Runners, Are You Over Training?
Over training is a genuine concern for a lot of runners.
The signs of over training have a large variation, from feeling sick and lethargic or even restless and unable to sleep . . .
Right the way through to inflammation of joints and injury.
The spectrum of symptoms is massive.
But, over training isn't actually a very big risk for recreational runners!
Over training comes from one of two things, or a combination of both:
Too much intensity in too many of your sessions,
(Doing too many speed sessions or hill sessions, or, your "easy" work isn't easy enough)
or,
Too much volume in your training, so you're doing far too many miles than what your body can cope with.
When I speak to runners, they're often not incorporating any speed or hill work in to their programme,
and,
They're not running anywhere near enough miles to stress the body to the point that it can't recover.
However, you still may be having the symptoms of over training.
It is more likely this; you're not recovering well enough.
Recovery is a very broad term with a broad variation of methods to aid it.
If you're struggling with recovery, then here are the key pointers I would like you to focus on:
🍔 Reduce your processed food intake - this will improve your nutritional intake and reduce inflammation and lethargy
🍻 Reduce your alcohol intake - very much the same pointers as above, with the addition of improved sleep, aiding your recovery and reducing soreness in the body
Which moves me nicely on to;
😴 Sleep - your body doesn't grow stronger in exertion, it grows stronger at rest, and there is no better rest than sleep. We genuinely wake up in a much better condition than when we went to sleep
Get more sleep, even if it's an hour extra night.
🥛 Hydrate - Again, this falls hand in hand with the above 3 pointers.
If you can improve 3 out of these 4, consistently, then I guarantee you will improve your running fitness and general health in no time!
