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Have you ever experienced runner or marathon training burnout? Sharing my symptoms of burnout and story when running two marathons too close together.

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When you run marathons too close together….you get burned out. Sounds pretty obvious, right?

Well this may not be the case for everyone, but this is surely what I have experienced and what I am in the midst of right now.

Symptoms of Marathon Training Burnout

I haven’t written about marathon training too much. And honestly, there hasn’t been too much happening over here. 

Here are some of the symptoms I’ve experienced of marathon burnout, or burnout in general.

Poor Immunity

I talk to clients about this, and I need to take my own advise. I’ve been sick (twice) and basically took a week straight off due to sinus infections and general fatigue.

Too much stress on the body can impact and impair the immune and repair system. Also very common in relative energy deficiency as well.

Lack of Motivation

I’ve just generally lacked motivation for running. I think part of it was the holidays and winter weather (who decides to run a marathon in January?!), and not wanting to spend hours outside in the cold, or spend long runs on the treadmill, either.

this Post!

Injury

Fortunately, I haven’t had any major injuries, but I have had some nagging problems. I’ve had a hip thing that’s been bothering me for weeks now, so I’ve been doing some cross-training and strength training, like this killer upper body workout for runners, to try to maintain my fitness. 

I realize as I type these out that it sounds like I’m making a lot of excuses, or I’m totally out of tune with my body.. 

In one respect, I’ve completely taken all of the pressure off of myself for the Disney marathon because I literally have no expectations of finishing.

I’m thinking it will be a walk/run combination if I do finish. 

Mental Doubt

But, on the other hand, I feel very nervous because I am so under-trained and I don’t know if I can even manage the race. 

I’ve gotten out for several “small” runs ranging from 3-5 miles, but the speedwork has been nonexistent and the long runs (and hence long run nutrition practice) haven’t really happened. 

Some other symptoms of marathon training burnout may include:

1. Decreased Performance: Are you noticing a decline in running performance despite consistent training efforts? Your muscles may need a break!
2. Persistent Muscle Soreness: Experiencing prolonged muscle soreness or stiffness (DOMS) that doesn’t improve with rest.
3. Increased Resting Heart Rate: Perhaps your heartrate is constantly high and can’t come down to its normal rate, signaling that overtraining may be a problem.
4. Insomnia or Disrupted Sleep: Trouble sleeping is definitely a symptom of overtraining (and undereating)! Maybe you’re having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep due to racing thoughts or something else (like an injury, low blood sugar, undereating, etc.).
5. Appetite Changes: Experiencing changes in appetite, such as increased cravings or loss of appetite. Are you not eating enough after your runs? Even if you are not hungry after a run, fueling is important.
6. Mood Swings: If you’re experiencing mood swings, highs and lows, feeling irrtable or constantly anxious, it may be worth digging into. If there is no other obvious cause, overtraining may be at play.

As always, talk with your doctor, running coach, dietitian, etc. Sometimes there are multiple puzzle pieces to put together to get the full story.

Focus Since the Detroit Marathon

I ran the Free Press Marathon in Detroit in late October. In the last two months, the furthest I’ve run was 12-13 miles and that was about a month ago. It didn’t feel great, but it wasn’t the worst thing. 

I actually even tried to switch to the half marathon at Disney because I feel pretty confident I could run that based on the minimal training I’ve done, vs. extending myself in the marathon.

Now, I either have to decide:

• Do I just run the race, or at least start it? I likely won’t finish, unless there’s lots of walking involved and it just seems like it would take forever. None of my marathons have been over 4 hours, so I’d have to put my pride aside and possibly get a DNF.
• Do I just sit it out completely and earn a DNS?

At this point, I’m leaning towards just starting it and doing what I can and enjoying the experience. I’ve received many comments on how fun the race and experience is itself, and I am really excited to see the characters.

But, is it worth starting and dropping out, or just not doing it completely?

I’ve never been in this predicament before, where I’m going into a race thinking I can’t finish.

At least with Detroit, I felt more prepared – I got up to 18-20 miles and had consistent long runs. I stayed pretty healthy, considering.

Is it Burnout?

While the motivation surely points to burnout, my performance and speed haven’t really been affected. However, burnout doesn’t have to be all of the above factors, even just some may tell a story.

You know yourself best, but oftentimes in these situations, it’s hard to diagnose yourself. Talk to your partner, running group, coach, friends, etc.

Are you acting like yourself? Recovering the same? Craving or not craving the same foods? Sleeping differently? Always tired?

Personally, I do have some hip pain right now but I think it’s more an alignment issue from constantly holding Camryn (she is in a clingy phase right now). 

I don’t feel irritable before and after workouts and I am finding some positives about my workouts. For example, yesterday I ran 7 miles and enjoyed a podcast, the sunshine, and felt really good overall, which was mentallyencouraging. 

I think overall, I’m just not feeling it like I was in the fall, which is a sign of burnout. I think I’m burned out from the overuse of long-distance impact on my muscles.

Seriously, I would happily run a 5k, 10k, or even a half marathon because I know I can get through it. But mentally, the grueling thought of 26.2 miles, and hours and hours on my feet is not appealing to me right now!

Plan for Next Week

Well, I’m currently 9 days out from the race. The Disney marathon is on a Sunday. 

What I’m thinking for the next week is…this is technially taper time so it’s not a time to test how far I can go. I am going to continue with a few shorter runs (3-5 miles), a day or 2 of cross training, and some light yoga and stretching. 

I just want to focus on being healthy on raceday, and from there, I’ll just see how I feel at the race. I’ll definitely start running it, and maybe I’ll include a walk/jog/run sequence or just stop after I feel like it.

In terms of fueling, I am just going to go with my marathon fueling plan that I used for Detroit. 

I really have no idea but I’m not going to make that decision until I’m actually running it.

While I’ve never gone into a race with this much unknown (it is a little disturbing), I don’t want to push myself too hard or overdo it, either. 

I know this post is a little different and more of me rambling, but my hope is that some of you can relate to this feeling and can shed some light on the situation.

Or, maybe you’ve even experienced it with work or another sport.

I’d love to hear from you!

Have you ever run an endurance race with so few miles under your belt? Will the extra cross training help me?

If you’ve been through burnout, what helped?