I wish I could run every single day… I love it that much! But age has its advantages, and one of them is wisdom; and if my body is too old to run everyday, at least my brain is wise enough to realize it. I remind myself of the common signs of overtraining, and use those signs to help me remember when I might need to cut back on my training.

Today I want to talk to you about overtraining and how to recognize if you might be exercising too much I remember way back to when I trained for my very first marathon and my legs felt like lead when I got to the top of the stairs after my twenty mile training runs. Eventually that went away as my body adapted to the new demands that I was putting on it; but if this had been persistent, it could have been a sign of over-training.

FootOnStairs

 

Starting a new workout plan, especially one as demanding as training for a marathon or triathlon, puts levels of stress on the body that it’s not used to dealing with. We have to gradually increase our workout levels allowing the body to adapt to each new demand. Too often in the excitement of starting a training program, we forget to listen to our bodies and we do exactly what our training schedule says we should do on that given day. Failure to listen to your body for feedback, can lead to over-training; and over-training can lead to a number of problems (i.e. injuries), some of them serious.

OverTrainingPoster

 

Whether you’re a newbie or experience athlete, you should be aware of these ten signs of over-training. When in doubt, err on caution. Taking a couple of days off to let your body recover will most likely do far more good than harm. Rest is a good thing… a very, very good thing.

 

  • Questions:
  • • Have you ever felt like you were over-training?
  • • If so, which of the above symptoms did you experience?
  • • How many hours of sleep do you need/get per night?