Overtrained and Drained
On Tuesday, June 24th, I had one of the worst days I’ve had in a long time. I had just come home after visiting with my friend in Richland on Monday, and it was the first full day of my period. It’s normal for me to feel extra tired and emotional on the first day, but it was a bit extreme. I got super overwhelmed with not having a proper job, spending too much money, missing my friend, not doing these little things I need to do, and getting mad at myself for not doing those things. I started crying for like 30 minutes, closed my eyes for 10 minutes, and then tried to keep doing little tasks. I was also upset with myself that I hadn’t done my workout yet. I had a lot of fun exploring new roads in Richland, and now I am back to doing the same routes in Vancouver. I felt I didn’t have the proper discipline to get it done earlier in the day, and just go on the convenient roads, but I wanted to go check out Sauvie Island. I was ready to go by the time my mom got home from work at 4. We didn’t get there till 4:30, meanwhile I was crying on the way there, knowing I wouldn’t be done until 6:30 pm, knowing it would’ve messed up the next day of training. I still tried to go out, and I was pushing very low watts and just couldn’t stop crying. I gave up after 20 minutes. I couldn’t imagine doing a quality workout. I wrote down how I felt during these moments: “I started my period yesterday, and that’s probably why I am so upset and sad, but today I was just so tired even after a good night's sleep. I just like had my work meeting and then couldn’t focus because I had a doctor’s appointment and then got home I was hungry and so I ate then I was tired so I tried to take a nap and then I got a text message saying that my license would be suspended if I didn’t pay (it was a scam text), so then I called them and I got upset and then I just couldn’t stop crying because I got overwhelmed with this bike ride I had to do. I just want to die.” No, I didn’t actually want to die, but that was the only way I could describe how I felt in that moment. I was exhausted by the endless to-dos: waking up and immediately thinking about what I should be eating for training, the effort it takes to get my work-from-home tasks done, the lack of structure, the cleaning, all the little steps it takes just to get out the door for a ride — it was all just too much. I was sick of it. I didn’t want to quit everything; I just needed a real break. My mom and I sat in rush hour traffic for an hour and a half to get home. I went to bed at 8 pm.
On training ride in Richland, I fueled really well but was ignoring the signs small signs over time.
The next day, eyes all puffy from crying the day before, I met up with my friend, Hannah, whom I had visited in Richland (she was in Vancouver). I was even emotional saying goodbye. Our coffee date was cut short because I had my first meeting with my nutritionist, which was eye-opening. I explained what was going on, the emotional stuff, not sleeping well leading into my 70.3, tendonitis flare-ups in my feet, and being extremely tired. She explained that those are symptoms of being overtrained, as well as not being able to get full and not having an appetite (both of, I had experienced within the past week before our meeting). I was like oop! I was really surprised that she said this because I never thought I could be overtrained. Growing up as a gymnast, I used to train 25 hours a week in the summer and about 20 during the school year. That level of hard work and structure was just part of my normal. Discipline became a part of who I am and part of how I measure training intensity. So now, when I’m training around 13 hours a week, it doesn’t feel like much. I downplay the amount of work I do because I’m not at an elite level. I tell myself it’s not “serious enough” to require the amount of rest I know deep down I need. The truth is, it’s still a lot. As an adult, it’s not just the training hours; it’s everything that goes with it. Fueling, sleep, strength work, work-work, stress. All of it adds up, and pretending it doesn’t has done more harm than good. I just believed it “couldn’t be me,” and because I am not a professional who trains 20 hours a week. In reality, age-group athletes are more likely to get overtrained because they have to manage working on top of training more than pros do. I realized that overtraining can not only be caused by too much training itself, but also in conjunction with other factors like sleep, food, and mental stress. After meeting for an hour, we had a bit more of a game plan for the future, which I felt good about. Before I left, I asked her for advice on the rest of the day’s training. She said: “Don’t do the 3.5-hour bike ride. Spin if you want for an hour, but I would recommend going easy and eating a burger tonight”. Needless to say, I didn’t go on the bike ride, and I ate 1.5 burgers.
After sleeping 8.5 hours, Bear sat on my chest, and I fell back asleep for 2 hours.
Today, Sunday 29th, is day 3 of nothing. I am still doing my PT exercises, but at this point, I am sleeping 8-9 hours plus naps and still tired. I am going to do things that feel right. At this point, I haven’t gotten to any movement yet, but I think I am getting there. I was concerned that I didn’t get better in 2 days, so I freaked out and went to get my blood tested. I don’t think that is a bad thing, regardless of whether to see where things are at. Most of the tests came back normal. I was in the normal range of ferritin, but on the lower side. Through this rest, I have noticed that I need to give up the idea that I am not disciplined, because I would not have gotten to this point if I weren’t disciplined. Yes, I can be better at fueling and doing activation, but I still get my workouts done 95% of the time. If I don’t, I am learning that my body might be telling me something. However, it is hard to find the line between just having an off day or something bigger. I feel that by going through this, I will get better at finding the line.
I am glad that I am getting to the bottom of this before something worse happens, like losing my period or getting stress fractures, or having full-blown RED-S. I think this happens more than we might think in triathlon. Lionel Sanders recently posted a video explaining his situation relating to RED-S. This topic is not as glamorous as others in the triathlon world because I think it shines a light on what people are doing wrong. Some might think they aren’t disciplined enough if they take days off (including myself at times!), but in reality, the athletes that are actually able to confidently take a month, or however long, off until they feel better, have a stronger ability to be disciplined. I talked with my mentor/ friend Kristen about my whole recent situation, and she asked if I want to be the type of athlete that stays in the sport for a long time or the type of athlete who goes hard for 4 years and runs themselves into the ground and can never train again. I want to become a pro, and I know in my case that it will take years upon years of hard work to get there. I am so young for triathlon, as most women hit their peak endurance performance in their mid-30s to 40s, I know I have the time to rest and recover to get there. And get there having fun, might I add.
Here are some things to look out for when becoming aware of LEA (Low Energy Availability) (this is not an extensive list of symptoms, just the ones I experienced):
Poor sleep
Constant hunger or no appetite
Nagging injuries
Tired even after lots of sleep
Feeling unusually unmotivated to train
Rest is one of the bravest and most disciplined things you can do for your longevity in any sport. I am learning so much because I keep trying new things. I will continue to learn about this topic and try the find the line between “I am having an off day” and “I need a reset”.