Marathon Training - Tired All the Time?

aelphabawest

I'm training for my first marathon in late October marathon and I've hit the point where I'm doing 30 odd miles a week. Everything is going okay except for something I wasn't expecting: I'm tired. All. The. Damn. Time. Not just after my long runs. Pretty much every day, even days when I'm not running (like today. Three cups of coffee and I'm still nearly asleep at my desk). I'm also sleeping a good hour or two more a night.

I've upped my carbs over all (mostly in the form of potatoes and rice - wheat gives me migraines) and I think I'm getting enough iron, although I'm going to pay better attention to that and see if that helps. Does anyone have any general advice, or foods/supplements, to fight the fatigue?

skalkbrenn

Definitely eat the additional carbs on the days you are training, but cut them back on the days your are not. Running days shouls be roughly 40-40-30 (40% protien, 40% carb, 20% fat). non-running days should be about 50-30-20. The additional carbs on the days you're not training will bog you down. I love fruit, sweet potatoes and quinoa as sources of carbs as well :-)

skalkbrenn

Also do some weight training on off days - this will help improve overall endurance

ninerbuff

Probably still not eating enough if you're tired still and are getting enough rest.

A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
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veloman21

It's hard to say based on the info provided. How often are you running? Do you do any exercise on the days you do not run?

How much are you eating? Is it enough?

The fatigue is your body talking to you. It could be you need more rest between runs/exercise or that you are not getting enough fuel. Over training or under eating are common problems for athletes training for endurance events.

One more thing you might want to look is your Potassium intake. Getting enough Potassium helps the body recover.

I did the MCM in 2011 and really enjoyed it, even though I don't really like running that much :-)

aelphabawest

Miles this week - 4, 7, 4, and 16. I do a boot camp or yoga twice a week and have at least one day of complete rest.
I'm not sure if I am eating enough, although it certainly feels like enough most days and is around maintenance caloric intake wise. I suspect iron may be part of it, although potassium is good to know about.
Thanks, guys/gals

hermann341

That's not an exceptional amount of running for marathon training. And the yoga shouldn't be an issue either. I typically run 3 days (25 to 35 miles) a week, with yoga and Nordic Track skiing for 3 days and a day of rest. Diet could be an issue. If you suspect an iron deficiency, you may want to cut back on carbs, and increase your red meat. I personally prefer a low carb approach to my eating, as it helps me stay in a fat burning mode, including when I'm running. After 3 years of training, I only need about 7 hours of sleep a night, and can almost get up at 04:30 without an alarm clock.

quietcoral

How intense are your workouts?? If you are training every workout too intensely you will be tired no matter how many miles/week or miles/day you are running. I know I have definitely had this problem before when training for events. Make sure some of your runs are "easy" runs of moderate intensity.