So I seem to have hit a wall

AusManok74

Hey everyone, just wanted to see if anyone else has been through something similar and how they've dealt with it. I'm in my mid 40's and I've been running regularly for around three years now, averaging 60-70kms per week for the last year. I did my first marathon earlier this year under 4 hours, so I was really happy with that, things were going great.

After the marathon I decided I was kind of sick of cross training, so I thought it would be a good idea to just run every day. That seemed to work well for a while, my predicted VO2 Max went up at first, but then it started to go back down again. After 139 days I was feeling tired and like I needed a break. I've gone back to running 5 days a week with cross training and reduced my volume the last few weeks to 40-50kms but I'm still feeling like I have no energy. The heat of summer has hit here, so that could be some of it, but I'm struggling to keep going on runs I would have easily done a month or two ago and it's getting frustrating. I have my first ultra in around 7 months, so I need to be at my best for that.

So has anyone any suggestions as to what I could do? Take a break? Push harder? Mix up my training routine? Happy to see what may have worked for other people. Thanks!

SteveTries

Certainly I feel I run better in cooler weather, so that might well a contributing factor for you.
I'm also in my mid-40's and have been running for a while. I do find that mixing things up makes all the difference. For example, I started up on triathlon training about this time last year, and amazingly I got a substantial marathon PB this April, despite running being only an avg 10 runs per month (compared to 20-25 previously).
Another thing that made a difference for me was getting a coach to draw up training plans for me. It's not that I couldn't have done it myself, but I struggled for time (motivation?) to do all the research and also found that having a calendar that someone else was checking in on, made me more accountable and so more likely to stick to the proscribed workout.

dewd2

How are you measuring VO2 Max? I can make mine jump a few points just by running a fast 5k. I go along training at an easy pace for weeks (intentional) and run a race and, BAM, 3 points! I wouldn't trust my Garmin if I really wanted to know my numbers.

Second, after a hard marathon you need a break. That's where I am now. Nothing hard (except the occasional race). I focus on long, slow runs and throw in some hills (kinda a sneaky way to add speed work without over stressing my body).

And I agree with the above advice - get a plan. Winging it rarely works out at the end.

Good luck.

PS - Heat will get ya. I always struggle in the summer. But it builds you up for fall racing season.

spiriteagle99

Heat can definitely make a difference, especially if you have humidity as well. I find running outside in the summer to be a real grind most of the time. Slow down and try to get your runs in at dawn or dusk. Run by effort, not by what you think you should be able to run. I am at least 20 seconds per mile faster in winter than in summer.

Have you seen a physician lately? Low ferritin can also affect your running significantly and is very common in athletes. A lot of other health issues are possible as well. It can't hurt to rule out anything serious.

dsg2000

I'm with dewd2 on not trusting the garmin when it comes to Vo2max. Frankly I don't trust my garmin predictors at all, because they give me ludicrously inflated predictions, and I have no way of tracking exactly how they arrive at these predictions. A much better way of tracking fitness level is simply looking at your base stats - how far you're going, and how fast you're able to cover that distance. Clearly you've been upping your mileage, so it's likely no surprise that in the other half of this equation (speed) you'll see slow downs as your body adjusts.

The general rule of thumb that I've always seen is to up your weekly mileage by no more than 10%, and to take "break weeks" every two/three weeks as you ramp up to give your body a break. There are lots of training plans geared toward folks looking to up their overall training volume without a specific race/goal in mind - I'd suggest looking for one these as a guide.

Also questioning what you mean by running every day? Is this really 7 days a week? That's probably too much... I'm at 6 days per week, and I really need that one day off to rest and recharge, not just physically but also mentally. I did go up to 7 days a week at one point, but only when I was averaging about 75+ miles per week, and even then one of those runs was a super-duper-DUPER easy run - like 2+ min per mile slower than my usual average/non-speedwork pace easy.

At the end of the day upping training volume is going to give you an overall feeling of tiredness, yes, but it's up to you to judge when that feeling of tiredness stops being "helpful" (e.g., your body will eventually get over it and be stronger for it) and starts being "harmful".

Heat should *totally* be a factor, though! Heat kills me.