Yo I’d experienced that, too. Steve Magness once said that undertraining, in addition to overtraining, can correlate with feeling physiologically ill. If I don’t run and exercise enough, I feel bad. Feelings are bad, advanced cognitive skillz are mush, libido is like a car that won’t start in the cold, mood is poor.
But do too much and then I noticed a delayed onset syndrome where productivity drops, chores can’t get done, no mathematical, scientific nor intellectual solutions and ideas are developed, etc.
Indeed, it is wise also to control the non running variables, when one goes about training and concomitant medicine and science.
I’ve experienced this both with distance running and heavy weight lifting.
“Train like a beast, eat like a king, sleep like a deadbeat.”
Sometimes it is unavoidable to have some deadbeat periods, statistically with certain stressors in training. But it is advisable to sleep both luxuriously and austerely, to eat both fully but also to eat laconically. It is also advisable to not be a complete knucklehead but learn to think with strength and mastery as well. The heroes all had poetry.
Runners push the boundaries in training, so “normal” is an oversimplification.
Mohammed Aman’s training quote typifies what elites around the world do in their various yet similar quests .
Running is your art form so you have to set your own rules for what you shall “become.” Thus, your running may be dependent on other realms and their relations. Do you have another occupation? Are you seeking a mate and or to belong to certain social groups? Are you observing monastic rules? Are you trying to be Instafamous? Is your health being neglected and subservient to bosses, keeping up with the Joneses, or other such distractions? Is your rate of growth reasonable? How is your financial portfolio? What is your genetic ancestry? What is your life history?
Since the serious runners are often towing a fine line in training, for safety’s sake it is important to have wise guidance. Wisdom exists in its own dimension but is also accessible by the individual.
African bull elephants do not do well without elders and mentors. There is safety in the pack and the herd. However, with human beings, it is different often and the herd can get herd madness. Runners, yo Mental game gotta get strong too. Be the ship that’ll sail and withstand. Know some basics of fighting and self defense. Know history and its fighting and politics. In the end, all meet their match and man was made for goodness, charity, intelligence and magnificent arts and beauty.
Also, when you reach mental realms of genius and also emotional realms of ecstasy, these too are physiological systems that tire and need rest. If you are able to meditate interdimensionally, you’ll have off days because it is, indeed, “rocket” (I.e. complex) science.