I have been running 3x 5k each week along with going to the gym, I'm starting to feel tired and a little run down (no pun intended) 
Is 3x 5ks a week too much, (I am 50 years old)
Am I overdoing it?
Do you guys run 3 a week or do you vary it a little?
Any advice gratefully received.
Are you following the C25k training programme? That will gradually build your stamina, until you can run 3x30 mins, each week.
We are all starting from different places, but many much older than you, have completed C25k and managed to continue to run 3times per week, although often mixing up the distances. It may well take several months before you feel comfortable with that level of exertion. I admit to not running so much in the winter, but aim to run a minimum of 20k per week in the summer. I am sixty.
Do what you enjoy, not what you feel you have to do. Keep running, keep smiling.
Always listen to your body and perhaps yours is telling you to ease up a little. Why not mix up the runs? You can run faster but shorter distances, intervals, hills, longer slower runs. The world is your oyster and you can do what you want.
You don't say what you do in the gym but any cross training and strength work will complement running but like everything else in life you can do too much and that's when it doesn't give you any benefit.
Ease up for a week or so and then see how you feel. Make sure you eat properly too.
Hi, my runnings come down to twice a week in the winter, and I usually do 5k, or try and make sure I do at least 30 mins with some spin at home on the days in between, don't do gym..
But in the summer will aim for running 3 times a week with a longer run gradually towards 10k on one of those days.. And of course a Parkrun (I want a red shirt lol) have done 12 upto now, but not doing them every week at the moment, and I'm 60.
Don't knock yourself out! have a rest, and take care..😊
I'm in my 40's and I'm a slow runner. A 5K for me takes me about 45-50 mins. I find that I can't manage and don't have the time to run 50 mins plus 10 mins warm/cool up walks 3x a week. What I do is try to run 30 mins twice a week, usually Monday and Wednesday and then on a Friday I try and do a long run/5K which then gives me 2 days recovery till my next run. As I'm keeping going my timing of a 5K is getting shorter but it will take me a while before I'm at a 30 min 5K. Just do what is right for you, don't overly push yourself or you could risk injury. Remember a run is a run even if it's not a full 5k and it's better than sitting at home with your feet up lol
I'm in agreement with a lot of what has already been said. I run twice a week but I swim and hike I'm 50 this year. I was a big walker and swimmer before starting. If the tiredness is a new thing ease off a little as it could just be your body telling you your fighting a low grade infection. The times when I haven't listened to that little dip in energy are the times I've gone in to have a full blown cold. The more you run the more you pick up on more Information your body is trying to transmit to you. It could just be if you ease up in a couple of weeks you will feel fighting fit again.
I find my body is quite cyclical and every now and then it wants a break!! If you are tired, listen to your body and rest as the last thing you want is injury which we are more prone to when we are tired.... Perhaps chat with a trainer in the gym about tweaking your plan ( after you have allowed yourself some rest)! Take care and its so important that we listen to our bodies and decipher what they are telling us!!
Exactly what I was about to say. Also sometimes we are carrying a bit of a virus or something like that which doesn't much affect everyday life, but can really take it out of you if you're doing lots of running. Rest is fabulous, and much underrated!
I graduated 22 weeks ago now, started with 3 X 30 mins, then introduced 1 X 5k. Then I felt OK so did 3 X 5k a week for several weeks as it continued to be tough. Maybe after about 10 weeks, I felt better and less tired so kept going and now do 2 X 5k plus 1 X 10k. I think for me I struggled with 5k for some time but then just sort of broke through that and wanted more.
Of course, your goals are your own and I can't suggest them to you. I am quite new to running myself and 52 so think it is a balance of doing what you enjoy plus pushing a but further. However even running 3 X 30 minutes a week is a great achievement, so well done for keeping going.
For me, variety has made running more fun, so I go to new places, woods, fields, parks, some hills, parkrun etc. Julie
5k 3 times a week is really not an excessive workload for a 50-ish body, even with daily gym sessions (depending to an extent how intense those gym sessions are - if you are doing 4hrs pumping iron, then maybe).
What is much more likely is that it is your rest and nutrition that is insufficient. If the body is getting enough sleep and enough good fuel it can easily sustain pretty much any workload we throw at it. The key word here is 'enough' though. My training schedule is quite scaled up at the moment, and I have learned through experience that I need to be getting a solid 2 hours sleep per night than what I usually get by on, and i need to pay close attention to how much of what i eat how often - not just in the sense of eat clean, avoid sugar and cake etc, but making sure I get a good amount of protein at every meal, that my calorie intake meets the amount I am burning, that I eat within a certain time of working out etc.
It sounds basic, take for gramted stuff, but it is amazing how often we are adrift from what we imagine in food and sleep terms. If I average 8-9 hrs sleep a night and eat accordingly, I feel fine. But unless I make a conscious effort to do that, late nights creep in, I drop to 6 hrs sleep and just have a piece of toast and coffee for breakfast and pretty soon my energy levels crash and I am in a lethargic funk.
People have said really useful stuff I feel. I'd add that I think sometimes it can all be a bit psychologically intense, too 'driven' to sustain indefinitely.
Especially good point from Rignold about the protein and the sleep.
I am sure you are doing the right thing giving this a little thought (no over thinking mind!) so you can put tweaks in place rather than ploughing on and then falling by the wayside altogether.
Hmm, lots of points to ponder there, I have been waking up 2 hours earlier lately, I will look into nutrition as well, maybe not eating enough of the right things.
I have been running 5ks for about 18 months and have got down to 28.39 so about average for my age but it's been like running through treacle lately and my legs are aching today from my run yesterday when normally I would have very little after effects at all.
Many thanks for all your replies, will give it a rest until Sunday and try again.
I'm 52. I run 5km on tuesday and thursday, and 14km on Sunday. My only exercise usually other than that is a 30 minute walk on weekday lunchtimes. I find that my times, and how how tired my legs feel varies a lot. Certainly the tuesday run usually feels more difficult than the thursday one, as I think my legs are still a little tired after the longer sunday run. Also I think colds and things can have an effect too.
I do however find that if I'm running regularly I hardly ever develop a proper cold, whereas if I'm not running then I seem to pick up horrible colds one after another.
My food intake is fairly simple : slice of toast with marmite for breakfast ; yoghurt, cheese, small bread roll, fresh fruit salad for lunch ; fried egg on toast, some vegetables, yoghurt, cereal for evening meal. That works fine for me but everyone is different.
I get very little exercise at work, normally sitting at a desk.
I normally set out on my runs telling myself that this run will be a slow gentle one. I try to keep my pace slow at the start. The run then develops depending on how I feel. I'm running for my own pleasure, and no one elses, so if I want to run slowly and gently, then I will, and if my legs are feeling strong and happy then I'll run faster. The only thing that I tend to fix as a target is the overall distance. The time I do that distance in I leave very flexible.
Two weeks ago I walked back home from the next village after dropping my car off there for a service, then I walked back to the village in the evening to pick it up again. It was a moday, and the three runs that followed that week were significantly slower than normal. I did the same distance as usual, just eased off the pace.
I don't think that 3 runs per week will be a problem for you, as long as you dont push yourself to hard. If you've done a lot at the gym then make it a slow gentle run, and enjoy it rather than pushing for a fast time.
I'm impressed :0 Thats a lot of mileage in a week.
I've been feeling a little snuffly today so maybe I'm getting a cold, we'll see how it goes.
How many calories in midges???
Confusion re 10% rule
I run 5k's haha
Clarification
How many times a week?
