Overtraining?

I'm a Class of 2014 Appointee and have been a religious runner for the last 2 or 3 years. However, in the last month I've been hit by overtraining. Where I used to be able to run 3 miles in 22 minutes, I am now struggling to keep my mile and a half time under 12 minutes and my 3 mile time under 27 minutes. My body just seems to be breaking down on me and I'm terrified of what will happen to me if this continues into plebe summer.

Can anyone give me any advice on what to do or if I should be contacting someone about my problem?

Ice and relax, but the numbers you said are going to have to improve if you want to keep up during plebe summer.

Congrats on making through Plebe Year!

Take one full week off ... no running at all ... stretch, maybe swim ... then start back slowly ... your body needs a break ... before you literally break ...

You can look up on the internet about over training ... or better ... talk with a local youth certified trainer/coach ... one who has a degree in training young athletes ... he/she will tell you to rest ... then cross train ...

icing is good ... I-Day is a month away ... give your body time to recover ... swim and/or bike after a week or so of rest ... run twice the first week, then build ... it does work .... you will come back ... likely stronger

MJOmom said:

Take one full week off ... no running at all ... stretch, maybe swim ... then start back slowly ... your body needs a break ... before you literally break ...

You can look up on the internet about over training ... or better ... talk with a local youth certified trainer/coach ... one who has a degree in training young athletes ... he/she will tell you to rest ... then cross train ...

icing is good ... I-Day is a month away ... give your body time to recover ... swim and/or bike after a week or so of rest ... run twice the first week, then build ... it does work .... you will come back ... likely stronger

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I've already taken a full week off and it didn't really seem to help my body

I'm a xc and track coach. We see this all the time. Runners are often deficient in a variety of thongs, from sleep, nutrition to iron.

Most of our athletes were checked for a serum ferritin deficiency which essentially is what carries oxygen to your blood. Many D1 collegiate athletes levels need to be between 40-60, meanwhile 'normal' levels recognized by physicians are anywhere between 6-150.

Most of the times, a simple iron supplement taken daily will make a difference within two weeks, (65mg), but you should be checked by a doctor. Many of them are not aware of the serum ferritin problem, so it helps to get a sports specialist.

Plenty of sleep, a good diet with enough calories, runs of 3-4 miles a day, no need to be running 50 miles a week. Concentrate on getting faster rather than running longer slowly. Check your resting heartrate before you even get out of bed in the morning and make sure it's low. If it's raised, that's a great indicator of over-training syndrome.