Shattered tired since back to running - please tell me this will go away!!

poconnor16

''Yawn''

I got a chest infection over xmas so did zilch running for about 3 weeks. And of course indulged in food and alcohol like a lot of people. I'm now getting back into things and I am absolutely shattered, especially in the mornings.
I'm slightly overweight (female 5' 8'', 75 kg) so am trying to get this down gently. I eat a healthy diet with lean proteins, tonnes of veg and fruit, healthy fats and only really good carbs. Drink plenty of uisce and take supplements.
I'm 'coaching' (more like motivating) my friend through a Couch to 5k programme at the moment as well and she is just as the very start. So here is my schedule for this week:
mon - 'coaching'
tues - 2 mile
wed - coach
thurs - 2 mile
fri - coach
sat - REST
sun - 2 mile

I myself am following a hal higdon 10 mile plan so my distance will be increasing as the weeks progress. I am a novice, just did my first 10k pre xmas in 1:06:03.
http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/15Knovsch.htm

Should I be this tired? Or will my body adapt after a week or 2? I consider the coaching days as 'easy' as there are a lot of walk breaks. I'm worried though that as the mileage increases I will be zapped of energy. 4 miles right now seems daunting, I'm tired doing the 2.

No point in talking to anyone other than experienced runners as they will just recite the 'you're doing too much!!' excuse.

Thanks all

RoyMcC

Hi, I think that chest infection took more out of you than you realise. You're doing all the right things, you're aware what a good diet is and you're not necessarily expecting great results too soon.

I think you'll be flying soon enough. Well done for helping your friend with the C25K and that's ideal for easing your own body back into running as well.

If you continue to be shattered in the mornings though you're not right and you ought to get yourself checked out.

Good luck.

Kissy Lips

Throw in a 3 or even 4 mile run once this week. Do this a couple of times and the 2 miles just dont seem that long anymore and your energy will come back in a week or two, chest infections are horrendous.

poconnor16

Thanks guys....its even nice to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, so now I wont get disheartened.
By next week I will be back to 3/4 mile runs, so will see how that goes. My pace is extremely slow, but I know that comes with time.

Chest infections are nasty indeed. I am still a teeny bit winded on the run, can still feel it from all the coughing! But I would rather be struggling through any run than struggling with a numb arse in front of the TV.

PVincent

Antibiotics destroy the good and bad bacteria in your system so be careful ....if you take supplements fine ...one of the best that you can take during and after taking antibiotics is UDO Super 8s....they are a great probiotic and boost your immune system ...I know they dont like people posting medical advice on here but speaking from experience these Super 8s work ...good luck with the training

cwgatling

If it helps any, I have been totally wrecked for the last week or 2 as well, chest infection being one of the reasons. Keep up the training, get plenty of sleep and you'll be grand.

poconnor16

Did another 2 mile last night and felt much better in terms of energy. Still nowhere near where I was but its given me a boost. My pace was better too. It must have been the infection because I can still feel it a little when I'm running, kinda deep in my chest.
The supplements I take are Source of Life Gold (Natures Plus). They're just a little something extra though, seeing as the real goods come from the veggies I eat. You just cant beat the dark green veggies for a kick of energy! Had a big helping of brocolli last night and I'm buzzed.

RubyK

Glad you are seeing progress poconnor16! It's hard getting going again, for the first couple of weeks after a set-back, but your fitness will return! Keep at it

elmo101

RubyK wrote: »

Glad you are seeing progress poconnor16! It's hard getting going again, for the first couple of weeks after a set-back, but your fitness will return! Keep at it

Hi
My advice is keep at it. I got pneumomia last Christmas and had to give up running for 3 months. I had been running 10ks to 10miles and my 1st run was in March 2010. It was awful, and it was a good 2 months before I started to enjoy running again. I went on to run the Dublin City marathon in 4.42 in Oct! So you can do it. Follow a healthy diet, drink loads of water and try to enjoy the running! Good luck.

poconnor16

Oh I needed to see those positive posts this morning. I went for a run yesterday morning, 2 miles with a hill and had to take a walk break on the hill. :mad:
Thing is, I usually run in the evenings and decided to try a morning run. I dont think running on an empty stomach works for me! So will stick with my evenings for now. 3 miles tomorrow night which I am dreading, but at least the 2 miles runs wont seem so bad anymore.

ecoli

poconnor16 wrote: »

Oh I needed to see those positive posts this morning. I went for a run yesterday morning, 2 miles with a hill and had to take a walk break on the hill. :mad:
Thing is, I usually run in the evenings and decided to try a morning run. I dont think running on an empty stomach works for me! So will stick with my evenings for now. 3 miles tomorrow night which I am dreading, but at least the 2 miles runs wont seem so bad anymore.

Dont worry about struggling in the mornings. I was doubling last year and was the same i found my morning pace was almost 20-30 seconds slower per mile despite the effort feeling alot harder. Some peoples bodies just take longer to wake up or there metabolism burns off any food from the night before quicker so they need to eat in the morning before they perform a run. Even these days i have to wait 2-3 hours before i attempt a run after waking up.

Regarding your run tomorrow night look to the positive. The fact that you ran this morning now means you have close to 36 hours for your body to recover as opposed to the 24 you would have had if you went out this evening. Keep plugging away and before long it will start to come together. There are no shortcuts in running and the benefits can be seen through long term work.

