How I overtrained in the past and how you can avoid it

Overtraining sounds like something so intense it is likely only a problem for serious athletes. It's caused by too much work and not enough recovery. Us weekend warriors struggle to get in enough workouts, contrary to too many, right?

Actually, overtraining is pretty common. And I have been guilty of it more than once. How do I know? Well, a few times, I've come to the end of a training cycle, and I've dreaded the race. I've felt tired, ill, and relatively lethargic about the distance in front of me, even though my training would have prepared me for it well. Did I realize at the time why I was feeling so blah? Definitely not. I thought I just wasn't one of those people who could enjoy racing after a long training cycle.

It turns out, my "natural" pace currently falls somewhere around 8:30-9:30 per mile, depending on the day. I have always run the bulk of my runs at these paces, and I tend to fall somewhere in here in most races, too-- at least 10k to marathon. I HATE running slower than 9:30ish per mile or so and that is such a detriment to my training. I worked so hard for so long to get my paces below 10 minute miles, so mentally, I feel like I'm digressing when I run these slower times again. That's BULL! By not slowing my paces down to a truly "easy" pace, I'm guilty of setting myself up for overtraining. Granted, most days, a 9:00 mile doesn't feel super hard, but it doesn't fall under the truly "easy" category either. I'm proud; it's a serious flaw. And that pride makes me WANT 9:00 to feel easy, but it usually doesn't. This internal pressure I put on myself to always keep my times about the same is what always leads me to overtrain.

How can you know if you're overtraining? Well, unfortunately, a lot of the signs are so extremely common, it can be tough to know what to attribute them to, so you really just have to tune into your training and how your body feels. Here's some tips to avoid overtraining and/or bounce back from it:

1) REST. Did you know there's a phenomenon of women running faster AFTER having a baby?! How cool is that! I'd love to cite some scientific study that shows how women transform from the trials of pregnancy and labor into superhuman running machines, but it's actually more simple than that... it's the rest! Most of us who go into pregnancy in decent shape take training down a notch while growing a human. The rest you take during pregnancy is likely much more than you would "allow" yourself while not knocked up, and you can see the fruits of it when you work to regain your fitness postpartum. Allow yourself plenty of rest during and between training cycles, and you will absolutely reap the rewards. Remember, workouts tear down muscle tissue. That's what you want. So you must give the body time to rebuild as well.

2) Run easy. OMG I can type this all day and still struggle to do it myself. I have an aunt that I love to preach this to as well (hey Pat!) because I can see how she pushes herself in almost every run she does. Every so often, she mentions how she hates running most of the time. Pat and I are too much alike sometimes! We run hard. We feel mentally better (briefly) when we run hard. But our bodies are like no bueno. It's estimated that your should run about 80% of your runs easy. If you run 5 days a week, that's 4 easy runs!! How many of us are doing that? I challenge you to take it down a notch more often. Let your slow be slower so your fast can be faster.

3) Eat to recover. At the risk of sounding like a meathead, PROTEIN. I'm all about some post-run eating, but I always make sure it isn't all donuts and cinnamon rolls. If I can't get in a meal relatively quick, then I jumpstart the recovery process with a protein shake. A protein shake requires very little as far as digestion and absorption, so my body can begin rebuilding muscle tissue quickly. If I'm digging into a real meal, then I just pair a protein with carbs, depending on the length and intensity of the run. Fats slow down absorption of everything else, so I try not to be too high fat postworkout. My fave thing to do? Run TO a restaurant :)

4) Taper. For anything 13.1 or more, I always include a taper of both running and strength training. Length of taper is highly personal-- some folks do better on a short 1- or 2-week taper, while others prefer something lengthier like 3- or even 4-weeks. If I have time in my training schedule, I usually land on a 2- or 3-week taper. I used a 4 for my last marathon (partly because I discovered I was pregnant!), and I feel it was a little too much rest. What is a taper? A taper is a predetermined amount of severely decreased training leading up to a race to allow maximum muscle glycogen, immune system function, and tissue repair.

5) Sleep. Alright, this one can be easier said than done. Us mommies have little control over whether we're getting 7-9 uninterrupted hours, I know. But do the absolute best you can here. Prioritize sleep. Sacrifice TV/book reading time to be able to shut your eyes a little earlier. Have a bedtime routine, both for babies and yourself. Be consistent about sleep, and it will come easier. Growth hormone is produced in those wee nighttime hours, so allow your body to heal itself with quality shut-eye.

6) Be diligently consistent. Have you ever slacked on your training schedule for a few weeks, just to dive back in a little too vigorously to make up for lost miles? If so, congrats you're human! In my opinion, if you miss a training run or two, it is much better to start back right where you should be instead of trying to "make up for" what you might have missed. Here is a time when it is super important to be brutally honest with yourself... if you miss a large enough chunk of your training runs that you feel behind, you may need to push back your race date or even abandon that cycle completely. Either stick to your plan within reason, or take a break until you're rested and ready enough to commit fully to a plan. If you find you're apathetic about your training plan for more than a week or two, that's definitely a sign of being overtrained. Be kind and honest to yourself!

Now that I've put all this into words, I'll never overtrain again, right?! I sure hope so. I know how to avoid and combat it, now so do you. Any other tips you would add?

#training #running #rest #overtraining