I'm a starting runner (been running for approx. just 2 years now) and I'm currently faced with an immense dip in my training performances.
Let me start my story 2 months back. Beginning in September I ran my first Half-Marathon
. It was not an exceptional time (02u03m), but, I ran it without pain and feeling (too) exhausted
. After the race I took 2 weeks of rest with a recuperation-run before training for my next race which was the second week of October. There I ran 14.5km , again without forcing myself, and even setting a PR for the 10k. After the race I took some time again to recuperate.
But ever since that race, nothing seems to work
. Every training has become a challenge
(even the recuperation & lsd-runs). My legs/feet feel extremely tired
and often a slight (fatigue-)pain is felt. For example, last Saturday I trained in the woods/hills. Having rested 3 days before the training I assumed my legs would have been recovered. But after no less than 7 kilometers my legs started to beg for a pause. I pushed through but eventually gave in at KM 12. I stopped for 5 minutes before continuing for another 3 km. The tempo during the training was good (fell within the margins) but my legs felt awful
.
I'm getting plenty of sleep, eat appropriately, stopped running intervals, doing less mileage, monitor my heart rate during runs,... yet somehow I'm not getting the desired feel in the legs (like in September/beginning of October).
Has anyone encountered the same problem? Is it all in my head? I'm desperate for any tips/pointers/advice.
Thank you for your time.