Ive been suffering from this for the past 2 years. This article scares me as it seems that there is no way to reverse it. I can still run but I can no longer push myself like I used to. My legs always feel extremely weak and daily tasks like walking up stairs is hard for me. I used to be a low 1:50's runner..now maybe 2 at best..
Have had issues for the last 7 months. Legs are achy and fatigued pretty much all the time - sitting, walking, running. I was able to put together decent workouts considering, but the recovery time was much longer than usual and it is troublesome to just do easy running. No pop or pep in my step. I took 2 weeks completely off but nothing seems to have changed, maybe even worse. Mileage has been cut in half and I have taken a day off basically every week. At first it looked like I was anemic but the blood numbers are WAY up and the legs are still an issue.
It is not very fun waking up and going to bed every day with legs that feel extremely fatigued/tired/achy
Curious if anyone has come out of this with any sort of success or done something to speed up the process (other than totally shutting things down)
Wow this is a really scary thread.
It makes me wonder if I am not taking enough time off after events that cause muscle damage. For example, I was sore and it hurt like hell to walk down stairs for a couple days after a very hard half marathon over thanksgiving (ran much faster than anticipated so I was stoked). Nevertheless, I started back running 4 days later. Perhaps that's not so wise.
Maybe each time you trash your muscles, if you don't allow for full recovery, you get a little permanent damage. It may not be a big deal by itself. But, if you add up all the times you get a little permanent damage, eventually it is a lot. So perhaps the message is let yourself heal or don't get so much muscle trauma in the first place (i.e. slowly build up, slowly increase speed etc.)
I'm having very similar trouble with running- I'm a D1 college runner and, even after weeks of rest, after 4miles I start slowing down without my control, yet I can't seem to get my heart rate up. I really pushed it during the Spring season, and have battled overtraining in the past. It now seems both my speed and my endurance are gone, even after resting.
Does anyone have any insight to what thia could be or what I should do to get better?
(My doctor is not concerned with any of my lab results, and I've done EKgs and Echos and ultrasounds, and, despite a slight heart murmur, are all normal.)
Hi Dune Runner
I know this is an old thread, but you have described exactly what has happened to me. I was an age group Ironman triathlete, but have not raced since May 2013 (three years ago). I was wondering if you found an answer to your fatigue, as the information on Acquired Training Intolerance appears to say there is no known recovery. Thanks in advance. Katharine.
hey, any new insight on the subject?
I'm living a similar situation and it is destroying me from the inside...
Dune Runner, do you still visit these threads, and if so could you update us on how you are doing now, almost 10 years on?
One possible culprit is salt and electrolytes. A minimum of 4g/day of both potassium and sodium would be a good start. You should notice a fairly quick turnaround if that is the case.
Otherwise it could be a case of low protein, fat-soluble vitamins and fatty acids. In which case a diet high in met, fish and eggs is called for.
You all want to watch out for adrenal fatigue. Your heart, your legs, your hungs, your muscles and your mind (motivation) may well be in shape to run 80 mpw but that doesn’t mean your adrenals are.
Cut down and then build back slowly. If you are rushing the recivery youre wasting your time.