Did I overtrain today? (Running)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Today is the day I was supposed to start my training regimen for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon - I’m using Hal Higdon’s novice program, which meant that today was three miles.

Thing is, I’ve never actually managed to run three miles. When I was doing Couch to 5K I started having major sinus infection problems at the end (and plus I’m a really, really slow runner) and so I never got past a mile and a half or so and walked through most of my 5K because I couldn’t get enough air in my lungs. My sinuses are good now, so I was building back up (started back at week 5 on the C25K thing) and was on track to be running 3 miles this week with some pretty fast buildup, but my dog started dying and I was pretty taken up with his care and also kind of too emotionally blasted to run. So here we are at Day 1 Week 1 and I’ve run quite a few 1.5 miles but no 3.

I decided to give it a try, and I set it up with walk breaks - after every half mile I had my Garmin tell me to walk two minutes. And I did it, pretty well - I did pause it to walk up a hill at the end, but I thought that was pretty damned fair. I had three tenths of a mile to go when I hit my usual “start cool down walk” part, and since I’d done more than three miles counting the walking I just called it a day there because it was getting pretty hard. I was fine up until then, though, and it probably just started to suck then because my brain knew we were at the street where it gets to stop and walk. In other words, it was hard but certainly doable, much like when the distances run would increase back in C25K.

Of course, the thing is, it isn’t just today - tomorrow I’m supposed to run 2 miles and do some strength training, Thursday is 3 again, then rest on Friday and cross train Saturday and 4 miles Sunday. Week 2 is the same thing, but of course week 3 is longer distances.

So - am I really making a bad decision here, or was I just working below my potential before? I had a lot of mental trouble before, which is part of why I got the Garmin - I can’t self-pace myself and tell myself when to take a walk break or whatever, because I’ll just crap out then. If there’s a little god on my wrist and I have to go until it beeps, I can do it - if not, my brain convinces me I can’t possibly go any farther. This is a distance I’m supposed to have been running since the first week of December. So, am I making a huge mistake? Am I going to get hurt by trying to continue on with the program?

Also, is speed going to come with distance? Because I ran the numbers and I just don’t want to do a seven hour marathon.

2

…sob! Nobody cares about me!

3

Not true.

You still have time, stick with HH’s program with the following changes:

1.Switch Fri. and Sat. workouts, that way you have a rest day before your longest run.

2.Take the cross train option on Wed. to reduce the load on your legs.

  1. Play Tues. by ear, do what you handle.

  2. Taking walking breaks to get through your long run is fine. Jeff Galloway is a big proponent of this.

Your long run on Sun. is the most important workout of the week.

I don’t think you’re overtrained, usually a lack of enthusiasm for exercise is a good indicator along with constant low grade fatigue, persistent muscle soreness, and nagging minor injuries. Make sure you eat a good diet and get enough sleep.
Sleeping is when you recover from workouts.

I can’t say how much your speed will increase, just focus on your goal and let the speed happen.

4

I agree with all said above, and would add that you need to focus on endurance before you start working on the speed.

And get your protien!

If you’re looking to maintain or lose weight from this as well, be careful not to overeat. People tend to overestimate how many calories they actually burn (I go with an average of 100 calories per mile for myself).

ETA: If I really don’t feel up to a workout one day, I will skip it, and so can you. But get back to the program the next day (and don’t try to make the miles up, just follow that day’s schedule).

5

I have no advice for you, I just wanted to say that I sympathize. Running simply sucks. I do it, and I’ve even had fun doing it for the occasional 2 second sprint. Then it starts to suck again.

The only way I’ve been able to force myself to do it is by major distraction. I have to have my iPod with something good to listen to. Occasionally the hubby wants to go with me, and I finally had to tell him that he either needs to talk the whole time about something of interest to me, or shut up the whole time and be OK with me having my iPod on. Because I can’t just run without distraction, because then all I think about it how fookin’ uncomfortable running is.

And it’s not because I’m out of shape. I can bike for miles, cross country ski, walk, anything. But not run.

6

So why do you run, Athena?

7

Athena, if you don’t like to run, why force yourself? You say you enjoy other activities, do those and never worry about running again. There’s nothing inherently superior about running over other exercise. Do what you enjoy, that’s what counts, not everyone is cut out to be a runner.

8

Hell, I hate running while I’m doing it too. Hate the hell out of it. But I like it all other times, when I’m not actually doing it right that minute. :slight_smile:

Today I just couldn’t really get going with the two miles, so I ran for a little bit and walked some. I think I did overdo it a little bit, so I’m just going to take it easy today and do the three miles tomorrow if I can. I’m concerned about the long run - going from 1.5 to 4 miles in a week sounds like, you know, a lot.

I really ought to get a dog. :slight_smile:

9

Beware the dog that doesn’t know how to run with you! That’s how I broke my hand last summer. The little bugger ran right into my path and I tripped, fell on my extended hand, and broke my fifth metacarpal.

