Tired After Running? 5 Signs of Overtraining & How to Prevent Fatigue

Running is an amazing way to keep active. Whether you’re going for a light jog in the park or setting off on longer endurance runs, there are countless benefits to working running into your physical fitness routine. It’s normal to feel tired and a little worn out after a challenging run, but you should pay close attention to your body to ensure you’re not overdoing it and causing yourself any harm.

A bit of muscle soreness and general fatigue is to be expected after a run, particularly for longer distances. With that said, runs shouldn’t leave you feeling completely incapacitated after the fact. There is such a thing as overtraining, even when it comes to cardio-focused activities, and running is absolutely no exception. So if you’re feeling especially exhausted after your usual run, here are five signs to look out for that indicate that you might be overtraining:

1. You feel unusually exhausted after a run

Excess fatigue is one of the number one signs that you’re overtraining when it comes to running. If you get back from a run and feel so exhausted that you can’t even function, it’s likely that you’re overdoing it. It’s normal to feel tired after a run, but not if it means the rest of your day is a complete write-off. You should be able to function normally after running, even if it’s just a little more slowly.

2. Muscle soreness is stopping you from running again

A little muscle soreness is normal after a strenuous run. As we work our muscles, microscopic tears begin to develop, which allows them to regenerate stronger in the future. However, if you’re so sore that you can’t live normally, let alone go on another run in the next day or two, it’s likely that you’re pushing yourself too hard. 

Consistency matters when it comes to running—it’s far more beneficial to do more light runs than it is to do a single difficult one. If you’re having an especially hard time moving after a single run, it’s probably a sign to pull back on the intensity.

3. You’re experiencing pain in your leg joints

Although our bodies are designed for long-distance running, we’re not immune to the physical wear and tear that it can have on us. Long and frequent runs can have a lot of impact on your knees, ankles, and hips, and you definitely don’t want any damage to these crucial joints. 

If you’re noticing even slight joint pain (versus muscle pain) after a run, it’s important that you take things a little more gently in the future in order to avoid further damage. You can also make changes to your shoes and the surface you’re running on to better protect your joints.

4. Prolonged low mood or irritability

One aspect to training that’s sometimes overlooked is the mental impact. If you spend too long in a fatigued, exhausted state, it’ll start to show up in your mental health as well as physical. If you find you’re consistently in a bad mood after running, or if you’re feeling irritated or depressed versus refreshed and rejuvenated, it’s your brain telling you that you’re pushing too hard.

5. Performance plateau/decline

Another clear sign of running overtraining is a plateau or decline in your performance and ability. If you find on your fifth run of the week that you can’t run a distance that you should normally be able to, it’s your body letting you know that it’s at its max for the moment, and needs time to rest and recover before returning to its normal state.

How to Prevent Fatigue

With these signs of overtraining in mind, you’re probably wondering how best to prevent such issues and keep yourself at a manageable yet consistent level of exercise. You want to be able to keep pushing yourself in order to strengthen and improve, but you also need to take care not to go too hard. It's a delicate balance, but there are a few things you can do to make it a little easier to succeed:

1. Ensure you take enough time to rest and recover

Taking adequate time to recover is one of the most important things you can do as a runner. Your muscles need to take some minor damage in order to come back stronger, but if you consistently push through the regeneration period in order to train more, your body will never have the chance to recover. 

When developing your training plan, it’s vital that you consistently make time for rest and recovery. If you plan to have a particularly challenging run on one day in the week, ensure the day or two afterwards is a day off, or at the very least, a relatively light challenge. This allows your muscles to heal, in turn building more strength and stamina.

2. Make gradual increases to pacing and distance

Another way you can help yourself improve performance in your training is to have a realistic and safe plan for increasing the challenge of your runs. Even people who are training for a marathon or other long-distance events don’t run the whole distance every day, they work themselves up to it at a gradual pace. In general, you should avoid running too far, too often, or too fast, as you’ll begin to have diminishing returns on your strength, stamina, and overall performance. 

A good rule of thumb is to never increase weekly running distance by more than 10%. This allows your body to recover and heal while still pushing the limit, and will provide much better results than forcing yourself to go to the absolute maximum every time. The same is true for pacing—save your all-out sprints for shorter runs, and focus on a slower, more manageable pace for the longer ones.

3. Make sure your calorie intake and overall nutrition is sufficient

Food is the fuel that allows your body to do what it does so well. Without sufficient energy from calories, and without the proper nutrition of a balanced diet, you’ll never be able to run to your full potential. In general, it’s crucial that you are getting enough calories every day. The typical adult requires around 2000 calories daily, but this can vary greatly depending on your body type and lifestyle. 

It’s also a good idea to ensure you’re eating enough before and after your runs. We recommend a light but nutritious meal an hour or two before your run, containing protein, fats, and carbohydrates. This gives your body the energy it needs to run. Afterwards, you should aim to eat a few more small meals in the hours following, ensuring that the energy lost during your run is gradually replaced. This will help to keep you feeling energized after the fact, and aid in your body’s recovery.

4. Stay hydrated

Dehydration is the enemy of runners everywhere, particularly those who run long distances. The more dehydrated you are during the run, the more exhausted you’ll be after the fact. So make sure that you’re at a good level of hydration every single day, not just the days that you run. 

You can drink a large amount of water an hour or so before you run, which provides you with hydration while preventing abdominal cramps. You should also have access to water, and ideally, a sports drink of some kind during your run, or at least immediately after. The water will of course keep you hydrated, while the sports drink replenishes the electrolytes lost as you sweat, allowing you to retain the water you drink.

Like food, the exact amount of water a person needs can vary greatly, but a general recommendation is one and a half to two liters of water per day, or around 64 ounces. However, it’s best to simply drink whenever you feel thirsty. 

5. Develop a post-run routine

Another great way to battle runner’s fatigue is to devise a post-run routine, and to stick to it consistently. Everyone’s routine is a little different, but most of them share a few things in common. 

Firstly, you should incorporate a cool-down period into your run. This could mean dropping your pace to a light jog for the last couple kilometres, or walking a few laps around your route before heading back home. This allows your body to transition out of a high-demand exercise state, and will help you to feel less exhausted afterward. After your cool-down, you should do some stretches for your calves, glutes, quads, chest, and back in order to restore normal blood flow to your body and reduce soreness. 

Once you’ve done a cool-down and a stretch, make sure to eat something nutritious and calorie dense, and drink lots of water and electrolytes to get yourself back to normal.

6. Get enough sleep

Finally, it’s absolutely vital for runners that you get enough sleep. Without enough rest, your body won’t be able to bounce back from exercise as quickly, and the mental element of exercise will be more challenging as well. 

Most adults require seven to eight hours of sleep per night, but as with everything, you should listen to your body and ensure you’re getting enough no matter what. If you have a hard time falling or staying asleep, you could consider running in the mornings to help tire you out a little more and encourage an earlier bedtime. 

As you can see, there can be a number of warning signs that you’re overtraining when it comes to running. Although fitness is focused on pushing ourselves to our limits and overcoming challenges, it’s still worthwhile to pay attention to what our bodies are telling us. If you keep a lookout for these tell-tale signs of pushing too hard, as well as keeping a disciplined routine of self-care when it comes to nutrition, sleep, training schedules, and more, you’ll see a much more pronounced and balanced improvement in your performance as a runner.

If you have more questions about the signs of overtraining, developing a healthy and effective training plan for running, or if you’re looking for help managing your physical health as a runner, look no further than the experts at Triumph Physio. Our team can help you to understand the mechanics of your body, and keep it running smoothly as you better yourself. Contact us today! 

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