How to Recognize Overtraining: Running Diary Week 4
Running . Training ReportWeekly Training Report for Week of January 22
Are you wondering if maybe you have been overtraining and need time to recover? Well, you are in the right place. I think acknowledging the possibility that maybe you overtrained is a big step, and not something easy to admit (it was not easy for me, and I can’t be the only one).
Let’s backtrack a bit, and discuss how I came to acknowledge that I overtrained. If you take a look at my training report from last week (here), you will read that I did take notice that I may have overdone it, and I wrote “I think I was a little too heavy on the workouts and mileage at the start of the week”, but I did not think of the possibility that I may have overtrained.
I think I was in denial about overtraining.
How could I have possibly done too much? I didn’t even do THAT much? I have done way more than this in the past.
It may be true that I have done that much in past, but I did too much without enough recovery. I even said it last week, but I was not ready to admit that I overtrained. Admitting I overtrained means I messed up and I made mistakes, and I was not ready to accept that my training is not going as planned.
Now, I am ready to acknowledge and accept the mistakes I made, and learn from them. Mistakes are a part of life, and are inevitable. Mistakes are opportunities to learn, and become better than we were before.
Let’s say it together: Its okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are part of being human. I am Imperfect.
My goal is not to be a perfect runner, but a better runner.
Now we can take a look at some of the training mistakes I made.
Common Running Mistakes
Mistake 1:
Mistake 2:
Mistake 3:
Mistake 4:
Skipping Rest Day
Adding Mileage too soon
Skipping warmup or warming up incorrectly
Inadequate hydration and nutrition
Running Training Mistakes I Made
- I skipped my rest day on Monday
- Mistake 1
- Ran Twice on Tuesday
- Mistake 2
- Skipping Warmup or warming up incorrectly
- Mistake 3
- Ran twice on Tuesday and then again on Wednesday
- Mistake 1 and Mistake 2
- I did not adequately hydrate prior to my run on Sunday
- Mistake 4
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Being aware of a mistake does not mean we won’t make that mistake again. We all make mistakes, and chances are we will make these mistakes again, especially when we are trying to find a balance between pushing ourselves, and not being to easy on ourselves.
Mistakes are EXPECTED when we continue to push our boundaries and challenge ourselves.
The goal is not to avoid the mistakes, but to learn from them. Through tracking your training you can see how your mistakes impact your running, and to look out for signs and symptoms that should alert you that you have overtrained.
My mistakes alone were not enough to alert me that I overtrained. It was the signs and symptoms that raised the red flag that perhaps I overtrained.
Signs of Overtraining/ Under-Recovery:
- unusual/ increased muscle soreness
- “heavy” leg muscles
- delays in recovery
- thoughts of skipping or cutting short training sessions
- prolonged fatigue
- poor sleep quality
- increased heart rate
- Injuries
- irritability
- decline in performance
- “easy” workouts feel more challenging
Using Garmin Data to Recognize Overtraining
I had so many of these symptoms, and many can be detected in my data. Below I compare 3 Easy Runs (5 min Warm up, 35 min Run, 5 min Cool-down). All done on same route. Notice how different my data is from 1/18/2023 compared to earlier in the month.
The Increased HR, slower pace, and increased walk time are clear indicators that I was experiencing symptoms of overtraining. This is also the run I started feeling some knee pain. Notice the GCT Balance- this is an indicator of poor form and tired muscles.
