Training hard enough or too hard?

Summer and fall is game time for many of my clients and friends. They've spent the last months pushing their bodies to see how far and fast they can go.

But if you're not hitting your numbers on race day, does it mean you need to train harder?

Training for a fitness goal and/or athletic event (endurance races, team sports, strength competitions) require you to gradually and progressively challenge the body to encourage physiological adaptation, resulting in stronger muscles, more efficient cardiovascular response (eg, heart and lungs turn around more blood / oxygen with less work), etc. There are a number of factors that affect adaptation (genetics, sleep, nutrition, hydration), but perhaps the most prominent one within our control is how hard and long we challenge the body. 

There is a certain degree of "super human" mentality (and a bit of illogical thinking) among those in training. A "normal" human would use logic when deciding whether or not to run 26.2 miles - "If no one's chasing me, what's the point?" But for athletes, the thought of doing something seemingly impossible is oh so appealing and very rewarding. Admittedly, this ability to defy logic and ignore signals from the body and mind in order to challenge themselves is an advantage. 

For example, if you're longest run to date has been 5 miles, you may doubt that you can run 6 miles. Or you may feel like "gosh, I feel tired - cycling sounds daunting." But you still get out there to "see what you can do" and often surprise yourself, thereby verifying your "super human" powers. 

If you're like me, there's a certain amount of pride in these super human traits. Every time you get the intended result by pushing yourself "harder" or "faster," it's tempting to believe that your body can and will do what YOU demand and want, so long as you work hard enough and/or "just eat better"...

Didn't hit your power on the bike?---> Work harder!
Failed to PR your dead lift? ---> Work harder!
Off a few seconds per mile? ---> Work harder!
Didn't go as fast as Joe? --> Work harder!

For those athletes in their 2nd, 3rd, or 15th season, it's easy to look back and compare...

"If I did X last year, I should be able to do x+1 this year!"
"If I did Y last year and achieved X time, if I do Y again, I'll achieve X!" ​

You may even come from a background in which you saw first hand how "working harder" gets you more...

studying more --> better grades
​working more --> more money
working more hours --> promotions

We live in a society that preaches,
​"if you work hard enough, you can do or achieve anything"

But the quest for continued improvement and refinement has its own rules - no matter how perfect you try to control the variables. 

Over Training

Every body (and mind) has a tipping point, no matter how meticulously you fuel and train. Consider the car analogy - even if you follow the maintenance schedule perfectly, the car will burn out if you try to run it too hard or long. You may want that car to go 80 mph for 500 miles every day, but every car has a different gas tank and engine which limits what it can do. 

There are varying degrees of training and over training (see below). 

First off, functional overreaching) is a natural and intended part of training. Similar to what I described earlier in the post, training is about pushing your mind and body in order to encourage adaptation. Training is made up of ebbs and flows - varying the intensity and duration each day and gradually progressing each week until you reach your goal.  If you're a seasoned athlete, you know that feeling tired at the end of a week or 3 week training block is part of the game. And that you feel refreshed and ready for more after a rest day and/or a lower intensity week. 

But sometimes, just taking the prescribed rest day / easy week isn't enough. If you notice your performance is not improving with rest / time, you risk moving into "nonfunctional overreaching." This is not a normal part of training. If you're in this phase, you don't feel "terrible" or "crushed" per say, but you also aren't seeing improvements.  The temptation is to say...

"I just have to push harder - put in more miles and more effort!"  
OR 
"I just need to eat better"
OR
"there's must be something medically wrong with me"

All thoughts are completely reasonable and worth exploring with your coach, dietitian, and physician. ​Perhaps you are under-fueling, dehydrated, ill, or experiencing imbalanced stress. BUT if you have been putting in the work and perhaps have not taken off much time (or intensity) between seasons, it also may be a sign to dial back for MORE than a day or week. ​

The last place you want to be is in "overtraining syndrome" (OTS). If you're an athlete, it's easy to say - "I know OTS can happen, but that doesn't apply to me" (hello super human mentality). For seasoned athletes it's hard to notice the gradual decline in performance or gradually increasing exhaustion.  Finally, in the world of competitive sport, it's too easy to look at someone else and say, "well they can do it, why can't I?" thereby ignoring any individual needs for rest.  

