Question on Running Recovery

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jellio98
jellio98 Posts: 24 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a new runner - and over the past 4 months have gone from being able to run about a minute at a time to running 3 miles continuously in about 40-45 minutes. Very slow, but still, I'm proud of my progress. I run 3 days/week. I've also been losing weight - about a lb/week - so I am in a calorie deficit. I get about 1700 calories/day, and I don't eat back exercise calories.

The last couple of weeks, I've been experiencing a new type of fatigue after my long runs. When I first started running, I was just out of breath and had trouble cooling down. Now, though, I have sore muscles, can barely stay awake the next day, and am just sluggish overall for 24 hours after. Breathing-wise, though, I feel pretty good.

Is this a matter of I've finally gotten my respiratory system in good enough shape to have the endurance to fatigue my muscles? Is this a sign of over training? A need for more calories/protein? Is this just to be expected when you start talking 3+ miles and thus rest days are all the more important? Or could it be the temperature is creeping up and it is hotter and I need more hydration?

Thanks for any insight. I want to build up to 5 miles - maybe even a 10K, but don't want to set myself up for injury.

Replies

  • edack72
    edack72 Posts: 173 Member
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    Do you do any cross training weights/strength are important to be a strong runner if you are on facebook join one of the gazillion running pages and ask your question you may get a better answer than here I am still pretty new to running myself and use those pages to ask questions all the time ...good luck and whatever happens DON'T STOP!!!!
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    I'm a fairly new runner. I've been running for about 8 months now and I experienced something similar after my long runs. The reason is I think even though they are run slowly are really taxing on the body. It's actually a hard workout.

    You need to eat more to help with recovery.

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    edited June 2015
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    jellio98 wrote: »
    Is this a matter of I've finally gotten my respiratory system in good enough shape to have the endurance to fatigue my muscles?
    That's at least part of it. I doubt it's overtraining with the amount you are doing right now.

    My guess is that there are a couple of contributers to this. You may need to eat more carbs on your run days. Try thas for a few runs and see what happens. At your current food intake about 255 grams or more should be from carbs. You may need more sleep on your run days, How much are you getting now? And running in high heat is more stressful than running when it's cool.

  • churchim808
    churchim808 Posts: 14 Member
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    Things I do to stay healthy as a runner: use a saline spray after running outside otherwise I get frequent sinus infections, use a high quality electrolyte supplement if I run in hot weather (Elete, only $5, is at GNC) and get an extra half hour to an hour of sleep if I'm feeling run down. It does not sound to me like you are overtraining. Three miles on three days a week is very reasonable for someone who has been running for four months but your needs for recovery sleep and electrolytes might have changed due to the summer weather.

    Protein may be an issue. Normally I think that most people overestimate their protein requirements. I am a long time vegetarian and gave up dairy a year ago when my lactose intolerance became, well, intolerable. I was having a major slowdown in my running and I finally increased my protein to a whopping 20% per day. It has made a huge difference! If you are already way over this percentage, you are probably fine.

    Good luck and keep it up!
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I always eat back most of my exercise calories and eat a large oatmeal with fruit and nuts breakfast at around 1000 calories when I do long runs. As long as you are losing weight don't be afraid to eat some back, you need fuel for those new muscles. You should get done with a run and feel like "oh yeah, love it"
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    when I did the military fitness test, they told us to eat a good amount of protein before the test. steak and eggs were suggested
  • jellio98
    jellio98 Posts: 24 Member
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    Definitely could see the need to sleep a bit more after a long run. I average about 200 g of carbs and 65 g of protein a day. I've been mostly focused on staying under my calorie goal without too much emphasis on my macros, but I admit I might need to reconsider that.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    Do not underestimate the importance of proper hydration, especially in the hot, summer months. Dehydration can cause all of the symptoms you mentioned. A big mistake that many people make when trying to lose weight is eliminating sodium from their diets. In the heat, you can lose a ton of sodium and essential minerals. They need to be replaced.

    It could also be that you are not eating enough. 1700 calories and a pound per week weight loss may be appropriate for some people, but without additional info on your height and weight, it's difficult to say. If you are feeling constantly tired, you may want to consider eating back a portion of your exercise calories. I agree with others that it doesn't sound like over training.
  • jellio98
    jellio98 Posts: 24 Member
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    I am female, 5'4", late 30's, and not quite ready to put my weight on the internet. But I will say I am in the lower range of the obese category by BMI.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited June 2015
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    scottb81 wrote: »
    You may need to eat more carbs on your run days. Try thas for a few runs and see what happens.

    This is where I'm leaning, too.

    Plus hydration - make sure you're well-watered.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I am a new runner as well and never experienced this fatigue unless I did a leg day lifting on the same day I was running (only did that once) but I do make sure I am well hydrated and eat more carbs on a running day than I normally would.
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    scottb81 wrote: »
    You may need to eat more carbs on your run days. Try thas for a few runs and see what happens.

    This is where I'm leaning, too.

    Plus hydration - make sure you're well-watered.

  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    moyer566 wrote: »
    I get about 1700 calories/day, and I don't eat back exercise calories.

    ... A need for more calories/protein?

    If you're netting 1300-1400 cals per training day then it's not out of the question that you're underfuelled.

  • Armyx2
    Armyx2 Posts: 10 Member
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    I'm a distance runner who has noticed that the heat coupled with a bikini fueled focus on reducing my intake has really taken the wind out of my sails. I used to feel great the day after an especially long run, and now I can barely knock out 6 miles without feeling like a slug. I need more sleep, more water, and more of the good food. Because your training schedule does not seem excessive, I would say your body's needs have simple adjusted to you being a better runner. As such, it needs more out of you to keep that up. Try an extra hour or so of sleep and a bit more cross training, especially core and back. Usually works for me.

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