TRAINING
TRAINING
IN THE SECOND PART OF HER EXAMINATION
OF OVERTRAINING, ITS CAUSES AND EFFECTS,
SARAH RUSSELL LOOKS AT HOW TO TREAT IT
– AND THE LESSONS WE CAN ALL LEARN ABOUT
PROPER RECOVERY
I
n part one of this series (January 2009 issue) we
looked at the signs and symptoms of ‘overtraining
syndrome’, some of the top research on the
subject and most importantly how to recognise if
you are ‘overtraining’. Here we will briefly recap
on part one, but will also look at how to recover
and get back to training, racing and full health if you’re
unlucky enough to have been affected.
Overtraining syndrome is a runner’s biggest
nightmare. Completely different from being just ‘a
bit run down’, the syndrome at its worst will have
you feeling exhausted, struggling to train or compete,
irritable, suffering insomnia and continually ill with
colds. It can develop into long term chronic fatigue and
can leave you debilitated for months. It is a condition
which club runners and keen beginners should be
particularly aware, as they are just as likely to succumb
to it as elite athletes.
‘Over-training syndrome’ (OTS) is less about ‘over’ doing it,
and more about lack of adequate rest or recovery, hence calls
from experts to rename it ‘under performance syndrome’
or UPS. What for one athlete is a manageable training load,
for another – who is juggling a family and stressful job – it
can push them over the edge and into UPS. A depressing
and debilitating condition, UPS leaves athletes physically
and mentally exhausted, chronically fatigued and with a long
road to recovery ahead of them.
According to the British Olympic Medical Centre, UPS is
found in around one in ten endurance runners each year,
leading researchers to conclude that it is high volume and
long distance training which seems to be more of a problem
- UPS is rarely found in sprinters and track athletes.
Dr Paula Ansley from Northumbria University is one of
the UK’s leading experts in the area of UPS and fatigue. She
says it’s vital for athletes to recognise the difference between
temporary fatigue after a period of hard training – known
as ‘over-reaching’ – from which you can recover with two
weeks rest, and the much more serious and debilitating UPS.
Herself a former GB elite rower, Ansley had her sights on
competing at the 1996 Olympic Games. But her gruelling
training schedule - which involved clocking up 24 hours a
week - led her to become ill and struck down with UPS.
She never fulfilled her potential and her Olympics dreams
were shattered. Her personal experience has led to a career
researching UPS, fatigue and the treatment and care of
athletes suffering from the condition. She defines UPS as ‘a
persistent unexplained performance deficit (recognised by
athlete and coach) despite two weeks of relative rest’ and
goes on to suggest a list of symptoms which may indicate an
athlete is suffering from the syndrome.
“TRY TO ACHIEVE A HEALTHY
BALANCE BETWEEN
TRAINING VOLUME,
RECOVERY, SLEEP, NUTRITION
AND LIFE COMMITMENTS
- AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS
WHERE YOU NEED TO”
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March 2009
March 2009
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Running fitness 51
TRAINING
ATHLETES MAY EXPERIENCE
AN INCREASE OF:

Fatigue during exercise and
consistent underperformance

Fatigue and exhaustion during the
day generally

Flu-like symptoms

Anxiety, depression, irritability

Inability to concentrate
TREATMENT OF UPS
An expert in the treatment of over-trained
athletes, Ansley says if UPS is suspected the
first step is to visit the GP for a full check-up eliminating any other health causes. If overtraining
is the ‘diagnosis’ her recommendation is then
complete rest for at least two weeks. This is often
the most difficult thing for runners to accept
and it’s common to end up in a vicious circle
of incomplete rest, attempting to train again,
recurrent illness and so it goes on. She says
that after two weeks rest, runners can start with
gentle training, but one of the biggest mistakes
she sees is athletes trying to get back to ‘normal’
too quickly and being knocked down time and time
again. Often an athlete will bounce back after two
weeks rest, but if full blown UPS has developed, it
Avoid over-long
training sessions
M
ark Dayson, a
physiotherapist and
England Athletics
Development Officer
from Kent, is one athlete who knows
just how debilitating and frustrating
UPS can be. Dayson, previously one of
Kent’s best road runners, was struck
down with UPS some years ago which
left him exhausted and mildly depressed
for nearly three months. Dayson’s story
is unfortunately not uncommon. He was
racing at a high club standard and had
achieved exceptional race performances
of 31:47 for 10km and 72:38 for a half
marathon. He was aiming to run sub 70
minutes at a half marathon in the early
spring but had come down with a heavy
cold just before his key race. He raced
anyway, but unsurprisingly it didn’t go
to plan.
He struggled around the course
feeling terrible and finished in a
disappointing 73 minutes, on his knees
and totally spent. ‘Imagine the fatigue
you feel at the end of a very long run,
then double it’ he says ‘That’s how I felt
at the end of that race. Complete and
52 Running fitness
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March 2009
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AND A DECREASE IN:
 Sleep quality
 Appetite
Most over-trained runners only
acknowledge the fact they are suffering
from UPS when they have either hit
rock bottom or with hindsight when
they have recovered. This is why both
coaches and athletes themselves should
remain vigilant, be aware of the signs
and symptoms of UPS and tailor training
accordingly – before it’s too late.
UPS is characterised
by fatigue during
exercise and consistent
underperformance
Use a daily diary to monitor your training
times and sessions but also make a note of other
variables which are relevant to you – sleep volume,
stress levels, nutrition, weight, resting heart rate
for example. Anything that raises your awareness
of your body and how it responds to training and
recovery will be key in avoiding UPS.
In the treatment of over-trained athletes
however, after two weeks of complete rest Ansley
says that exercise can be introduced very slowly
and with enormous caution. She stresses that there
can never be one set plan - each case is entirely
different and each runner responds differently.
A TYPICAL SCHEDULE,
HOWEVER, MAY LOOK
SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
Week 1 – 5minutes jogging x 3 times
HIS ADVICE TO RUNNERS IS THIS:
Week 2 – 5 minutes jogging x 4 times

