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Physical and mental fatigue during marathon preparation is not only normal but also a sign of progress.
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The training load is tiring to handle, but it is essential to give the body and mind a chance to get used to the fatigue.
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Managing physical and mental stress is essential to avoid burnout and better prepare for race day.
Preparing fora marathon requires careful physical preparation fueled by strong motivation.
In the initial phase, seeing early progress is exciting: being able to run distances never reached before and improving one’s times is rewarding.
Past the first two or three months, as race day approaches, it can happen that the initial euphoria is replaced by a feeling of heaviness and fatigue, both physical and mental.
It is normal for you to feel overwhelmed by this effort.
This represents a crucial stage in your preparation. But as John Belushi teaches us in Animal house, it is precisely “when the going gets tough that the tough get going.”
The “price to pay”
You feel tired and fatigued because of the training load you are facing, which includes factors such as intensity, volume and frequency of running sessions.
Knowing how to manage the accumulation of these factors is a key element on which marathon preparation is based: you need to gradually increase your training load to allow your body to adapt.
By increasing your weekly mileage and training intensity, you are preparing your body to handle an effort that will culminate in running 42 kilometers 195 meters. This run inevitably leads to some fatigue, not just physical, to which everyone responds differently.
At some point you may even feel mentally drained. This is normal.
Stressors
Preparing for a marathon not only challenges the body, but also strains the mind. Running requires a great deal of concentration, memorization and decision-making skills.
When you are mentally exhausted you are less clear-headed, and endorphin production may also decrease.
This explains why you may feel more tired, worried and anxious at certain times.
Preparing for the marathon is not your only commitment and thought: you have a job, a family, and a social life to think about, all of which add pressure and stress to your day, with both physical and mental repercussions.
Excessive stress buildup if not managed and disposed of can lead to burnout.
There is a fine line separating functional overload fatigue, thus a temporary fatigue, from overtraining fatigue, which instead identifies a condition of excessive stress that arises when you have not given proper space for recovery.
Functional overload is a manageable and easily overcome condition, whereas overtraining, if neglected, can increase the risk of injury and lead to forced stops.
Trust the process
If you feel broken, know that this is completely normal; it is part of the growth process you are going through.
The fatigue you are coping with now will prepare you for the tougher times during the race.
If you are following a well-structured training plan, taking care of your nutrition, and giving yourself proper rest and recovery, this feeling of exhaustion will pass.
The tapering period in which you gradually reduce your training loads will allow your body to regenerate, getting you through the race to your full potential. So it’s okay if you’re feeling tired and you’re “only” halfway through your marathon preparation-you’re exactly where you should be.
Today’s fatigue will get you ready, physically and mentally, to cross that long-awaited and dreamed of finish line. (Via Run by Outside)