I actually went out for the aforementioned run. It was there that I determined that I may be getting just a little burned out.
My body just feels completely run down, folks. Not an acute injury or anything, just sore all over. Couple that with an overall lethargy and I think my whole body is telling me something. Usually after a run, I have an inordinate amount of energy and I'm as chipper as a....a....hell, I don't even have an analogy.
I thought about how this can happened and it dawned on me that I've essentially been in training since early June. To catch people up, I had originally intended to run my first marathon in October, but injury/stupidity/laziness forced me to drop down to a half marathon. I really haven't taken a week off since.
My question to all marathon trainers and/or finishers is this: Can this happen? Do you get burned out at some point during training? What do you do? Run through it? Take a small break?
I've given serious thought to taking next week off. I won't miss the long run, but maybe I need a break, do some light cross-training, drink copious amounts of booze, eat lots of turkey and tailgate food, watch a lot of football, etc.
I leave my training decision to the blogosphere...save for Vanilla.
20 comments:
If you feel like you need it, TAKE IT! Take an extra day or two. It won't hurt you're training ;-)
Could you be getting sick? I don't ever recall being sore all over?!
Absolutely. Take a week off. Do some cross-training, maybe. Then the next week, mix it up somehow. Go run somewhere new. Incorporate a fartlek or some other kind of training you don't do often.
Take your mileage down for a few weeks. It's good for you.
I would take a couple of days off, but plan a couple short runs that could turn to long. That seems to work for me...I will head out dedicated to three, but then at three change to four, etc. Especially over next weekend. you may find a couple days off and some good food-splurging will leave you ready to rock..
Listen to these people. They're smart. I've also been feeling lethargic lately but I know it's not just the running--it's the result of real life stuff too. Do you have stuff going on in real life that's dragging you down, more so than usual?
Take a break! Training non-stop since June will do it to you.
A missed run here or there isn't as important as keeping "in it" mentally. If you need some time to recharge, take the time. Just don't let 1 or 2 missed runs turn into 2-3 missed weeks. Take a small break. And then get back out there. The BIG DAY will come and you want to be ready. It is rewarding and worth it.
Definitely take a small break if you need it. A week of easy should get you back on track and better than ever (at least that's what I experienced when I was forced to take a week off during training)
I think Nitmos offers good advice: taking time away from 1 or 2 runs won't hurt you, but you don't want to let that slip into a lengthy period of time. Also, it's important to get those long runs in. So I wouldn't skip those if I were you.
You know what this post feels like? It feels like the post that comes before the announcment that you're dropping down to the half-marathon.
Vanilla - my a$$.
At the least I would back down on my milage a lot for the week and run everything slowwwwly. Good luck. I think it's smart of you to back off before getting injured (like some other bloggers we might know).
Yea I've been training since... January 5th I guess with the month of March off only... I haven't gone without TRAINING since the biggining of April and I'm feeling it. Too bad I'm feeling that all over, achy body, lethargic feeling two and a half weeks before my first marathon. I feel your pain.
I think that next week should be a week of focusing on YOU, do what you want, run if you want, eat if you want. TAKE a nap if you want and commit to the long run and running the week after.
Hey! I think it's perfectly naturally run down in the middle of a long training cycle. It always happens to me during the middle when the miles are getting tough and long. At those times, I try to take a day or two off from the road and think of ways to make the runs as fun/interesting as possible...maybe to switch up the paces, find a new running route, run with different people or a running group...something to break up the monotony so I'm looking forward to running again.
You'll be fine. Take a day or two off to rest your mind. You're fitness will still be there when you get back.
Good luck
Sounds like you're due for a back-off week. I usually feel like that right before or during a back-off week. Usually, the reduced mileage of a back-off week restores me.
Breaky time.
sounds like you need a break.
if you do not take one now it may lead to you giving up running for good somewhere down the road. invest now in your future by taking some time off.
sounds like you need a break.
if you do not take one now it may lead to you giving up running for good somewhere down the road. invest now in your future by taking some time off.
For sure take a week off. Give yourself a stop day and a start again date and stick to it. Your body will thank you for it.
Take the break. Enjoy it. I don't even know you but I think from that post it doesn't sound like a horrible idea. It's the holidays. I get bummed but it's usually cause I get frustrated at a run or something and that brings me down. I haven't ever been in some weird training fo-ever funk like you. Best of luck. I think I'm not using my ipod+ any more. Thanks for the tip. It was a cool idea with the challenges but too inaccurate.
Oh yeah. Happens to me almost every training period. It is amazing what taking a few days off will do for your training. It does for your training what a walk break does for a long run - helps you get to the end.
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