Perhaps one of the chief points is to regulate your training so as to be sure of always being on the safe side: the least sign of overdose will surely lead to trouble. Go so far every day that the last mile or two become almost a desperate effort. So long as you are fit for another dose the following day, you are not overdoing it. But you must never permit yourself to approach real exhaustion; you must never become badly tired. A good way to judge whether you are overdoing it is by your appetite. A really fearsome thirst is a definite sign that either the pace or the distance has been too much. Not only are you unbearably thirsty but your appetite disappears entirely, even for many hours after the event.
For professional runners, their life is a balance between peak fitness and overtraining. With closely monitored nutrition programmes, masseurs on hand and several periods of complete rest every day, the only thing the athlete has to worry about is running. Many are frequently injured whether due to a seasonal build up that has been too severe or simply the cumulative effects of many miles run during a lifetime of running. Paula Radcliffe’s latest injury is probably due to this.
But what of us lesser mortals – will we ever undergo the risk of overtraining?
The answer to that is a resounding YES!
Surveys suggest that 50% of runners sustain an injury that prevents them from running at least once a year. Many of these are due to overtraining. It may be doing too much speedwork where there is no speed base to work from, it may be running on unforgiving surfaces, it is most likely to be running too many miles too soon.
It is better to be 10% under trained than 2% overtrained.
To achieve your optimum performance takes years of progressive overload gradually increasing the volume of training your body can handle. Every time the body is injured, the training process has to restart from a reduced level. Avoiding injury through a slower and more gradual progression is the best way to achieve your potential. Law 6 talked about achieving the maximum results with the minimum of training. Failing to follow that law would lead you to fall foul of this one!!
Train SMART