Heavy legs at end of races

do more speedwork .. this also happened to me for like the first month of track season because i wasn't doing enough speed

It's probably just the mileage that you are feeling or overall increase in the workload, once you start your tapper at the end of the season i'm sure things will come around. Also maybe you are going out to fast in races?

its called racing, you are supposed to feel like that at the end

I really shut down. My legs lock up badly. I've raced since 6th grade and I've never experienced this stuff at the end of races before.

I would suggest form drills if your not doing them already.

Pictures?

This is probably a temporary problem, in response to a 25% increase in mileage. Though 15 more miles per week does not sound like a lot, it's a relatively large increase for someone moving up from 45 miles per week. 45 a week is less than 7 per day, so adding 15 miles is similar to squeezing in two extra days of training each week. Given that, it is not surprising that your body is taking some time to adjust to the greater workload. But, that's what training is all about. When your racing hits a plateau, you have to increase the training load to make further improvements. Once you're at a fairly high level (as your training load suggests you are), it gets harder to gain improvements.

So, I suggest:

1. Long term, stay the course. Maintain your self confidence. If you were good at 45 mpw, you'll ultimately be even better at 60.

2. Short term, take one week at your old mileage of 45 to freshen back up.

3. When you are increasing training load, do it by adding miles OR intensity, but not both at the same time. ALternate the manner in which you increase your efforts.

Good luck, and kick some ass at the end of the season. You're training hard

Or maybe she's showing early signs of overtraining and needs to back off? Possibly laying it on the line in workouts and having nothing left for the races?

Make sure your easy days are easy and you're recovering. Don't compare yourself to your teammates cause maybe you adapt and respond differently and/or maybe they're older and more aerobically developed. Only you know your body best, so be mindful of the jump in mileage and if your body needs to rest, take it easy.

jaguar1 wrote:

Or maybe she's showing early signs of overtraining and needs to back off? Possibly laying it on the line in workouts and having nothing left for the races?

Good point about racing workouts.

After a long run (right after-no rest) do four 100rds. 20 sec. rest.

You may be over training too. I've done some extra things this year and I'm not running as good as I was last year. If you can keep working threw it just think how much faster you'll be when your muscles catch up with your work load.