I used to be very disciplined when it came to keeping going with running and working on general conditioning through the dark months. That’s been far from the case this time around.
Injury put paid to the race (and training) season for me at the end of July. I’ve dipped in and out the last few months, trying to run and get back into all the many other training routines but it’s all gone to shit! Even in the better weather in August and September it was nigh impossible to get any traction.
Me thinks the endless grind has slowly caught up with me in a psychological sense. I feel like I want to run but when it comes to the time, I dread it and usually find a way to justify not doing it.
Yip, ‘running burnout’ is a real thing. Running burnout refers to a state of physical and mental exhaustion experienced by runners. It can result from overtraining, inadequate recovery, or monotony in the running routine. Symptoms include decreased performance, persistent fatigue, and a lack of motivation.
Long story short, the month to month, year to year, grind eventually takes its toll. Running is no longer a stress release, it’s a cause of more stress. Many really good runners that I know have mentioned this to me before but I never thought it would ever apply to me.
Maybe doing a 20 mile run with a 4:35 mile chucked in for good measure at the end, or a short 6 mile run that was meant to be easy that had a 4:21 mile thrown in at the end, was where the beginning of the grind becoming too much? Then race season started with a comfortable PB right from the off, another couple of good races followed, and then the pain train started.
Niggle after niggle became an aggravated piriformis spasming and impinging on the sciatic nerve. I could run really fast on the flat, but couldn’t do hills (had to walk). Then I got to one race too many. 2.5 miles into a 10 miler and from then it was walk run walk run to get the job done. Brutal emotionally, and physically. A total shit show!
Now I feel rested, injury-free, and that it should be time to start up the grind all over again. I’m 46 now and I started very late trying to improve my running. It’s taken one hell of an effort to get to where I am but that’s the problem. Maybe the effort has eventually broken me. Maybe the crap weather is the problem? Maybe this, maybe that?
I’ve always told myself I’m not done yet, that there’s still room for lots of improvement and I have a good few years left before I start to go backwards. I always thought it would be something physical that led to the end, but right now it’s the mental side that’s put up a major block that, for now at least, I can’t get past.
As I write this, winter is getting into full swing and the weather is anything but motivational for getting out for a run. It’s hard to tell if the burnout is still here, or if it’s just the shitty weather and my lethargy from not exercising that much that is the block.
I still think I’m not done yet. Small steps to get going again. 3 mile runs instead of 5 or 6 for during the week. 8 miles instead of 13.1 and above at weekends. 30 min core or leg strength sessions for now instead of 90 mins.
The best training regimes are the ones you’ll actually do. High targets when struggling mentally are just going to prolong the lack of motivation. Keep ticking over at a solid reduced training level so that it’s easier to get back into the habit properly in time and not just stressful and depressing.
That’s my advice to other runners in the same place as me, so I guess I better follow it too! Keep going!
Beyond The Finish Line 