Question: I have been running a couple of years and my body really struggles when I increase my training. My mind is willing but my body is lagging behind! Can I do anything to reduce this as my training says I need to complete these sessions? 

Will_Conquers

Hi Will_Conquers, Let me try and answer your question the best I can with an ‘out of the box’ analogy.

"I want you too Visualise your body as a 'Machine'!"

When you evaluate training you have to visualise your body as a machine or car engine. Training is the ‘mechanic’ who helps add ‘new performance enhancing’ parts to the machine to improve performance. The fuel and petrol you add to the machine is food and liquids. Massage and stretching could be the oil your machine requires to can perform efficiently. The temperature gage/ fan belt is your sleep and recovery indicator. Your head is the computer/throttle that controls how hard the machine needs to work. (Stick with me on this!)

For your machine (body) to work at its maximum it requires maximum input and coheasion from the various parts that make the machine. You know and I know that we don’t have the best mechanics in the world and some people’s machine parts are more efficient and bigger than others. We make do with what we have but, at the end of the day if you want to run a certain time or complete a certain challenge then you need to get your machine up to a certain standard.

There are many reasons why your machine breaks down or struggles to perform when your head wants it to step up. Without knowing your training and lifestyle I cannot suggest specifics so I will continue with this bad analogy and offer you general food for thought!

Fuel:

You want your body to increase its work load but you are feeding it the same average unleaded petrol you were using when it was a run about car! Your engine does not want rubbish chips, greasy hamburgers, the 8 pints of lager the night before a morning long run. Your engine wants protein for a meal after a session, complex carbohydrates before a long run, an energy drink after a hard run etc. You want your machine to run like a champ then feed it like a champ!

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Oil:

Whatever standard you are, your legs are going to hurt after a long hard run- Fact! Your body suffers a lot of damage and micro-traumas when you run and constantly needs to rebuild and recover. Your machine will not adapt and step up to the next challenge if you don’t find out why those niggles never go away or if you don’t reward your overloaded limbs with a sports massage. You have a tight calf? You need to research or ask someone for some good calf stretches. Neglect adding oil to your machine at your peril because your machine will only get worse. If you won’t help fix your machine who will?

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The cooling system/ Fan belt:

This is your rest and recovery indicator. Ignore this and your machine will simply shut down! As the mechanics work harder on your machine it will require periods of repair/ recovery time to make your machine faster, stronger and more efficient. When you jump to the next level or your training your body might need more time to adapt. You are probably working hard during the day and training around that. This is a big demand on your machine and it sounds as though your machine needs to listen to its cooling system more often especially before you increase your training load. More training will require more rest. Burn the candle at both ends my ‘feetlings’ and reap the rewards of burn outs and overtraining symptoms!

Throttle:

Your training program may say you need to run a hard session tonight but if your body is fatigued you need to take your foot off the pedal, reassess the situation, and let your body catch up. Go for an easy run instead or nothing at all but, make sure you don’t use this as an excuse to burn the social end of your candle more.

As a little ‘Footling’ my running coach always told me:

 

"When you can run, run and when your body needs a rest, rest! "

Not exactly the most poetic of ‘feet coaching advice’ but, it is true and you need to listen to your body before it breaks down!

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I may not have identified the actual reason for why your body is struggling when you step up your training but, hopefully this will give you something to think about. Evaluate each input that makes your machine tick and look at how you can tweak each area a little bit to help your body recover or get stronger. You may find making a small improvement to each area will make a big difference. There might be some areas that you are going to struggle to overcome (work/ family commitments or time restraints) so make allowances in your training so that you get the best out of your training!

Hope this helps Will! Can I be of service to anyone else?