Beyond The Workouts

Overtraining is real

Twice in my life, I’ve suffered from serious overtraining. Both senior years (high school and college), I took major leaps in my training volume only to watch my race times get slower. There is little more frustrating than logging hours upon hours of suffering, just to realize you would have performed better if you spent that time watching tv.

Fitness influencers are great for increasing motivation, but they also tend towards glorification of gritty workouts. Gym bros screaming as they log two more reps of a tricep press make you realize you could be pushing it harder in the gym. David Goggins going for his second ten mile run of the day makes you realize you could be running more. But should you?

Probably not. Save the gritty performances for strategic workouts or performances. If you train this way every day, you will actually be punished, not rewarded. You will get slower and weaker than if you put in about 80% effort most days and cranked up a 90% effort occasionally.

Last week, I turned a 6 mile run into a 4 mile run because my legs were dead. In the past, I would have done 8 to punish myself for feeling weak. Then I would have raced slower because of it. This time around, I recovered after logging a shorter run, and I was able to get a better deadlift workout in as a result.

There is a time and place to be gritty. When you are going for a new personal record, you’ve got to push your body to a point it hasn’t been before. These moments are transformative. But you can’t expect to have a transformational experience every single workout. Save them for when it counts.

Training Context

I’m starting to see the fitness I’ve been building

I’ve been slowly increasing running mileage and lifting intensity since the beginning of July. Entering September, I feel like I’m now starting to feel the fitness I’ve been building over the last two months. It typically takes 8-10 weeks before you should expect to see material gains from a new training plan, and I’m reaching that mark.

The plot below shows how I slowly grew from a couple miles a week to consistently logging over 40. You can also track as my leg lifts slowly increase in intensity before dropping to rebuild. Through September, I plan to focus on logging volume and not intensity as I build my running mileage up over 50 miles a week.

While the consistent running forces me to lift far less than I’m used to, it’s nice to watch my running efficiency improve over time. This is a ratio of my average running power to my average heart rate for each week’s runs. Running power takes into account my bodyweight, speed, and the elevation gained during my runs. The running efficiency metric is a good way for me to track my running performance across different training weights and running paths, something average running pace misses.

I’ve still got a long ways to go, but I’ve made it past the initial foundation-setting period without getting injured. This allows me to start logging some more serious work that will hopefully lead to both strength and running gains at the same time.

Training Details

What Happened Last Week

44 Miles Ran

16,611 lbs lifted with upper body

21,697 lbs lifted with lower body

285 lbs e1RM Squat

345 lbs e1RM Deadlift

260 lbs e1RM Bench

172 lbs Body Weight

I transitioned from box squats to regular squats, as I’m starting my next training cycle of consistent 5×3-5×255@RPE8. And I’m finishing out a bench training cycle that has me doing higher weight and lower reps. During the week, my legs bounce back and forth between being dead and having some life.

• My running miles went: 0,4,10,4,6,10,10

• Bench Sessions Monday and Thursday:

  • Monday: 4×225, 3×240, 3×240, 2×240

  • Thursday: 3×225, failed attempts at 265, 260, 225×2

• Squat Session Tuesday:

  • 5×3×255

• Sumo Deadlift Session Friday:

  • 5×3×295

Goals For This Week

I’m traveling to visit friends this weekend, and I won’t be getting any training in over that time. So I’m going to log as many miles as reasonable before I leave and enjoy a bit of rest. I hope to still hit all my lifting workouts.

• Bench

  • Monday: 4×225, 2×245, 3×2×255

  • Thursday: Building up to 270lbs

• Deadlift - 5×3×295lbs

• Squat - 5×3×255 lbs

Training Tips

Have Multiple Pairs of Running Shoes

It’s a good practice to have daily “trainers” like a Brooks Glycerin for logging your daily miles and then some “flats” or “super shoes” for faster workouts. But a less-known move used by high-mileage runners is to alternate your daily trainers. If you own two pairs of daily running shoes, you can give more time for the foam in each shoe to reset before you wear them again. This can extend the life of the shoes and helps you feel more recovered.

I typically have one pair of trainers that have 150+ miles on them and another pair that’s new. I rotate between the two shoes, trying to ensure my longer runs happen on my newer pair. This goes a long way for fighting injuries.

Go Do More

Applying the lessons of overtraining outside the gym.

Are there parts of your life where you feel like you’re constantly having to “grit it out?” If so, take a step back and see if that resilience is serving you or hurting you. It might be better for you, and those around you, if you figure out how to tackle this part of your life “smarter, not harder.”