10

If you hate running, a half-marathon is going to be very difficult. You will be spending at least 2 hours trying to convince yourself to keep going and that may be mentally draining. I run a lot and I love it (in fact, my first full marathon is this weekend. Yeah, me! but I digress . . . ). I get up early just to run and I hate rest days (but I know they are necessary). Your mental state is key to handling those long distances. The other thing to remember is that as your fitness increases, it will get easier and very likely more enjoyable.

I second the other post about eating. Don’t eat too much just because you are running and don’t eat too little in an effort to lose weight (if that’s your goal). You need to have energy to run.

One suggestion is to keep a running log. You can write down how you felt about a particular run and what you think made that run good or bad. I pay attention to what makes my good runs good and try to do those things consistently (for example, when I started training for my first half-marathon, it became clear very early on in my training that I needed to eat right before a run and that made a huge difference in my performance).

Good luck!!

11

I don’t think you overtrained. I’m training for a half too and the first couple long runs were tough. I was definitely sore after, but part of that is your body getting used to more physical activity. My program started at the beginning of Feb. and now this past Sunday, I was surprised that I wasn’t as sore as I thought I would be. Make sure you stretch well after…I found that it helps a lot.

You might also consider finding a friend who wants to do the half too and will train with you. Or you can join a running group, as there will likely be other people with a similar pace as you which kind of keeps you motivated to keep going on the long runs. Mine has scheduled group runs, and I’ve found it motivates me to get my ass out of bed bright and early on Sunday morning:) Plus, you learn new routes, and there is the social aspect if you’re looking for that kind of thing.

12

I agree with everything above. I’ll add, though, that when you do feel ready to start training for higher speed (and it sounds like you should be focusing mostly on time or distance now), starting out doing hills instead of strict speedwork is a good way of building your muscles up for speed.

13

There can’t be THAT many people running fourteen minute miles. My mother, who is 67, runs faster than I do.

14

I care, Zsofia! But I care even more about your Garmin. :wink:

What model do you have and how do you get it to tell you to walk after half a mile? Because that sounds like an awesome training tool!

15

Au contraire. I’ve run marathons before and I’m still a very, very slow runner and always have been, even at my fittest. While I’m not quite at a 14-minute mile, I’m still averaging around 12 minutes. So, trust me - if you’re slow, you’re not alone.

16

It’s the 305 - I asked for it for Christmas because evidently the new one is sexier looking but not as good. It’s hideous, heavy, and makes me look like a giant dork. I love it - I can’t allow myself to let myself walk when I need to because I am a big pussy. I need a little mini-God on my wrist to tell me that I’m not done running yet. You can run any kind of program you want - run so far, walk a bit, run at a certain heart rate or a certain pace for a certain time, etc. It tells you how fast you’ve going, how long you’ve been running, how far you’ve gone, etc. It even has a map in case you get lost. I assume it tells time, but I don’t know how. I don’t think I know how to do half the things it does because I’m always trying to figure it out while I’m actually running.

ETA - I put my whole half-marathon training plan into it so I can just say “Let’s run today’s workout” and I just do what it tells me to.

17

While you didn’t over train I don’t think you are ready to begin the training program for the half marathon. You should be able to comfortably run 3 miles at about 85% of your target race pace. No walking, no stopping, just running (however slow it may be). And don’t cheat by counting your warm up and cooldown time as your 3 miles (we will know!) Otherwise you’ll be prone to injury, and frustration as you try to run. Do you think you’ll be able to run 6 miles in 7 weeks? If you are struggling at 3 it’s not very likely. Instead you’ll realize you can’t run 6 miles, and abandon the whole schedule, then abandon running.

I think it’s great to set a huge goal of wanting to run a half marathon, but if your goal is to use running as a means of achieving a healthier lifestyle through running then take it easy. Build up your tolerance, and train for a 5K race (near the same time as the half), but set a goal to finish in a certain time (say top 80%). It will be just as challenging, but if you fall back on your time goals, you’ll still be able to complete the race.

18

I did train for (and ran) a 5K… just not very well. :slight_smile: And I don’t count my warm up and cooldown.

19

I run because it’s a nice, quick, hard workout that gets me outside and into some pretty parts of town. There’s not much else you can do in 30 minutes that incorporates all those things.

I like biking more, but a 30 minute bike ride is not the same, fitness-wise, as a 30 minute run.

20

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I don’t like running. Can’t say I hate it, but I really don’t enjoy it.

Is there another exercise that will burn calories as efficiently as running? Running seems to burn calories pretty well for me, which is the main reason I do it.

Zsofia - I don’t think you are over training. The first time I ran 17 miles I bonked and walked the last 3 or 4 miles of it. According to the training schedule, I needed to do 19 two weeks later. I had no idea how I was supposed to get that far if I couldn’t do 17. But I did it. You can do it. Even if you walk it, keep at it.

But on the flip side, let your body let you know how you’re doing. As others have said, if you’re constantly fatigued, back off a little. Just make sure you stick with the long runs. Those will pay off big time in the long (pun intended) run.

Don’t worry about your speed for now. The HH plan will have you doing short, race pace runs and there you can push yourself beyond AT and increase your overall speed.