Week 3 – Overtraining sucks, recovery is the only answer

Over training sucks and can happen at any time especially when you are just starting back or new to running.

On Tuesday I went for a 30min walk/run which should have been pain free and a nice recovery from the longer 40min run on Sunday. However when I started the training session my legs and feet felt heavy and my whole body was telling me to rest and not to run today to have another recovery day after the run on Sunday and train tomorrow when I felt better, I really should have listen to my body...

I convinced myself that I was just being lazy and pushed through the heavy feeling and ignored my body that clearly was not fully recovered from the Sunday long slow run. Enter the stage of overtraining and the risk of obtaining a minor or long lasting injury that could put your training backs weeks, months or even years!

After a short warm up I began running and started to feel better, I walked and ran for 15mins and then turned to head home. (I love out and back runs because you know what to expect on your way home. If you have run up a hill, then you will run down a hill on your way back, if you run down a hill you know that hill will be there to really test you on the way back!) Five minutes after the turn the back of my left knee started to tighten up. I thought nothing of it and continued on my way thinking it was nothing and that it would go away soon enough. It didn’t, the further I ran the more annoying my knee became. It wasn’t really tightness or a real pain it was just annoying.

I slowed to a walk and the annoying stopped. I started running again and it came back. I figured it was not going to go away so I ploughed on and finished the walk/run two minutes longer than expected.

After the run I stretch and massaged my legs and back in the hope the annoying feeling would go away but it was too late, I had overtrained by not allowing myself enough time to recover from the Sunday long slow run, a mistake I will not be making in the future. From now on I will be having at least two days recovery after a long run and only when I am 100% recovered will I attempt my next training session.

The Thursday walk/run was also hampered by my knee and caused me to walk for most of the 40mins. I took a full two days off before my next run and really focussed on stretching my lower back, my legs and stomach.

Time and the stretching seem to have worked as today’s 50min walk/run was not effected in anyway by my left knee apart from a small sensation about 10mins in and as I am typing this it is still slightly annoying. I plan to have Monday and Tuesday off completely to rest, stretch and massage the affected areas and hopefully by Wednesday it will be fully recovered.

To sum up, I have learned that overtraining sucks, complete recovery between training sessions is the only way to ensure you will not over train.

Thanks also must go out to the followers of this blog and to the 300 readers we had this week. It is because of you I remained on track; especially when offered a beer at my brother’s birthday, I was so close to giving in but then thought about what I would have to type here today. Sooo happy I did not have the beer, that my diet is on track and I that I have completed the training sessions as planned this week. Although a bit sore I am moving in the right direction and one week closer to the Gold Coast Airport Marathon. http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/

Happy training everyone and I’ll chat to you next week,

Simon.

Goal this week:

30min run - Wednesday

40min run - Friday

50min run - Sunday