General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Training burnout? Overtrained? Rss Feed  
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2013-08-17 9:25 AM

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Subject: Training burnout? Overtrained?
I am a teacher who had my entire summer off to train. I put in long hours all summer training (15-18 hours a week), in anticipation for a HIM in one week, the LOTOJA bike relay the first part of September, and a full marathon the first of October. After one particularly brutal week that included a nasty bike fall, it was all I could do to do even the easiest of work outs the week after, my energy was GONE and I felt really lethargic and fatigued! I took a few days off to listen to my body, but even when I got my energy back and felt physically better, I still can't mentally bring myself to train. I have done some sessions that have gone well, but they haven't been near the volume or intensity as I was doing up to that point and I have to force myself to do so.

I have my first HIM in a week, that I have been very excited about and still am. I am basically considering the last couple of weeks a taper. I have still done some SBR, but not what I would have liked. Is this me being burned out? Did I overtrain to hit the initial slump? How would you move forward? I am confindent that even with the last couple of weeks that I can get through the HIM. Since this is my first, I have no expectations other than to finish, which I am confident I can do. How do you avoid this in the future?


2013-08-17 11:31 AM
in reply to: KatieLimb

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Subject: RE: Training burnout? Overtrained?
It is common to be tired during your taper, in fact it is normal. Your body is tired and now that you are giving it a little break, it want's more time off. Just get though the taper, don't worry about energy levels, you will be fine come race day.

For the future? I got nothing as I have gone through two burnouts this year. But next time you start feeling burned out, take a week off and do nothing. Works wonders!
2013-08-17 5:52 PM
in reply to: KatieLimb

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Subject: RE: Training burnout? Overtrained?
i dealt with burnout or melancholy after my HIM this year. it was my "A" race and I' spent several months training for it. had a blast, but after it was over i didn't have anything to look forward to or to focus my training.

what worked for me was to mix things up a bit - i remained active but did some mountain biking instead of road cycling, hiked or did some trail running instead of road running, etc. you might consider doing something like that to stay active if the s/b/r routine has become tedious.
2013-08-18 1:32 AM
in reply to: KatieLimb

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Subject: RE: Training burnout? Overtrained?
Agree--feeling like crap when tapering is normal. I can't recall a single taper in 34 years of running and 3+ years of tri, plus several years of age-group swimming, where I felt anything other than an unpleasant combination of physically sluggish and mentally antsy. Yuck. I usually take one day off from training a week, and it's by far my lowest-energy day. It's just your body's way of resting, or something. Your HIM will go fine regardless of what you do this last week. The only danger is really doing too much, not too little. At this point, the training's either in the bank, or it isn't.

That being said, after the HIM would be a good time for a break. I was in the same situation last year--on the surface I seemed to recover quickly from the race itself, but I just couldn't muster much enthusiasm for training. Any run over one hour seemed like an eternity. (Not normal for me--I've been known to do 2:30+ runs "accidentally" on vacation when my long run has been in the 60-80 minute range!) After flying back here, stuff just started to go wrong. First my feet and legs swelled up for a couple of weeks, rather than the normal couple of days, after the flight. Then my Achilles started bothering me, then I got the flu, then I kept tripping over my feet and ended up with a hairline fracture and ligament damage in my elbow, then my hamstrings and back acted up.....you get the picture. I didn't really start to feel like myself again until early February. In retrospect I should have just taken a few weeks off after the race and flight, and done maybe a month of easy "fun" stuff before jumping into training for my next race.

This past summer I did no tri training to speak of--just bike touring in Europe with 1-2 runs/swims a week thrown in when it was convenient/ attractive. Now I just physically and mentally want to run all the time, and running is going a lot better than last year. So my advice would be to rest up this week, rock the race, and then give mind and body the break they deserve.
2013-08-18 6:42 AM
in reply to: Hot Runner

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Subject: RE: Training burnout? Overtrained?
Okay--just reread and saw the part about the marathon in October. I'd still take a week off any attempt at training after the HIM, and another week of fun-running, but get in the long run and maybe a long ride, before getting back to it. Once the bike relay is over you can back off biking and swimming. Then, goodness, take a very well-deserved break after that marathon!
2013-08-18 8:40 AM
in reply to: #4831707

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Subject: RE: Training burnout? Overtrained?
Thanks for the feedback. I am going to break from swimming after the HIM, then from biking as well after the bike relay and only focus on the run. By taking those two out it will reduce my work out load a ton with only doing 4-5 run a week.

I am looking forward to doing whatever I want post marathon. My plan is to do anything I want or itching at all for a few weeks, then settle into an easy maintenance program until after the first of the year.


2013-08-18 9:52 AM
in reply to: KatieLimb

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Subject: RE: Training burnout? Overtrained?
I think 15-18 hours of training per week for a HIM would burn me out too! I have never had the time nor desire to train that many hours per week. Maybe you should try more quality sessions rather than those long brain numbing workouts. I am a believer in this style of training as it keeps you out of burnout mode and you don't need much of a taper if any since your less than 10 hours per week.
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