Fatigue

[Steadytrot]

Hi

I have restarted C25K after a long break last year. I am on week 9 but when I started doing 28 mins, I began to get all day long fatigue and stress headaches. I drink lots of water before the run and through the day along with eating lots of snacks. I keep my pace slow and steady - more so than last time after following advice not to over stride to avoid shin splints which has worked!

I have always been quite prone to tiredness and disrupted sleep - even trips to the supermarket have always been exhausting. But I'm active despite this.

Has anyone got any tips? I know hydration is the key but I do drink so much water on a run day and have always hydrated quite well - and I do that on non-run days.

Thankyou

Sonia

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Hello and welcome again

Have you had a GP or nurse check-up recently to check everything is as it should be.

Your eating regime and hydration sound fine.. and there is no need to drink a lot of water on run day or during a run if you are hydrating well normally..

Tiredness can be a factor... and if you are prone to tiredness a lot of the time, that is why I ask if you have had anyone help you find out why?

We are not medical experts but there may be a deficiency somewhere that can be rectified?

If you are feeling very tired, that is not ideal for running, especially the longer runs i the programme...you are doing the right things, but if they are not working my advice would be to go and get checked out. Then there is a starting point to work from?

Do please keep us posted... we and the runs will still be here

[Steadytrot in reply to Oldfloss]

Thankyou Oldfloss. I have seen the GP periodically for this issue and sometimes things have been discovered - Vit D deficiency, lactose intolerance but nothing that could explain the ongoing tiredness. I haven't been recently so I will head back and have a chat. Will update. x

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Steadytrot]

Sounds good...x

[Yesletsgo Graduate]

What are your snacks? What you eat can affect your level of tiredness. If you're eating lots of simple carbs - sugar, processed food, fizzy drinks, you know the baddies - the rebound from processing all that sugar can make you feel tired. Maybe cut some of them out and eat a bit more (and better quality) at mealtimes.

What do you eat for lunch and how much? If I eat a lot of bread at lunchtime it knocks me out, but if I stick to protein based food ie leave out the bread and potatoes it helps. Also, a big meal midday demands a nap afterwards.

What about your evening meal? What time do you eat that? If you leave it late you'll still be digesting it overnight so you won't sleep properly. If you don't sleep well you'll feel tired.

Now, the awkward question: what's your alcohol consumption? Alcohol truly messes up your sleep and can interfere with lots of other stuff as well. I gave it up completely for 15 years and it was the best thing I could have done.

Finally, has your doctor checked your thyroid? An underactive thyroid will make even the simplest tasks feel impossible because your body just isn't working properly. The good news is that if this is the problem a daily tablet will probably solve it.

Good luck!

[Yesletsgo Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

I just read your profile Steadytrot . If you have 2 kids under 5 and one doesn't sleep it's no wonder you're tired all the time. If I had the answer to this I'd write a book and make a million quid. Small children are exhausting but wonderful.

If your doctor can't find anything wrong take comfort in the fact that they do eventually slow down and sleep better.

All the best, I've been there (youngest didn't sleep in their own bed through the night until they were about 10!!)