Over-training is the number one leading cause for injury and burnout.  Running too hard or for too great a distance without allowing the body proper time in between for recovery, will eventually lead to burnout and/or injury. 

Take note of the signals your body and mind are sending you.  If you find yourself often crabby or view going out for a run as a chore, you may be over-training.  Jack Raglin. PhD, a researcher on sports psychology and professor in the kinesiology department at Indiana University, has concluded that an athlete’s psychological state is a better diagnostic tool than physical factors.  He says, “Changes in demeanor are an early sign of over-training, so if a runner recognizes this symptom, he can adjust his training to prevent physical damage.”

Over-training Syndrome is not a select hindrance for only the elites.  It occurs when the body is pushed beyond its capacity to recover.  Often misunderstood as resulting from too much training, it, in fact, is a direct result of too little rest, making all who work out vulnerable.

Runners often become frustrated when they question how they could possibly be over-training when only logging twenty miles per week.  Kristen Dieffenbach, PhD, an assistant professor of athletic coaching education at West Virginia University says, “You don’t get stronger because you did an awesome workout.  You get stronger because you ate right, slept and recovered afterward.”

When one’s body is continually pushed to its limits without allowing proper time for recovery, the system breaks down making one vulnerable to eventual injury.  It can also lead to sleep disorders frequent and never-ending colds, headaches, decreased libido and even depression.  Luckily, there is an easy solution.  Just as you would keep track of the number of miles run, amount of time spent training and time splits, it is paramount to log the amount of down time you allow your body to rest and recover.  Doing so, for even a few days, will provide concrete proof of if you are shortchanging your body the amount of sleep it needs to rebuild.

Increased irritability does sometimes follow an exceptionally difficult training session.  However, if this negative disposition continues for more than a day, it could indicate over-training.  If you find that friends, colleagues and/or your partner are commenting on your irritability, that is a clear indicator that it is time to take a few days off from your training, or at the very least, to dial back the intensity of your workouts.

Diffenbach says, “Many recreational runners don’t take time to recover from the everyday stresses in their lives.”  Many people turn to running as a means to relieve that stress, however, due to hectic schedules, they find themselves getting up earlier or staying up later to squeeze in those workouts.  Before long, they find that the very recreation they turned to in order to relieve their stress is adding to it, as it has become another task that “needs” to be accomplished. 

Balance is the key here.  You should apply as much care to your recovery as you do to your workouts.  Getting the required amount of sleep, eight to nine hours per night during heavy training periods, and making time to prepare healthy post workout meals are vital contributors to keeping yourself injury-free and healthy, both mentally and physically.   

Filed under: Fitness

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