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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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→Training Mistake 11 - Overtraining
I see a common pattern amongst recreational marathon runners where they take too much time off between races and so detrain. They then have to build up from a relatively low level of endurance and end up with only a few 20 mile long training runs. A typical pattern I've seen is to race every six months, with two months of downtime after a race followed by a four month training program. By contrast, the best marathon runners I know are doing 16+ mile training runs within a couple of weeks of the race. This allows them far more long runs, and much longer long runs in any given year. I believe that more marathon runners should capitalize on the endurance they've built up for one race by getting back to serious training as quickly as practical after a race.
==Training Mistake 11 - Overtraining==
The core principle of [[Supercompensation]] is that ''exercise does not make you fit, it's the rest that follows exercise that makes you fit.'' Many marathon runners do not grasp this principle, and so do not get sufficient rest. As a result of this overtraining [[Overtraining]] a runner can feel that their training is not effective, and so attempt to train harder. This can lead to a vicious cycle, with the overtraining [[Overtraining]] getting worse until something gives way, possibly resulting in [[Overtraining Syndrome]]. If you feel that your training is not working and you are becoming slower, then it's time to evaluate your training objectively. It's [[The importance of a training log|important to have a training log]] so that you can check if you've been skimping on your workouts, or skimping on your recovery. It's also important that your training is at the right intensity, and a [[VDOT Calculator]] can help set the right pace for the workouts. Another factor can be non-exercise stresses which can impair recovery, such as interrupted sleep, travel, emotional stress, etc. If you are beginning to suffer from overtraining[[Overtraining]], you may need a greater period of rest than you expect.
==Training Mistake 12 – Unaccustomed cross training==
As a fit and well trained runner, it's easy to believe that you can perform another form of exercise at a similar level of intensity as you do when running. However, many runners are highly specialized in their sport, and can be easily injured by overenthusiastic cross training with an unfamiliar exercise. A friend of mine was traveling with work the week before his first half marathon, and when he found all the treadmills in the hotel gym busy he decided to try the elliptical trainer for the first time. He only used it for about 20 min., but that was long enough to damage his calves to the point where he could barely walk for the next few days. This simple mistake prevented him from even reaching the start line. So the moral of this tale is to be very careful when you take up a new form of cross training.
