Hit a wall running!

Are you feeling sore?
2-4 miles 4 days a week might be a little rough on you if you haven't beend doing it for a while.

Just wondering if something is hurting and making it difficult for you to keep running.
Could also just be a change in temperature? I know as it heats up, I start wanting to run less.

If you are only eating 420 then that is the problem. On running days you probably should be eating around 1500 or more and the other days at least 1000.

Ha. you changed the 420 to 1420.

If it has gotten a lot hotter where you are then it is probably the heat. Also, on running days it wouldn't hurt to add several hundred calories of carbs for energy.

To me, while your calorie intake is low, I don't see it being low enough to exhaust you from just 2-4 miles. I think more plausibly your carb intake is very low, and your glycogen stores aren't sufficient to fuel your runs, and you have not adapted to this. It generally takes 3-4 weeks for someone to adapt. I'm a long distance runner on a low-carb diet, and I literally couldn't run 4 miles without walking the first couple weeks.

To me, while your calorie intake is low, I don't see it being low enough to exhaust you from just 2-4 miles. I think more plausibly your carb intake is very low, and your glycogen stores aren't sufficient to fuel your runs, and you have not adapted to this. It generally takes 3-4 weeks for someone to adapt. I'm a long distance runner on a low-carb diet, and I literally couldn't run 4 miles without walking the first couple weeks.

Thanks everyone. COuld you give me any advice on what to eat on my running days then please? I run morning and night. Although I know what to eat day to day I have not really got much of a grip on how to feed my exercise to give me energy. Thank you :-)

Eat something high in carbs like toast, a bagel, or energy bar an hour or two before your runs. Some others might have better suggestions, as I intentionally don't feed myself much before exercise, but I'm fully adapted to it so it doesn't bother me.

Have you tried to change your running routine I.E maybe run a different route or incorporate more hills!

I'd say you're running way too much!

Why don't you try sprinting/jogging intervals instead of straight jogging.

Hi. I run 3/4 times per week between 2-4 miles each time. In the last 3 weeks I have hit a wall and find it very difficult to run without feeling exhausted almost immediately. I am fine if running with others and I really enjoy it but there has been no one to run with lately and in the past running solo with my music has been fine. ANy tips to restore my leap and bound in my run please?

THanks in advance :-)

In my opinion, it's not your calorie intake that is the issue; it's the fact that you are bored with what you are doing. That is why it's enjoyable and easy when you run with partners. When there is no partner, you are bored; nothing to do with calories.

I would suggest changing it up... as other have suggested, run hills, run sprint/intervals, run a different route, get in the car and start your run from a different location, etc. Not only will this keep it interesting for you, it's better for your body. Your body is used to what you are doing now; it doesn't work as hard doing that run as when you first started doing it. Your body can pretty much go on auto-pilot when you run a straight, flat run.

I strength train 3 - 4 days per week and run a couple times per week ( usually 4 miles or so). And just this last Sunday, my husband suggested we change it up. So, we ran 1 mile to a school, did 20 40yard sprints with minimal rest in between each sprint, then jogged the mile home. I am STILL so sore today that I couldn't do my leg day at the gym as planned. And not only did the time FLY by during that workout but I burned just as many calories as I would doing a long run.