Week 3 – 10 minutes jogging x 3 times
Week 4 – 10 minutes jogging x 4 times
can take many months or even years before a full
recovery is made. For this reason, the ‘recovery
programme’ should be managed very carefully and
developed specifically for each individual athlete.
Ansley uses a daily questionnaire with her
athletes to monitor how they are feeling both
physically and mentally – this also helps teach
them to manage their own training and recovery
and become more aware of how to balance their
training and lifestyles. The questionnaire that
Ansley has developed looks at a huge range of
symptoms, feelings and other variables which
are scored and totalled at the end of each day. A
questionnaire like this - which raises awareness of
response to training, sleep levels, aches pains and
emotions not only helps with the recovery from
UPS, but is also a great tool to help avoid UPS in
the first place.
utter exhaustion’. He took a week off
and tried to resume training. ‘I had a
clear decrease in performance on all my
sessions. I was de-motivated generally
and had to force myself out to train
which was completely out of character
for me. I was also irritable and would
feel exhausted after a long run, to the
point where I would be shaking’.
Ansley would say that these are all
classic UPS characteristics and with
hindsight, Dayson now readily agrees
that he was suffering from over-training,
yet at the time he didn’t seek any
medical advice or really accept what
was going on. After nearly three months
of fatigue, poor performance and
depression he finally started to see some
improvement when he introduced some
swimming and cycling into his schedule
and allowed his body to recover using a
heart-rate training programme. When
recovering from UPS, Ansley says that
if runners don’t reassess their training
and allow their bodies to rest properly,
they will end up in a vicious circle with
periods of feeling okay but then deeply
fatigued which can last for months.
When looking at nutrition, she also warns that athletes should
avoid taking too many nutritional supplements, suggesting that
a simple multi-vitamin is all that’s needed. Too much zinc for
example, can be immunosuppressant and is a perfect case of
where ‘more’ is not necessarily ‘better’. Athletes who are resting
will understandably have concerns about weight gain, so advice
from a dietician or nutritionist is also helpful, ensuring they get the
best nutritional intake given their reduced energy requirements.
In terms of avoiding UPS in the future however, we can all learn
from Mark Dayson’s experience. Now as a coach and in his role at
UK Athletics, he is keen to share his advice and help runners avoid
the same situation. ‘Looking back’ he says ‘there’s no wonder I
became so ill. I had been in an over-reached state prior to the half
marathon, and racing with a cold was the straw that broke the
camels’ back. Lack of sleep at the time also contributed, as I used
to cram in two training sessions a day as well starting work at
6am, but at the time I gave no consideration to that’.
And so on until the athlete has reached about
60-90 minutes of continuous exercise. Only then
can they start to increase intensity and make
sessions more specific. This may not seem like
very much at all, but ask any runner who has been
struck down by UPS and they will tell you that just
getting out of bed can be a struggle.
UPS is found in one in
ten endurance runners
Plan, monitor and re-evaluate your training.
 Implement blocks of training which allow for adaptation
and recovery.
 Get a good coach – too often runners are self coached, or
follow a set schedule which is inappropriate.
 Introduce variety into your training – doing the same thing
week in week out is a sure fire way to staleness. Look for
new routes and cross train with cycling or swimming.
 Get into the habit of monitoring heart rate and look for
patterns. Ansley agrees and recommends that if your
resting heartrate is 5-10 beats higher than normal,
something is amiss – take a day off.
 Look closely at your sleep habits, nutrition and lifestyle
and make adjustments where necessary.
 Finally, never race when you’re sick.
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IN BOTH RECOVERING
FROM AND AVOIDING
OVERTRAINING, HER
ADVICE IS THE SAME:

Monitor your mood

Include at least one rest day in
your schedule each week

Avoid over-long training sessions

Rest when ill

Avoid contact with other sick
people

Avoid sharing drinks bottles etc

Ensure adequate sleep

Make sure you’re eating enough
food to match your energy
requirements

Minimise psychological stress

Dont’ exercise immediately before
or after a flu jab

Avoid getting a dry mouth and
maintain good oral hygiene
Ansley believes that UPS is actually a form of chronic fatigue syndrome and even
though there is no specific scientific evidence, her experience with athletes
suggests that once a runner has had UPS, they may always be susceptible
to fatigue and overtraining. This makes it even more important to monitor,
constantly evaluate and adapt your training and lifestyle factors. Try to achieve
a healthy balance between training volume, recovery, sleep, nutrition and life
commitments - and make adjustments where you need to. Take heed from the
experiences of Mark Dayson and never race or train when ill, it’s just not worth
it and it might just be the thing that pushes you over the edge.
Learn to listen to your own body, get in tune with the signs and signals and trust
what it tells you. Stay healthy, train hard and rest well!
RF
Dr Paula Ansley is available to advise and treat athletes
suffering from fatigue or UPS. Contact her on paula.
[email protected].
■ Sarah Russell has an MSc in sport science and 17 years
experience in the health and fitness industry as a coach,
trainer and nutrition expert. She is a competitive runner and
GB age group duathlete as well as mother to 2 boys. She runs
www.lifestyle-matters.co.uk a nutrition, weight management
and lifestyle consultancy near Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
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March 2009
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Running fitness 53