Again as a previous poster said antibiotics not only wipe the bad but also the good so you will feel tired for the first while but as long as you persevere you will be back to yourself in no time

RoyMcC

And don't worry about taking walk breaks - there's no rule that says you can't.

mitresize5

if its any consolation to you I had a chest infection and a long course of antibiotics over the Christmas as well and I'm no where near the level I was at beforehand - I reckon I'm only at 40%.

It very frustating but take your time and ease back into it - the last thing you want to do is get another dose from pushing yourself too hard. Your underlying fitness will still be there.

One thing I do at times when I'm in the full of health and hopping fit is take a minute or two to realise just how good a place that is to be - its only when your not healthy you realise how important it is (all a bit deep for a Monday morning!!)

poconnor16

Well, its been a mixed week. I've been made redundant in my job which was very unexpected.:eek: But I think the running has really kept me focussed.
I did my 3 miles, comfortably - and that has really boosted my confidence. I'm keeping up the training with my friend and I am now volunteering at the local animal shelter, walking a dog for an hour everyday.
I think my energy is really starting to return, and I'm now looking forward to increasing my mileage. Slowly....:D
The advice on here has been invaluable at a tough time - thanks to all!

cwgatling

Sorry to hear about the job; that's rough.

Well done on keeping the training up and on volunteering at the shelter. Very worthy and admirable cause.

RoyMcC

That's really tough - hope it all comes right for you. But you're right to keep a positive attitude and,together with the good vibes that running brings, that will give you the best chance of turning things around.

poconnor16

Running has been my saving grace. Its given me a routine, something to focus on and helped me feel good!:) And the good news is that I have landed a job starting this week.
I still have a little dilema though, I'm still very tired on the 3 miles. And I think it is my diet.
I"ve been trying to keep the carbs low enough. For one or two days I fell off the wagon as I was feeling sorry for myself and indulged in some pasta, a bit of pitta bread here and there and brought porridge back into my life. And BOOM - energy was back in a big way. But weight loss stalled completely. Now I've restricted carbs again and I'm tired.

I wish someone would close the book on this carbs good or bad thing, and I wish that person was a runner. I do need to lose weight (about a stone) but I want to do it the healthy way, through exercise. And starvation, obsessing is not an option!

(Mods, feel free to move this is Nutrition forum -but I just really want a 'runners opinion' as only a runner would understand what the last mile feels like.)

Right, I'm off for 4 miles:p

ecoli

poconnor16 wrote: »

Running has been my saving grace. Its given me a routine, something to focus on and helped me feel good!:) And the good news is that I have landed a job starting this week.
I still have a little dilema though, I'm still very tired on the 3 miles. And I think it is my diet.
I"ve been trying to keep the carbs low enough. For one or two days I fell off the wagon as I was feeling sorry for myself and indulged in some pasta, a bit of pitta bread here and there and brought porridge back into my life. And BOOM - energy was back in a big way. But weight loss stalled completely. Now I've restricted carbs again and I'm tired.

I wish someone would close the book on this carbs good or bad thing, and I wish that person was a runner. I do need to lose weight (about a stone) but I want to do it the healthy way, through exercise. And starvation, obsessing is not an option!

(Mods, feel free to move this is Nutrition forum -but I just really want a 'runners opinion' as only a runner would understand what the last mile feels like.)

Right, I'm off for 4 miles:p

Carbs a good thing. In fact they actually take up roughly 60% of your over all daily calorie intake and a gram of carbs is roughly about the same amount of calories as a gram of protein

You say your feeling tired and your finding it difficult to lose the excess weight these are actually symptoms of inadequate carb intake along with slowing fitness gains and frequent illness

someone of your training level and weight would roughly want to be consuming about 300g of carbs roughly a day 85g of fats and 60g of protein which would equate to about 1400 calories again this is a rough guide you can use to suit your own situation percentages would be roughly 50%-70% carbs 20-40% fats and 10-25% proteins

When i refer to fats im talking good fats such as fish oils (omega 3 and 6) or flax seed oil etc

The main thing is to aim for nutrient dense foods to consume

Good: Fruit, Veg, Lean Protein, Whole grains, low fat dairy, Essential fats

Bad: White (refined grains), Sweets, Deep fried foods, Whole milk dairy,Fatty proteins and Sports drinks/gels*

*during training they are good for quick absorbed high calorie dense foods which are not beneficial outside training

Im not saying you have to live like a nun but just be sensible about it. Here are a few tips i have found along the way

Turkey can be used as a low fat chicken substitute or turkey mince instead of regular for lasagne/Bolognese

Green tea can promote addition calorie burning plus with lemon infused get a vitamin c boost and as rarely drank with milk are taking out the milk (can replace regular tea or coffee

If you are still worried you can always try to include a bit of cross training into your daily lifestyle. Cycling is great for weight loss and can take pressure off your joints that additional miles might cause stress until you reach optimum weight

Dont look at your diet as needing to be restrictive to lose weight but rather see it as a way of fueling your body with the right stuff to perform efficiently as long as you dont overload it the weight will come down naturally. Remember your body needs the fuel not just to run but also to have the energy to actually burn off excess weight this is a factor which alot of people forget

poconnor16

Thank ecoli. I had a wholemeal pitta yesterday and cruised my 4 miles. I think I think I understand it now, carbs are ok but good carbs. To be honest I hate the white pasta/bread etc and love wholegrain. But I will just have to watch the portions :-)
I'm not obsessed by weight loss for vanity reasons but more so for running and health - it gathers around my mid section which is not good. It took 2 years of crap eating to go on so it doesn't have to happen overnight or anything.

Thanks again for the post, it spelled it out perfectly.:)