The tell-tale signs of when you’re training too hard, and how to hit the sweet spot

Words: Anna Harding

Do you keep getting injured? Are you feeling tired all the time and lacking the motivation needed to run? Maybe you’re not seeing enough improvement in your running, even though you’re trying really hard?

Don’t beat yourself up. All these could be signs you’re overtraining. As runners, it can be difficult to tell when we’re going too hard, so that, instead of improving, we end up not getting any benefit from the hard work we’re doing. Here, we take a look at how to spot the signs of overtraining and suggest ways to avoid it happening.

What is overtraining?

Overtraining is quite a complex issue and will present itself in many different ways, from injury and fatigue to weight loss or picking up illnesses. It can affect the way you sleep and also have an effect on your mood. There are a number of causes of overtraining, including:

• Excessive training volume. Running too many miles or spending too much time training without adequate rest.

• High-intensity training. Constantly pushing the body to its limits with intense workouts without giving enough time for recovery.

• Inadequate recovery. Not allowing enough time between hard workouts to repair and adapt.

• Poor nutrition and hydration. Inadequate fuelling before, during and after runs can hinder recovery and increase the risk of overtraining.

• Lack of sleep. Not getting enough quality sleep can impair recovery and increase stress on the body.

• External stressors. Factors such as work, school, relationships or life events can contribute to overall stress levels and impact recovery.

It’s important to remember that there is a distinction between pushing too hard on a particular day or during a short period of time and chronic overtraining syndrome, which is also referred to as Unexplained Underperformance Syndrome (UUS), which was previously known as Overtraining Syndrome (OTS). It’s defined as ‘a persistent decrease in athletic performance capacity despite two weeks of relative rest’.

What are the signs?

There are two consistent symptoms of UUS; an increased state of fatigue and an increased perception of the effort required during training. If you are training too hard, it’s likely you’ll be experiencing more than one of the following symptoms: