OVERTRAINING

Training is essential to promote progress your running. But there is such a thing as too much training.

Overtraining is also known as chronic fatigue, burnout and overstress in athletes. Overtraining is characterised by slowing, plateaued and eventually decreased performance and constant tiredness. Athletes stop making progress and even begin to lose strength and fitness.

Overtraining typically results from a combination of physical and emotional factors. Physical factors include excessive kms, regular excessive volume or intensity workouts, lack of variety in training, lack of rest days. Emotionally, high or increased stress has a big impact as it drains energy and is often a reason people over-train.

The body undergoes physiological changes to react to the high amount of training.

• There is excessive strain on the central nervous system. Or the central nervous system is no longer stimulated by the activity, so even more is needed to trigger a response, and eventually it is too much.

• Hormones are affected in many ways. 1) Oestrogen goes down, affecting menstrual cycles (may stop or become irregular) and bone density (increased risk of osteoporosis), and decreasing cardio-protective effects. 2) Adrenaline goes up in training to increate heart rate and pump blood into muscles, so the body becomes more insensitive to it (more is needed to get the same response) and white blood cell production is inhibited (less cells to fight illness). 3) Cortisol is elevated for long periods of time which puts the body in a stress and catabolic state. 4) Serotonin and dopamine decrease, which leads to irritability, anxiousness and sleep problems.

• Cellular level damage can occur in muscles and bones, increasing risk of injury and chronic problems, as well as poor body composition. 1) Micro-trauma to the muscles are created faster than the body can heal them. 2) Deficiency of nutrients to the body may occur 3) Calories and amino acids are used up faster than they are supplied, increasing rate of muscle tissue breakdown. 4) Iron stores depleted through repetitive impact that breaks down blood cells carrying iron. 5) Calcium stores depleted as body uses it to repaid bone that is impacted.

• Systematic inflammation in the body occurs. This releases cytokines and activates an immune response, increasing risk of illness.

Symptoms of overtraining include

• Physiological: persistent muscle soreness/tightness, persistent fatigue even with rest, elevated resting heart rate, heart palpitations, increases injuries, frequent colds or illness, disrupted sleep, reduced appetite.

• Psychological: poor motivation, mood swings, depression, mental breakdown.

• Performance: decreased aerobic capacity, decreased strength, inability to complete workouts, delayed recovery, poor physical performance.

Over-exercise and exercise addiction leads to extreme exercise, and as tolerance builds even more is needed to achieve the same high. This can eventually lead to overtraining. Overtraining can then develop into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome if not identified early. Overtraining should be overcome in a few weeks of proper rest. But Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can take a year or more to recover from.

If you feel there are overtraining symptoms, the best idea is to rest properly for at least a week or two, just with some short walks. Include recovery methods (e.g. sports massage, self-massage or foam rolling, cryotherapy, thermotherapy, temperature contrast therapy) and increase sleep time. It is wise to consult a Sports Medicine Practitioner to confirm a diagnosis, and possibly get consultation on hormone status and nutritional deficiencies.

To avoid overtraining in the first place, have a weekly training routine that includes:

• Variation in running training week to week: Training should not be the same every day and week. Some weeks focus on mileage and others on intensity. Allow for hard weeks and easy weeks. Suitable periodisation of training.

• Cross training: Find other activities such as swimming, resistance training, cycling, yoga, etc. for both physical and psychological variety.

• Smart training plans: Pre-event train consistently and progressively. Build up to a point a week before your main goal then taper before the event. Schedule some time off to recover after a major event.

• Rest: Have at least one day off running every week.

• RecoverY: sports massage, self-massage or foam rolling, cryotherapy, thermotherapy, temperature contrast therapy.

• Decrease stress: Stress negatively affects training physically and psychologically. Find ways to deal with it better for example meditation or journaling. Also adjust training accordingly.

• Balanced healthy diet: Nutrition before, during and after training sessions are important for energy and recovery.

• Enough sleep: Make sure you are getting 7-8hrs quality sleep each night. Sleep is when the body recovers and grows from training, thus is vital.

It is important to have a training plan that incorporates these things. Also rest and recovery allows you to focus on other aspects of your life and find more balance and happiness. Along with avoiding overtraining.

Stay active and fit and happy :)