Luckily, your body will let you know when you need a break. Pay close attention to these potential warning signs:
You Have Trouble Sleeping
A good run can be just what you need to get a good night's sleep most of the time. But when you're overdoing it, sleep can be hard to come by. Sleep is important for good health, but when you're a runner, it's important for recovery too. When you're running too much, you may find that you suffer from insomnia or have trouble staying asleep through the night. Overdoing it can impact your hormones and disrupt your circadian rhythm.
Your Mood Is Less Than Pleasant
Do you find yourself feeling stressed out and irritable more often? Have your friends and family commented on your bad attitude? This can be a side effect of too much running. Once again, the strain on your body can lead to a hormonal imbalance that can impact your nervous system.
You're Suffering From Aches and Pains
Aches, pains, and sore muscles can be a normal part of athleticism, especially when you're new to a sport or activity or not using the correct form. But if you're noticing more soreness than usual, and it takes longer for it to heal, you may be overdoing it.
You're Spending More — or Less — Time in the Bathroom
Around 60 percent of runners claim they experience digestive issues when they've been running at intense levels or prolonged periods of time. There are several things that may cause this: shifting of the colon, changes in circulation, dehydration, anxiety, and even the food you ate that day. New experiences with cramps, diarrhea or constipation could be a sign that you need to slow it down.
Your Period Stopped
If you're a female who has recently started missing periods, intense exercise could be the culprit. This phenomenon is called exercise-induced amenorrhea, and it's common in female athletes, especially younger women. Intense running or exercise stops the brain from releasing hormones to the ovaries. Eventually, it can lead to a number of health problems, like bone loss and low estrogen levels.
You're Tired
Are you tired all the time, even after you rest or down your daily cup of caffeine? It may seem obvious, but overtraining can do this to you by, once again, disrupting your hormone production. Combine that with the sleep disruption, and it's a recipe for disaster.
You're Losing Too Much Weight
It's normal to lose weight when you start a new exercise regimen, especially if that's one of your goals for getting active. But if you're not trying to lose weight and you start or you find yourself dipping below a healthy weight, you may be overdoing it. You may also notice that you don't have much appetite.
You Just Don't Feel Well
Running too much can have a big impact on your immune system. Perhaps you keep getting colds over and over again, or maybe some other virus or infection just won't go away. You could just feel awful in general with no real underlying reason. These are all signs that it's time to slow down for a while.
You Don't Recover Well
Every runner should take time to recover after their workout. This looks different for everyone, but it may include a cooldown, stretching, hydrating, eating something healthy, getting some sleep, and making adjustments to your routine as necessary. It should also include taking a day off every now and then or incorporating cross-training.
If you're not following any of these steps, you need to make some changes to your habits and prioritize recovery after your runs.
You Dread Running
Most runners enjoy running for one reason or another. If you generally enjoy running but find yourself dreading the activity or getting anxious when it's time to get dressed for your run, you might be forcing yourself to do more than your body can handle.
What to Do If You're Overdoing It
If it sounds like you're overdoing it, take some steps to help your body recover.
- Try other activities. Cut back on your mileage or the number of days you run and. Try lifting weights, yoga, cycling or swimming to work some different muscles.
- Get some sleep. Try going to bed earlier or taking some time to relax before bed so you sleep better. Aim for at least seven to eight hours a night.
- Make Some Dietary Changes. Eat more protein and healthy carbohydrates, like fruits and vegetables.
- Take a few weeks off. Men's Journal recommends three weeks to let your body recuperate.
- Cut back. Shave some mileage off your daily run, or run at a slower pace.
- Watch the weather report. When it's hot and humid outside, you'll generally need more time to recover.
- Hydrate. Drink more water throughout the week, and eat less salt.