How to Read the Signs of Overtraining

We all love to train, and we strive to get the most out of the hours we invest. Inevitably, we all fall into overtraining sooner or later — and it's usually hard to bounce back once you become a victim. Here are some strategies to recognize and avoid overtraining:

Stress vs. Recovery

Training and racing to optimize your potential is really about applying the right amounts of training stress to your system and allowing full recovery. If you do this properly, your body will adapt — growing stronger and faster. If you don't allow for full recovery, you will gradually fall into overtraining. Recovery periods are really where gains are made, not during training. Hard training is necessary to evoke a training response, but this is really only the breaking-down part of the process. 

Other Stress Counts Too!

In our modern fast-track world, it is easy to get pulled into thinking that we can do it all and have it all. The reality is that you have to make choices about where you spend your energy every day. We can only handle so much stress before we start to break down. We all have stress from different parts of our lives that we need to manage. Training is a huge stress to our bodies and it's important to factor in your lifestyle stress when you are looking at your training program. It is easy to write down a program that you think is realistic, but sometimes life gets in the way and it becomes unrealistic. Whether you employ a coach or are self-coached, you must be flexible enough to make adjustments when unexpected life events come up.

Your Vitality

A lot of athletes think they must keep pushing themselves to get stronger and neglect the recovery part. Things can get confusing because in some cases athletes can be very successful for short periods employing this type of aggressive training plan. They will inevitably fall victim to overtraining and will end up fighting to keep doing what they have done previously, or they will need to take extended time off to allow their body to catch up from all the stress they have endured. People can do this because they are drawing down their vitality or core energy to push the limits of their body. You can think of vitality as your innate energy or battery. When you're born, you have a given amount of "charge." As you move through your life, you have this reserve to rely on when you really need it. Ideally, you should avoid dipping into these reserves by practicing good nutrition and lifestyle choices, as well as training appropriately. If you overtrain or neglect yourself, you will start dipping into your reserves. This is a slippery slope toward overtraining, illness and eventually disease.

Being Proactive

Planning your training and racing with a realistic progression is the first thing you can do to set yourself up for success. You may consult with a coach or experienced athlete to review your plans and goals for the year. Planning to cycle your training weekly, monthly and seasonally (periodization) will be necessary to allow your body the rest and recovery it needs. Being realistic about the distance and/or number of races you do is critical. There seems to be a trend that athletes are eager to do ultra-distance events and often don't take the time to build their training appropriately. Many experts believe that it takes 10 years to build your aerobic systems properly! You will have much more success in the long run if you're patient and progress slowly.

What Do You Do if You're Feeling Over-Trained?

Rest! Regardless of whether you're feeling chronically tired or just a little run down, your best bet is to take some time off. Get good sleep, eat and drink well, get some massage, do light cross training, get acupuncture, the list goes on. In short, take care of yourself. And don't stress about missing your proposed training. Sometimes a day or two is enough to recharge your batteries. Other times, it may take a whole season to get right. In either case, there are no shortcuts. You're either recovered or you're not! Everyone is different, and the many variables make it difficult to establish rules. Listen to your instincts and take care of yourself. If you do, you'll experience many years of enjoyable training and racing. If you don't, you may be sitting on the sidelines!

Photo by Elisa Kennemer on Unsplash