Posted by sjb on September 18, 2002, at 9:49:12
In reply to Re: working.out.blues, posted by wsj on September 17, 2002, at 23:10:20
Ok, I did misunderstand and can sympathize with your dilemna. Now, I'm thinking you may be experiencing some kind of burnout.
I have had some especially bad depressive spells and weight gain after a hard endurance race or a period of intense training. These spells come on anywhere from 1 - 6 weeks after the event and can last weeks.
I have been extremely hard on myself, because like you said, it's like all the work you've done with training appears to go down the drain. Let me emphasize, it does not. You may loose some fitness, but usually not as much as you think.
I remember my first experience after my first marathon in '94. I had been routinely running 80 miles a week in preperation. I started out conservatively and ran a fairly comfortable 3:16. Well, I had some of the normal soreness the next 2 two days, but I was feeling "high." I immediately resumed my 10-12 miles a day and thought, "Where's the next race?" My husband cautioned me but I did not listen. Three weeks later I went out for a run with him and could barely make a mile! Nothing hurt, physically, but I just couldn't run! I was devasted, cried, whined and went through a good 2 week depression where I slept a lot, ate a lot and was unmotivated. I gained weight, duh.
This pattern has repeated itself after many of my endurance events. Some of the symptons I experienced are somewhat atypical of burnout and overtraining, notably the weight gain.
I'm only telling you this, so you know that these things can happen. I often feel terrible that my athletic friends can consistently train and race without these problems, but then, they're not on this board either. Should tell me something and I may have to re-evaluate my goals.
There is all kind of things that happen to our endocrine system, etc and sometimes we just have to wait it out. Everyone processes the stress of training differently.
Perhaps you'll find a better way, I hope so. I just want you to know that we support you and that you are not alone in your frustration right now.
I would also urge you to take your resting heart rate in the morning and keep a log. If it is elevated, this is a classic sign that something is wrong.
poster:sjb
thread:120074
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020914/msgs/120249.html