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Meet your goals without finding yourself hating each run…

Many runners believe in a mindset that the harder they work the better they get. Often times though, a competition this is not won through fitness alone. While under-working is usually not an issue for the competitive runner, too slow of a pace will leave the athlete with an inefficient surplus of energy. However, too quick a pace and a runner can “red line” by expending all of their energy dramatically reducing their performance during a race. Training throughout the season can be compared to the races a runner competes in. While it is vitally important to stay fit and train hard, the human body is only able to handle so much physical abuse. An athlete’s worst fear is burning out before they are done with their season. Runners’ burnout can be caused by mentally and physically overwhelming the body causing a figurative death to a runner’s season, training, ect.

Burnout often times starts in the mind

Losing a competitive race mentality during a runners season can break the will to compete. Many coaches and athletes believe that athletics is “90% mental and 10% physical.” While it is ideal to be rested and nourished before a run, a mentally tough runner can run personal bests in any condition. While mentally draining, many runners have run perfect races even while sleep deprived, hungry, dehydrated or in bad weather conditions. However, there is a mental capacity for how much stress the mind can take. Running in itself creates a vast amount of mental fatigue. Too many races built into a season can mentally burn the competitive drive out of a runner. To many races close together can from further issues as an athlete has no time to mentally calm down and relax before preparing for the next race. This constant need for a race mentality will eventually drain the enjoyment out of the running in itself. Over racing can cause a dip in race performance and cause a sense of dread, boredom and the unwillingness to push through the pain of a race. Just as over racing can deplete a runner’s competitiveness, overtraining can also cause an athlete to succumb to runner’s burnout. Running too much aerobic mileage or doing too many anaerobic speed workouts can put physical stress on the mind to the point it refuses to push the body further. Analogous to the effects of over racing, overtraining can make running a chore and create a danger for injury.