I’m over trained?

I feel like the laziest marathon runner in the world. Sure I do my long runs and put together plans that I never follow. I never run 50-100 miles per week. People who work at the marathon run those miles. I’m too lazy for that. How could I possibly be over trained?

Last night at our club run, a veteran runner suggested that my injury in January may have been from over training. I was shocked that anyone would even think that I could possibly have over trained. Me?

He noted that since I took three weeks off I have come back strong and set two new PRs. Basically, the time off did me a lot of good. The more I think about it, the more I think he is right.

In January I was at the beginning of my marathon training plan. I had a 20 mile per week base to work from, but I was pushing the miles up. My knee started hurting near the end of a 13.1 mile treadmill run. I had to cut the run to 12.8. This was my third treadmill run in six days totaling almost 24 miles.

I was also doing a gym leg work out that was/is killer. Lots of squats, lunges and burpees. Lots of stress on my knees. The combination of maintaining the gym work and the increase in running miles put me in the “Over Trained” category.

The moral of the story is that even everyday runners like you and me can over train. You have to pay attention to all of the exercise you are doing. Seems like common sense, right?

How many of us have jumped into a training plan too quickly and sustained an over use injury? Same type of thing. Not paying attention to what we are doing.

Patience is a virtue. It can serve you well in a marathon and it can serve you well while training.

Run well my friends!

Andy

© anagelin 2014