mileage and intensity: Cut your total workload by at least 20% or even take a week or two off all together. Make sure at least 80% of your weekly mileage is at an easy pace and at a lower heart rate. You can simply use the standard maximum heart rate formula of 220 minus your age and then keep your heart rate for easy runs at between 50-65% of the max. This means you may have to slow WAY down than what you’re used to, but trust me, this is what it takes to be properly recovered and ready for workouts while still building an aerobic base. Plan workouts only once or twice per week and keep them short. Fartlek workouts are a great option, but if you want to keep some longer intervals in the mix, such as tempo work, start with a minimum amount of miles and only increase every few weeks depending on how you feel.
Focus on good nutrition: Many runners get into the sport because they are trying to lose weight, but this often causes them to take in too few calories. In order to improve performance, you have to be eating enough—it’s the only way the body will have the energy to sustain long workouts and increased mileage. It’s also important to eat high quality foods. Junk food—greasy, fried, and processed, all weigh you down and keep you feeling sluggish at any time of the day. Lack of proper nutrition also contributes to poor sleep and slow recovery.
Sleep AND REST more: Athletes require more sleep than non-athletes, especially if they want to decrease their injury risk. Not sleeping well one day won’t make much of a negative impact over time, but consistently getting few hours of sleep and not actually resting throughout the day will accumulate the fatigue and cause a decline in performance. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night and get some ‘downtime’ throughout the day for extra rest for your muscles.
Manage stress levels: Most of us have a full time job and a family to tend to on top of our training load. If you find yourself over-worked and stressed with any of your responsibilities, including your training schedule, make a change. You should already be planning on cutting down the training time, but it’s also important to keep a more organized schedule and plan mini breaks throughout your work day. Daily meditation works wonders to keep a calm mindset and control stress levels over time!
We all have training seasons that don’t go as planned, but if we can go into each season with the right tools, we can set ourselves up for success. If you find yourself with signs of Underperformance/Overtraining Syndrome and have to decrease your training load, don’t think you will lose fitness or get out of shape. This will actually help you get into better shape and improve race times! It’s hard to catch these signs early on so it’s always a good idea to evaluate how you feel and your performance gains on a weekly or monthly basis before it gets worse. You’d be surprised at what a little rest from running can do!