feeling weak (question for runners)
cavaaller_85
Posts: 94 Member
Hi MFPals,
I've been eating 1400-1800 calories each day, and am currently training for a half marathon. On days I do a long run, I eat 1800 or 1900 calories. All this week, my muscles have been feeling really weak and fatigued. I haven't been able to work out like I normally do, and I've had a hard time motivating myself to do normal stuff around the house. I just feel tired and lazy! What gives? Do I need to eat more calories? I realized that I haven't been eating as much fruit as I usually do. Maybe I just need to really pay attention to the foods I'm choosing. Any advice you could give me would be great!
I've been eating 1400-1800 calories each day, and am currently training for a half marathon. On days I do a long run, I eat 1800 or 1900 calories. All this week, my muscles have been feeling really weak and fatigued. I haven't been able to work out like I normally do, and I've had a hard time motivating myself to do normal stuff around the house. I just feel tired and lazy! What gives? Do I need to eat more calories? I realized that I haven't been eating as much fruit as I usually do. Maybe I just need to really pay attention to the foods I'm choosing. Any advice you could give me would be great!
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Replies
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Bump. I've been feeling weak and tired too, since I started working out.0
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Restricting your calories so much while training for a distance event is probably why you feel so weak and fatigued. When I am at the 2-3 week peak of HM training I eat around 1800 on non long-run days and around 2500 on long-run days. I burn about 1300 calories on a 10 miler, so I am still definitely in a deficit. Contrary to popular opinion, training for a HM or FM is not the best time to lose weight and significantly restrict calories.
Also, make sure you are recovering well. I always have a chocolate milk after a hard effort workout.0 -
Have you checked you aren't low on iron? It does sound like you need to eat more though, Do you know how much you burn during a training session? Make sure you eat those back as well as your daily allowance.0
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Training for a marathon can be draining on your muscles, so it's important you're allowing them time to heal. If you're going on long runs more than 5 times a week you might want to consider adding in some less-intense workouts, like long walks or shorter strength-training routines.
Are you getting a good balance of protein and carbs? One mistake that runners can make is eating too little carbs when trying to lose weight.
Sleep can also have a big impact; I see you have a little one there so that might be hard! Listen to your body and give it the rest it's asking for - aim for 8 hours a night.0 -
Restricting your calories so much while training for a distance event is probably why you feel so weak and fatigued. When I am at the 2-3 week peak of HM training I eat around 1800 on non long-run days and around 2500 on long-run days. I burn about 1300 calories on a 10 miler, so I am still definitely in a deficit. Contrary to popular opinion, training for a HM or FM is not the best time to lose weight and significantly restrict calories.
Also, make sure you are recovering well. I always have a chocolate milk after a hard effort workout.
Great advice. I was going to say about the same thing. You need to eat at least a little bit more - make sure you're getting enough protein - maybe add some whey protein to a smoothie if you're not already.
Also, make sure you've got rest days built in to your training. A day off from running can really do your legs some good.0 -
Make sure you are eating enough calories to make up for what you are burning during your runs. I too have been training for a HM and one thing that has helped me is making sure that I am getting all the protein I need. Really watch the protein and water intake, as protein is going to give you the energy you need to get you thru those long runs. Try not to eat anything heavy at least an hour before you run and eat within one hour after running. And make sure you are getting adequate sleep at night.0
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You might need to eat a little more on the long run days. You're burning a lot of calories on those days. Also, don't be afraid to eat some carbs. Your body will need them.Hi MFPals,
I've been eating 1400-1800 calories each day, and am currently training for a half marathon. On days I do a long run, I eat 1800 or 1900 calories. All this week, my muscles have been feeling really weak and fatigued. I haven't been able to work out like I normally do, and I've had a hard time motivating myself to do normal stuff around the house. I just feel tired and lazy! What gives? Do I need to eat more calories? I realized that I haven't been eating as much fruit as I usually do. Maybe I just need to really pay attention to the foods I'm choosing. Any advice you could give me would be great!0 -
I agree. Recovery is important. Make sure you eat enough carbs before a long run to fuel your body and enough protein immediately afterwards to help your muscles recover. I find that I'm not always hungry enough on long run days to eat back all the calories I burned, but I make up for it in the following days when my appetite really kicks in. Try to listen to your body more than the numbers. Your body will tell you what you need. And of course, hydration is extremely important to keeping your muscles from feeling weak. I drink my 8 glasses and then some on the days leading up to a long run.
Just a thought, you said it has only been this week that you're feeling tired…any chance it's just TOM? I find my long runs are really sluggish around the TOM.
Good luck with your training!!0 -
I am also having trouble finding the right balance.