It’s so clear to me now that this was unproductive, but when my Garmin Watch updated my Training Status to Unproductive I just brushed it off, and said I can’t always trust it. I think it was right this time 😉 (Note: It appears that Garmin only gave Unproductive Status on Jan 24)
Analyzing Garmin Running Data
1/3/2023 – Easy Run | 1/11/2023 – Easy Run | 1/18/2023 – Easy Run | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | 3.26 | 3.48 | 2.89 | Less Distance |
| Time | 0:45:00 | 0:45:00 | 0:43:59 | Skipped 1 minute of Cool-down |
| Avg HR | 145 | 140 | 153 | Higher Avg HR |
| Max HR | 175 | 168 | 186 | Higher Max HR |
| Aerobic Training Effect | 2.9 | 3.2 | 2.9 | No Significant Difference |
| Avg Cadence | 154 | 154 | 138 | Lower Avg Cadence due to increased walk time |
| Max Cadence | 191 | 191 | 187 | No Significant Difference |
| Run Time | 36:25 | 34:10 | 25:34 | Less Run Time |
| Walk Time | 8:33 | 10:50 | 17:47 | More Walk Time |
| Avg Pace | 13:48 | 12:56 | 15:12 | Pace Significantly lower |
| Avg Stride Length | 0.73 | 0.58 | 0.77 | Not enough data |
| Avg Vertical Ratio | 10.4 | 12.4 | 7.7 | Not enough data |
| Average Vertical Oscillation | 7.5 | 6.7 | 6 | Not enough data |
| Avg GCT | 276 | 262 | 281 | Higher GCT possibly due to more walk time. Can also be because legs felt heavier, and did not pick up legs as fast. |
| Avg GCT Balance | 48.9% L / 51.1% R | 48.7% L / 51.3% R | 47.8% L / 52.2% R | Avg GCT significantly worse |
| Shoes | Adidas Adios 6 | Adidas Boston 9 | Adidas Boston 9 | Shoes do not appear to be a variable |
Looking back, its easier to connect the dots, and see that the signs of overtraining were there.
The plan was to taper this week because I have a race on February 5, and I knew I needed more recovery time, but I did not see many of the effects of the overtraining I did last week until this week.
Overtraining and Garmin Body Battery
My Body Battery (BB) through out the week was poor! I was having poor sleep quality, which delayed recovery even more. Typically my BB on Sunday is pretty good, especially since I rest on Friday and Saturday and get a nice amount of sleep, but this week it was surprising low for a Sunday.
Weekly Report for Week 4 of 2023: Week of Jan 22
Day of Week
Sunday
Jan 22, 2023
Monday
Jan 23, 2023
Tuesday
Jan 24, 2023
Wednesday
Jan 25, 2023
Thursday
Jan 26, 2023
Body Battery
51
48
57
62
87
Daily Running Mileage
4.1 miles
Rest
3.1 mi
Rest
Rest
Other
25 minutes Muscle Activation
90 mins active stretching/ mobility
20 min Strength
50 mins active recovery
55 min cardio, 20 min strength
Total Weekly Mileage:
7.2 miles
Daily Rundown for Jan 22 – Jan 28
| Sunday (read full report here) | 25 mins warm up/ muscle activation 4.1 mi Trail Run | Ankle Mobility Stretch Lateral Band Walks Wall Clams with Band |
| Monday | Active Recovery | Lazy Dancer Tips Active Stretch on Youtube Motion to Burn Workout on Nike Training App |
| Tuesday | 40 min easy run Hip Stability and Core | Pre Run – Ankle Mobility, Lateral Band Walks, Banded Hip Openers, Nike Plank Party Workout on Nike Training App Post Run – Hamstring Stretch, 90-90 Hip Flexor Stretch, Pigeon, Hip Opener, Quad Stretch, Couch Stretch |
| Wednesday | Active Recovery, Mobility | AllBlanc TV – Home Walking Video Lazy Dancer Tips – Ballet Barre |
| Thursday | Low Aerobic Cross Training, Hip and Core Stability | (Radio Taiso in Morning) Lazy Dancer Tips – Ballet Fitness Bent Knee Bridge with Hip Abduction 15 x 3, 6 Min Plank on Nike Training App Freestyle Aerobics (with and w/o band) while watching New Girl |
| Friday | Rest (Back feeling Sore) | Radio Taiso in Morning |
| Saturday | Rest |
I can’t help but notice how much better my BB was on Thursday. Im curious to know what I did that impacted the score so much. Could it be the Low-Aerobic Cross Training that my body liked? Of course there are many factors, but this is something we will have to look at once we have more recovery data.
I would love to know if you like seeing these reports with more data.