Here's some language direct from an excellent medical resource called, "up to date" (last updated 2017) describing the condition and treatment...

In essence, there's no clear definition of over training syndrome - it's more a diagnosis of exclusion. And it always ALWAYS gets better with genuine and extensive time off. And the additional trick is that rest during this time should not come with caloric restriction. The body needs the fuel to repair and replenish. Restriction only inhibits the body's ability to do its job. 

The thought of complete rest is terrifying. Training for a competition often means sacrificing other areas of your life - time with friends/family, work opportunities, money. To say, "oh maybe next year" or admit that perhaps this isn't going to go as planned is a COMPLETE bummer. Additionally, training is incredibly socially, emotionally, and physically rewarding for many, so it's difficult to step away when so many aspects of movement serve you. 

But the risk is that if you don't honor what your body needs, not only will you be disappointed in your performance, but you may have to take an even longer hiatus from the activities that you love. Going into full blown over training syndrome is no laughing matter and it can take months or even destroy a career if injuries occur. 

Over-training syndrome doesn't just happen to athletes...

Sometimes clients will come to me because they've "been working out for years but feel like they're moving backwards." After much discussion it's clear they're not following a training schedule - just trying to push their body as far and as hard as they can every day...without rest. 

I can think of one woman in particular with a grueling 5 year long "streak" of a workout routine. She wasn't a competitor, but used movement to try to change her body. It took months to convince her that her ever increasing exhaustion was not related to a nutrient deficiency but rather lack of rest. And when she did rest, she came back and her workouts were easier and more efficient. 

Even if you're not competing in a sport, you're still trying to get your body to adapt with increased strength and cardiovascular fitness (same as ANY athlete). 

Moral of the story...

Pushing yourself is part of training (and sport). But there is a degree to which you can push too hard. All bodies need rest - even super human ones.

Stay nourished friends!

Myself as a case study ...

If you follow me online, you know I've been a runner since 1997. What started as a way to escape a stressful childhood turned into a passion.  I had a natural talent for running - my body adapted well and sub 7 min miles were easily in my reach. When I ran, I had the sensation of flying! It was pure bliss. I ran every chance I got - to school, after soccer practice, during blizzards. So of course, if a little is good, more is better...right?

​I worked my way up to my first marathon in 2004. Within a few years, I went from running a few marathons a year to a few ultra-marathons a year.  My average min / mile slowed and running too more effort, but I figured it was just my age (mid20s) and that I was running so much distance.  I rarely (ok, never) took time off between races or seasons - I'd drop my mileage relative to what I was doing occasionally, but never totally "stop" for more than a day or two. I loved running too much - it brought me joy, friends, status, and emotional relief. I cognitively knew  the value of rest, but clearly this super-human did not need it.

In 2007 a few weeks after a 38 mile ultra-marathon, I went out and every step felt like lead. My body felt like it was hit by a Mac truck. I literally could not run a mile. I took a few days off and cut back on mileage on bit and gradually returned. I signed up for a handful of marathons / ultras that year but "did not finish" every race - I'd rest a bit, train, and crumble because I "refused to quit." I watched my average min / mile get slower...and slower...

I thought everything in the books must be wrong with me (my weight, my nutrition, an unknown medical condition, my thyroid, hydration...everything except my running - why would something that served me in so many other areas of my life need to stop?).  My weight actually kept creeping up despite my efforts to "control" it by running more and eating less...

In 2016, I was forced to give up running thanks to a finicky sacroiliac joint (thanks pregnancy).  For the first time in almost 20  years, I couldn't and didn't do anything but walk. I missed running more than words can describe and was more than ready to hit the trails again after delivery (and ~10 weeks of rest / walking). I was shocked that when I returned to running because I was back to flying sub 8 min / mile and I effortlessly qualified for the 2018 Boston Marathon a few months later. (Note:  I only ran 1/2 of the Boston marathon in 2018 since I was 20 weeks pregnant  with baby #2 at the time :) )

It was really hard to recognize that the error in all those years of running was humility and self compassion. I am not a super human and just because it "worked" last year, doesn't mean it works every time - at least not without proper attention to the basic human need of rest.