I have a half marathon on Sunday so I've been resting up this week but I'm also eating alot more to get my energy up for Sunday, problem is I feel as though I'm putting weight on when I'm not burning the calories off I feel fat & I am also feeling really tired still
Its so hard to know what to do!0 -
Ladies need more Iron. When you run extended amount you will burn muscle, make sure you get enough iron with your protein to help repair
If you are doing a carb boost the evening before, try Ramen Noodles they have loads of iron.0 -
I don't know how often you run or how long you run but I can tell you from my own experience that if I run long for two or three days in a row my legs get seriously fatigued. This year I mixing up my long runs with interval training and on those days when the weather is uncooperative, I'll be heading to the gym for some strength training. Good luck on your half-marathon0
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Ladies need more Iron. When you run extended amount you will burn muscle, make sure you get enough iron with your protein to help repair
If you are doing a carb boost the evening before, try Ramen Noodles they have loads of iron.
Ramen Noodles have MSG in them and WAY too much sodium. They should not be eaten. Try a healthy alternative like dark green veggies and steak.0 -
Thank you for the advice, you guys! I think I will try to increase my healthy calories. Right now my running schedule looks like this:
Monday: 1 mile + weights
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 3.5 miles
Thursday: 1 mile + weights
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest or walk
Sunday: 8 miles
Of course, this changes every week and the distances increase as the weeks go on. My run is June 2. I'll definitely be considering all of this helpful information.0 -
Yes, you need to eat well and eat food to fuel the muscles ... avoid heavy stuff like cheese or fatty products. I run practically everday (I'm not training for the marathon) and feel fabulouse energised, strong and healthy. Make sure you get enough potassium (lack of it makes us tired too!) as we do sweat out a lot of it. Banana, apples, oranges, kiwis, almonds, tomatos, lettuce are some of the basic fruits and veg which have lots of potassiu. All the best!0
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It could be that you are not eating enough. It could be that you are not eating enough carbs (you should be at about 5-6 g carbs for every kg of body weight if you are training like this).
It could also be residual fatigue from the increased training. If your race is June 2, it sounds like you have just started ramping up the volume.
One thing you might try: doing some different cardio on the days you lift, like a bike or a cross trainer.0 -
Bump.... keeping for reference!0
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A good whey protein shake after a long run does wonders for me.0
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Runners groups (including half marathon training group):
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1788-half-marathon-training-group
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/94-long-distance-runners
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/47-happy-feet-runners-unite0 -
For your considerationThank you for the advice, you guys! I think I will try to increase my healthy calories. Right now my running schedule looks like this:
Monday: 1 mile + weights
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 3.5 miles
Thursday: 1 mile + weights
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest or walk
Sunday: 8 miles
Of course, this changes every week and the distances increase as the weeks go on. My run is June 2. I'll definitely be considering all of this helpful information.
Sunday: 8 miles
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 1 mile + weights
Wednesday: 5 miles
Tuesday: 1 mile + weights
Friday: rest or walk
Saturday: rest or walk0 -
Could be a few things.
I know for me, when I add miles, I need to not only add some extra higher-quality calories (like whole grains and meats), but I also need more time to rest. I'll take days where I don't work out or run at all, especially before/after my long runs, and I'll actually eat more those days, because it helps my muscles re-fuel and build back up. It keeps the days when I do run more energetic, because my muscles really benefit from that rest and extra fuel.
It could also be an iron issue, because I know I feel very fatigued when I forget my iron pills, but I naturally have lower iron levels, so for me, it makes sense.
Try and experiment to see what might help. I take extra calcium, potassium, and iron when I'm doing longer run training, to keep my electrolyte levels up and help muscle function. I also do the extra calories, and make sure that I get enough rest. Rest is a huge factor that people often overlook, because more training is supposed to equal better results. So take a break now and then!
Good luck!0 -
Yes, you need to eat more! During your long run you'll have burned at least 800 calories. If you can't eat them all that day, carry some over to the next day. I'd shift your rest day to Monday too - your muscles will need to recover properly.
As others have said, it's nigh on impossible to lose weight while doing serious distance training, so for now concentrate on fuelling your runs and think about losing later. I've cut back my target weight loss to just 0.5lbs a week while marathon training.0 -
Bump0
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when my daughter ran cross country in high school (8miles daily) she kept passing out so after a trip to the doctor we had a new weekly menu at my house - every day she was to eat spinich salad, early in the week the had small pasta portions with beef or pork and of course veggies, every thursday was chicken day (chicken for lunch, grilled chicken breast for dinner) friday night was pasta and lots of it by race day on Saturday we were doing great! and we always finished up race day with more pasta. nothing was every fried! she no longer passed out, she even put on a little weight and she felt and acted tons better - truth is we just needed to add more iron and carbs when in a hard running program. So everything that has been said above it true! Good luck!0
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