Runners love to run. Until they don’t. That falling out of love feeling can really sneak up on us, so it’s important to be on the lookout for the signs of burnout.
I’m linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Runs with Pugs, Zenaida and Run Laugh Eat Pie for Fit Five Friday. Today I’m sharing 5 tips to help you figure out if you might be flaming out on running.
1: Poor sleep
Insomnia has so many different causes, and many people turn to activity to help them sleep. It usually works — until it doesn’t.
2: Frequent colds/viruses
If you have young children you may be used to the the colds that seem to always be making the rounds at home. If you’re normally a healthy person and you suddenly start getting everything that’s going around, it’s time to re-evaluate what you’re doing.
3: Getting more accident-prone
Most of us trip every once in a while. If you find yourself tripping more frequently, or outright falling a lot — it can be a sign of fatigue. I know when I get tired on a long run I have to remind myself to make sure to pick up my feet more. When no amount of reminders prevents the accidents, it’s time to take notice.
4: Heavy legs
We all have runs when our legs just feel as if they’re stuck in cement. Sometimes we know why, sometimes it just hits out of the blue. If all your runs feel this way, though, there may be something deeper going on.
5: No longer interested in the things that bring you joy
Like running. We all go through rough patches with running from time to time, but if it’s consistently not making you feel happy the way it used to, it’s just another sign that you might be over training.
Final Thoughts
Taken one by one the above are all things that happen to runners (and non-runners!) from time to time. I doubt a single one of us has never experienced these types of “symptoms”. If you can nod you’re head yes to more of these than not, it may be time to re-evaluate what you’re doing and shake things up a bit.
Have you ever experienced running burnout?
What made you realize you were in burnout?
Chocolaterunsjudy 
Number 4 and 5 are talking to me – I know I was definitely experiencing some signs of burnout at the start of the year! No matter how hard I tried, I felt my mental game had checked out. So although I was getting runs done, it was with little love or enthusiasm for them.
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Sometimes you really need to break up with running. Just a little. Sounds like you’ve definitely found the enthusiasm again!
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Nope. Never.
But I don’t train hard. Maybe that’s why.
Sure I want to do well in races but not at the cost of the things you mention.
I run for fun. I don’t record my pace (except races). I do it more for social reasons. Brunch and friendships.
I do understand that it happens to many runners. I guess I’m lucky.
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Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had the true burnout, but I have gotten the “ugh, not another long run” bug a time or two LOL When my marathon got cancelled, it really was a huge blessing for me. I just wasn’t eager for the requisite long runs and my body was feeling a bit compromised at the time. I often wonder if a lot of runners experience burnout but deny its existence? It’s one of those things that’s easy to diagnose when it happens to others but not ourselves LOL
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I think it’s hard because there’s really a tipping point between feeling good, pushing yourself, & overtraining (same thing as burnout).
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I guess that’s the silver lining to having a string of injuries- I’m the opposite of burned out! I know it can be a problem for a lot of people though. These are all good signs to watch out for- important to identify burnout before it leads to injury!
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I am sorry that you have been dealing with all of this for so long, Jenny. I hope you can get back to doing what you love pain free!
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I have definitely fallen out of love w running before. For me, I think it was overtraining in all areas and that made me feels sluggish. It is important to find the right balance
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The balance part is so tricky & always a moving target.
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I’ve had times when I’m just not interested in running, but I find just shifting my focus for a bit to other activities and taking a little break solves it. I do think it is easy for runners to push themselves, especially when training for a big race, and not see the warning signs of burnout.
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It’s definitely very easy to miss the signs of burnout. A really fine line.
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N° 3: it happened to me just yesterday. And now total rest for not less than 4 days (so said the doctor).
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I’m so sorry. Although injuries aren’t always a sign of burnout. I know you just want to run!
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I’ve gotten bored with the same running routes but have not experienced true burnout before. I learned many years ago how much training my body can handle and have learned to back off if it starts to feel like it’s too much. Listening to my body has been the real aha moment for me.
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That’s great that you know what your body can handle! It’s so important to be in tune with it.
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Well you know I’ve experienced this – I had everything apart from the colds (but I had some ulcers and spots). And now I’ve had my fall in my race, I’m not keen on running at all to be perfectly honest – I am planning to just go on my cross trainer and static bike for a bit. That’s more having lost my nerve.
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You’ll be back there, I know. But the truth is healing is hard work for your body. So heal up, and you’ll know when it’s the right time to run again. Hugs, Liz!
Also, a fall doesn’t always mean you’re overtraining, too — accidents do just happen. I’m sorry it happened to you.
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Oh yes, sorry, the fall wasn’t overtiredness but I got clumsy when I burnt out and I’m not usually.
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Sometimes I’m clumsy, sometimes not. I haven’t fallen too often, though. Definitely not burnt out on running though!
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