The Overtraining Trap
By
Woody Green
of
RUNNERS NICHE
If serious runners have one thing in common, it is that they
overtrain. Whether it is continuous, or just on occasion, runners try
to pack too much training into too little time.
The trap is simple. We all want to be the best runners we can.
Runners are very motivated individuals who want to improve, get
their best times, place well and just feel good about their fitness
level. Everyone knows that to reach their best fitness level, they
have to work hard. The problem is that most runners are willing to
work too hard to meet their goal. It's easy to believe that more is
always better.
Like fish who have had plenty to eat, but see one more fly, we might
get hooked and reeled in to shore from our overindulgence. You are
then reeled in to "Injury Beach" where you stay until your sore knee,
pulled muscle or strained Achilles gets better.
The second outcome of overtraining can be insidious. A runner is
putting in the miles, doing the speed work and filling in the training
log daily. Weekly mileage is up, training goals are met, and
everything seems to be going well. The problem is, improvement is
very slow or nil. There may be no pain other than the usual sore and
stiff muscles and occasional little nagging pain here or there. No
obvious injury need be present to suspect overtraining.
When I coached high school runners, most of them were pretty good
at noticing the second type of overtraining. At that age, fewer
athletes are worried about counting their weekly miles or doing
some weekly routine they have read in Runnerıs World. If they have
a bad workout, they usually recognize that they need rest.
Adults are usually different. I know a runner who told me he had
run a race one morning, and hadnıt done well. So he went out on a
run that afternoon to PUNISH himself and get in better shape. Yikes!
More training isnıt always the answer.
I coached a high school boy who was a very good runner, but he also
played basketball. By the time basketball season was over, there was
little time to get ready for track. While he was in so-so
cardiovascular shape, he was also tired and beat up from a long
basketball season. I never had this young man run more than 20
miles a week. Some of his runs were at 9-10 minute mile pace. We
also did some quality track workouts, but his overall workout
volume remained very low compared to other runners of his ability.
At the state qualifying meet he won and ran a school record 4:26 for
the mile (at 5000 feet altitude). He beat a lot of good runners who
were doing hard, 50 mile weeks. For him, 20 miles a week worked
best.
The key is stepping back and looking at things scientifically and
objectively. First, a runner must recognize that there is an optimum
level of training that will produce optimum performance.
Additionally, this level is different for everyone. Train too easy and
your body does not adapt as much as need be to produce best
results. Go too hard and the bodyıs ability to adapt is short circuited.
You need to have the time and resources to rebuild and adapt to the
higher level of stress training puts on the body.
The bottom line: don't be afraid to back off a little. It might just
produce the PR youıve been looking for. More on this in part 2 of this
article next month.
