Is this over-training, or something more serious?

[James Webb]

Hi,

This is my first post on the discussion board.

This evening I received an email from a running friend. After reading it I felt concerned because what she describes sounds more serious than over-training syndrome. Here is a segment of her email :


"I'm writing because I haven't been feeling well for awhile, about a month actually.  One Sunday afternoon, 4 hours after a run, I almost passed out.  I had to sit down immediately, take all weight off my legs, and keep my head in between my legs for 15 minutes before I could muster the energy to make it home, and straight to bed.  Since that day, I've felt a persistent malaise and illease every single day.  I can't run at all, and I haven't even been able to walk further than very short distances at a time, very slowly, for a month now.  I think I may have overtrained for my marathon 2 months ago, and then not allowed enough adequate recovery time afterward.  Two days after my marathon, when I attempted a walk to Carle Park, I nearly fainted then and this wave of malaise came over me - it's the same nagging feeling I feel now.  Have you ever heard of this condition before?  Do you have any tips for recovery or advice that you could recommend?  The doctor I saw said my blood work looks normal, which makes me think this blah feeling is running related.  Have you heard of anyone else who has experienced these symptoms?"

Feeling tired is one thing, but feeling faint and not being able to walk a few blocks for a month long period seems excessive. She was in monster shape before the Quad Cities marathon, consistently running 3-4 hours for her long runs. It was her first marathon, and she finished in a respectable 4:25.

I am worried about her health, and I replied to her that it would be best to see her doctor again, because it sounded more serious than over-training.

Does anyone have any ideas on what her illness may be? Is it from over-training, or is it maybe a heart related matter?

I am worried...

James William Webb (Will on the running blog)

[Eric Day]

Will, this sounds serious. She *MUST* see a doctor and get to the bottom of it. It could be as simple as a bad flu, blood pressure, or many other things. I don't think running is a factor, especially after a month on no training. Hope she gets better soon, please let us know.

[Sasha Pachev]

This is not normal. Some serious health issue. A word of caution, though - doctors even with all the technology today cannot diagnose everything. So if a doctor says I find nothing wrong, but you still cannot run without symptoms, there is something wrong. Find a doctor that would be willing to test you right when the symptoms start to occur.

[adam]

could be alot of different things...they could be from sudden drops in blood pressure, electrolyte imbalances, stress, lack of sleep, etc.

probably best thing to do is chill out for a while, get some good rest, drink plenty of fluids (juice/powerade), eat...the normal stuff you would do when you are sick. sometimes it takes a few months of rest to be fully recovered from overtraining issues as well.

[James Webb]

Thanks for the ideas. I will forward these messages to her and hope she can make a complete recovery.