I have Overtraining Syndrome!

I hate self-diagnoses via the internet, but not sure who else would diagnosis this for me. Actually my friend Chrissy did; I think she went through this one year in her training schedule. I mentioned at a party this week "I am always so tired. I am taking naps in my office."  And it's not just regular Ironman training. I've done Ironman training, twice in fact. Actually have trained harder in previous years, yet have never been this exhausted. Chrissy said a very telling fact is that your resting heart rate is 10 beats higher than normal. Yikes! This has been happening to me!

So I look up Overtraining Syndrome:

• fatigue, exhausition, loss of energy
• aches, pains, chronic soreness
• insomnia
• headaches
• decrease in training capacity/intensity
• drop in performance
• loss of enthusiasm for the sport
• decreased immunity
• weight loss
• appetite loss
• moodiness/depression/irritability
• increased injuries
• elevated resting pulse

Well - I don't have weight loss or appetite loss! (Dang, I never have appetite loss, except after a bad breakup.) But other symptoms have been occuring to me. I felt really light headed in core class recently; I've been pooping out at about 70 miles on my long rides. I even thought about saying to someone recently "you know, I'm getting kinda bored with this triathlon thing." !

A more objective indicator is that my heartrate has been higher. Then there is this test, which I did this week:

Another way to test recover to use something called the orthostatic heart rate test, developed by Heikki Rusko while working with cross country skiers. To obtain this measurement:

1. Lay down and rest comfortably for 10 minutes the same time each day (morning is best).
2. At the end of 10 minutes, record your heart rate in beats per minute.
3. Then stand up
4. After 15 seconds, take a second heart rate in beats per minute.
5. After 90 seconds, take a third heart rate in beats per minute.
6. After 120 seconds, take a fourth heart rate in beats per minute.

Well rested athletes will show a consistent heart rate between measurements, but Rusko found a marked increase (10 beats/minutes or more) in the 120 second-post-standing measurement of athletes on the verge of overtraining. Such a change may indicate that you have not recovered from a previous workout, are fatigued, or otherwise stressed and it may be helpful to reduce training or rest another day before performing another workout.

Oh, yeah - I am overtrained and underrecovered.

Not sure why. I think maybe the 2 Half-Irons back to back did it. After Gulf Coast ( in mid-May) I have felt not so great. Maybe it's just chronic training, although I did take some time off this winter.

So the treatment - REST! This week I've done nothing. And it feels GOOOOOD. I've gone to bed before 9 pm every night, waking up at 7 am (really late for an IM athlete!) and I think it's helping. I will go do my long bike and run this weekend and see how I feel.

Of course, there is this balance and worry that I won't be trained enough for Vineman. Hmmm. It's probably best that I'm recovered well? I plan to mainly do more core, yoga and swimming anyone for the next month.

Hooray for rest!

Comments

[Jane]

Hope you get a lot of good rest! It's always better to be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained.