Overly Tired/Stupid After Morning Runs

Have you tried not running?

Yes. Not running, weight lifting, or running in evenings does not have the same effect.

What’s your pre- and post-workout nutrition looking like? Mebbe you’re not eating enough before and after or just eating too many simple carbs in your after run feed?

Most of your non-running colleagues are also getting tired after lunch and can't focus. It's too bad none of you are in control of your schedule, because running could actually be a big help. Go to work in the morning, focus for half a day, then take a break and run. Come back focused and refreshed, and concentrate some more. Everybody would be better off.

The problem isn't the running, it's that you're trying to concentrate for 9 hours straight, which isn't actually possible.

run short & easy in the am, longer and faster in pm?

definitely sounds like a lack of sleep. most people underestimate how long it takes to fully catch up on sleep. they sleep well for a few days, still feel tired, and rant about how they slept more and it made them feel even more tired.

take the most you can sleep at once, like if you were very comfortable and there was no alarm set, how long could you sleep? subtract that from when you need to get up, and then subtract an extra 30 mins to give you time to fall asleep and for a little cushion in case you sleep longer. that's the time you should be in bed the day before, trying to fall asleep. start winding down the hour previous to that. don't have any caffeine past breakfast

for example, you can sleep 9 hours at most. you have to wake up at 5am to run before work. to wake up at 5am without an alarm, you want to fall asleep by 8pm. start winding down at 6:30pm (no more carbs, no stimulating activity). be in bed with lights off at 7:30pm.

do that routine every day (yes, even on weekends, keep the same sleep schedule) for a few months. the amount you sleep will probably gradually go down as you get caught up, so if you can sleep 9-10 hours now don't freak out like you gotta sleep 10 hours the rest of your life. you may go all the way down to 7 once you're caught up, but that could take over a month.

if you are still getting tired midday after good sleep hygiene for a few months, i'd be quite surprised

sleep more wrote:

be in bed with lights off at 7:30pm.

And in the real world...

Tiredrunner wrote:

Help me LRC. I love running in the morning. I feel happier all day. But most days I get super tired after lunch and can't focus. This is a problem, since I work in an industry where my ability to sit and focus for long hours is a big aspect of my job.

I've tried drinking more coffee, getting 9 hours of sleep a night, and even briefly tried adderall when my dr thought maybe I have ADHD (it kept me awake but my work product was worse somehow).

Anybody had a similar situation and a way to get over it? Running consistently in the afternoons or evenings is not possible for me right now. Goal is modest 50-60mpw with 2 workouts.

Get more sleep, or find a way to take a 20 minute power nap at lunch.

You an also buy caffeine pills. Use scissors to break off a small chunk of a caffeine pill, crush it up, and snort it. This will perk you up within micro-seconds, without needing to inject as much caffeine.

Drinking too much coffee could be part of the reason you're not getting enough sleep.

Also, you need to cut back on your mileage until you get this figured out. Right now 50-60 mpw is too ambitious considering the concentration you need to perform with at work.

Don't neglect your obligations to be high-functioning at work just because you want to set an arbitrary goal in your extra-curricular hobby.

Tiredrunner wrote:

Yes. Not running, weight lifting, or running in evenings does not have the same effect.

Then do that. Duh.

..... wrote:

sleep more wrote:

be in bed with lights off at 7:30pm.

And in the real world...

... I do that. I have to finish working out by 6:00am so I get up at 4:15am. 7:30-8:00pm is when I actually go to bed because I sleep about 8 hours.

If I ran in the evening instead, that's equally a social life killer as an early bedtime. And let's not pretend that in the real world people aren't staying up just wasting time on the internet, social media, TV, video games, etc. If cutting some of that out to get more sleep is an option, then it's an option more people should take.

If you want to go out multiple nights a week then that's a choice, but frankly you can't run 60mpw and do workouts and work a full time job and socialize frequently and not ever feel tired (except a few rare people). That's the lifestyle a lot of post-collegiate club runners lead and they get tired and deal with it. If you care more about your job performance and your running performance or you just really hate the feeling of being tired, then socialize less and sleep more. ezpz

Personally I sacrifice sleep 1-2 times a month to socialize in the evening instead. And on vacations my schedule is out the window. But 90% of the time I get great sleep and I never get the mid-day tiredness anymore.

I do sympathize with people still on the dating scene though.