Up to 70 percent of runners sustain overuse injuries during any one-year period, according to a study from California State University. One runner who knows the signs is Suzy Favor Hamilton, a four-time Olympian and author of Fast Track: Training and Nutrition Secrets From America’s Top Female Runner (Rodale, 2004). “If you have any of the following symptoms, you may be overtrained: slower running times, constant aches or chronic injuries such as sprains or fractures that won’t heal or lack of motivation and energy,” says Hamilton.
These five training tips will help get you back on your feet:
- Take a full week off.
- Bump up your caloric intake by 10 percent with equal portions of lean protein, starchy carbs and unsaturated fat.
- Give yourself time to take a nap five days a week.
- Take a daily multivitamin/multimineral supplement.
- If you still feel tired, skip running for another week and repeat steps two to four.
Suzy Favor Hamilton competed in Olympics in 2004. She is a six-time U.S. national champion in middle-distance events. At the University of Wisconsin, she was one of the most successful collegiate runners in NCAA history. Her popularity has led to cover stories about her in Fitness and Runner’s World.
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