Can't get my sh*t together during summer training.

Did you have a break between the end of your season and starting up with running again? Does your diet change when coming home? Not enough iron / ferritin or something? Maybe a blood test could tell that

I had a 1 week break. Ran an easy 5 miles in the middle of it. That one felt fine.

Diet changes for sure. I eat less at a meal but snack more often. My weight doesn't change significantly. Like at school I will go to town 3 times a day in the cafeteria but not snack at all, while life is just one big snack-time at home.

I've thought about Iron, but it doesn't explain the soreness and awkwardness of my running form, which is generally more concerning than the increase in perceived effort.

"Weakness, tiredness, or cramping in arm or leg muscles, sometimes severe enough to cause inability to move arms or legs due to weakness "

From symptoms of low potassium.

I certainly cant say for sure but probably would be a decent idea to talk to your doctor about it and ask him about getting a blood test

Well I'll start by eating like 3 bananas tomorrow.

I do think you may be on it, now. I drink water during the summer but during the school year it's every kind of fruit juice and iced tea and vitamin water I can think of. Plus I haven't had a banana since I got back. My parents are on a Medifast diet so my mom buys me cereal, bread, peanut butter and milk, pretzels, chips and ice cream.

Going to shop and eat healthy starting tomorrow!

Good luck, post back what happens

Do you do any strides? Seriously, some quick strides before/after your runs will help to loosen up. The same thing always happens to me after about 2-3 weeks of pure base building, and I think the strides helps break up the monotony and works range of motion not often used with slow running.

Update.

I scrapped my planned workout yesterday for some pace work with lots of rest. More to get a feel, you know, not necessarily work out.

4x200@ mile pace with 60s rest. 5 min break. 2x1k@8k pace w 3' rest. 5 min break. All out 200 (24.X).

Felt better but mostly because I didn't have to work except for the past 500 of the 1ks.

Taking vitamins, eating more. Taking today off for fun. Hopefully on the upswing.

What type of PR's have you run to gauge your fitness?

49.low 4x400 relay split

1:53 800m

4:10 1500 (ran once)

27:12 8k cross country

Simple principal, you can't force fitness. Ignore your watch for pace and run at a pace that feels right for the number of miles or total time that you want to hit for each week. The pace will improve when your body is ready for it.

Get a blood test or three. I could be wrong, but I believe the test is called a vitamin panel.

Don't wait.

Or, procrastinate and have an unproductive summer.

This may be the culmination of several mineral deficiencies. Minerals control every a-z enzymatic process could go on about how your iron is suspect or magnesium, and if you took one of these you may feel a shift for the better but ultimately, you should be on the whole spectrum.

Things like missing your organic 4x salad, GMOs, depleted soils and you trying to train like a beast are most likely showing up in your training attempts. I don't know what vitamin(s) your taking I wouldn't focus on those better yet stop them. I would:

1.) Get a multi Mineral supplement that is in the Krebs cycle form (your body knows what to do with this form) ✔@ Swanson vitamins(website search) they should have their own brand at a great quality lower price. Take the rec dosage at spaced out periods. (Morning,noon, night)

2.) Take vitamin C 500mg(morning noon,night)/ Vitamin E d alpha form 4xweek

3.) Take a BComplex, garden of life has a "Raw" works great with your chemistry.

4.) Vitamin D 600IU no more than 1000IU(it's summer you train outside) it's fat soluble

* Eat clean(er) 3-8 eggs everyday, lean red meat, Kale/spinach, cabbage, ceaser, arugula, 🍌, apples, Taters, brown rice, oatmeal, etc.

I think it is a lot of little changes that add up to big things. Different diet, different sleep, not seeing the same people, eating irregularly, different schedule.

When I was in the Army I would go home on leave and always felt crappy. Then I realized I was just getting of my regular schedule to much. Up at 8 instead of 5. Not doing PT. Not esting at the same times. Staying up later. Etc

Eat healthy healthy. Lots of plants- fruits veggies legumes whole grains seeds. Your body is deficient in something. And try to maintain a regular schedule of food intake and sleep.

also maybe find some people to run with to take your mind off of things. Running always feels harder to me in a new place, im not sure why but I think it is some mental thing. Running with people will also help push you a bit.

Update.

Taking vitamins and iron. Eating more in single sittings. Gettin that vitamin D outside. Etc.

This week was awesome. I finished my 30 minute tempo as scheduled. Yesterday I put in a 14 mile long run. Crazy relaxed. Today was an easy 5. Felt equally good. 7:10 miles feel easy again.

Thanks for the update; got to have evidence that LR is actually helpful sometimes.

Are you running solo? Maybe you need to find a group to train with.

It`s obvious! You are doing the wrong mix!

World class coaching

You probably don't want to hear this, but it's likely that 7:15-7:30 pace is not truly "easy" for you. I would suggest getting a HR monitor and checking out some of the Hadd threads on here. A lot of hs/college guys think that anything slower than 7 min pace is embarrassingly slow, but if you strap a heart rate monitor on them most of them will have sky high hearts rates that climb and climb even at 7 min pace.