Oh, Is There Such a Thing as Overtraining Syndrome?

Most running enthusiasts love running because of the feeling of high after a run. They say that running has improved their overall disposition and that is one of the major reasons why they are hooked up with running. But what if one day, you just suddenly lose all your enthusiasm for running and you feel lethargic all day?

Have you heard of Overtraining Syndrome?

It is essential that all runners have a knowledge of this syndrome because if caught early, a simple rest of 24-48 hours would completely reverse this. However, if this is ignored, then you may have to forego running for 6-12 weeks to recover completely. Can you afford that?

Here, I share with you the symptoms of overtraining as lifted from my favorite book Running for Fitness.

But in order to diagnose overtraining, it is important to have a training log which includes the following information: your weight, the number of hours you sleep, and your pulse rate when you wake up and when you get out of bed.

Symptoms of overtraining:

• increased resting heart rate
• increase in difference between heart rate before and after getting out of bed
• susceptibility to infections, allergies, headaches; swollen glands;
• sharp reduction in training performance; sluggishness;
• lethargy; loss of enthusiasm, energy or drive;
• irritability, loss of concentration;
• insomnia;
• loss of appetite;
• lack of sexual energy and loss of libido;
• rapid weight loss;
• diarrhea and runners' trots.

Author Owen Barder emphasized on the heart rate as a good early warning indicator. If the gap between the heart rate before and after getting out of bed is 5 beats per minute or more when you get up, then you should not train on that day. Remember, haste makes waste.

Jogger, Racer or Runner?

Do you know the difference between a jogger, a racer and a runner? I do.

I know it not because I am a professional runner, which I am not and you know that. I know it because I read it in the book, "Running for Fitness".

The joggers are those who take up the sport because they want to lose weight. They are the ever health conscious advocates of running as a form of exercise. The racers are the evolved joggers who got into a race and suddenly realized there's a world of competition out there. They become conscious of their time and they log down their records diligently. The runners are those who love the sport for all its health benefits and join the race not to outdo anybody but themselves. They run for peace of mind. Who are you?

Would you believe that in just a month of religiously following a 5-km running program (check on the link to podrunner to know about the 5-km program), I have evolved from being a walker... not a jogger, not a racer... mind you, a walker (!)..... into a runner.

I particularly love this paragraph written by George Sheehan in his book Running to Win which makes clear distinction of the above terms: "Jogging, they say is competing against yourself. Racing is competing against others. Running is discovering that competing is only competing. It is essential and not essential. It is important and unimportant. Running is finally seeing everything in perspective. Running is discovering the wholeness, the unity that everyone seeks. Running is the fusion of body, mind, and soul in that beautiful relaxation that joggers and racers find so difficult to achieve."

And guess what? According to Owen Barder, author of Running for Fitness, you only understand the real definition of a runner when you actually experience it first-hand.

I am a runner.

I say this with utmost humility because I know that it is pure grace that I should experience what these two authors defined running to be.