What's Your Risk For Injury or Burnout?

If you train day after day without significant rest or a change of training programs, you may be at risk for physical or mental burnout, injury or illness. The following questions can help you evaluate your risk.

• Have I just completed an intense endurance event or competition (such as a marathon, or ultraendurance race)?
• Have I lost interest in training or playing sports?
• Does my regular workout feel too difficult?
• Do I dread the thought of training or racing?
• Am I becoming more irritated or annoyed about small things?
• Have I lost my appetite or am I eating too much?
• Do I feel mentally stressed, fatigued or withdrawn?
• Do I have generalized aches, pains or body soreness?
• Am I having trouble sleeping?
• Do I have an angry, negative attitude?
• Am I having more colds and flus than usual?
• Is my morning resting heart rate higher than normal?

If you answer yes to four or more of the questions you could be pushing yourself too hard. The following strategies will help you scale back your training, recover and refresh your routine to avoid burnout.

• Take Time Off (Without Losing Fitness)
• Crosstrain
• Use the S.M.A.R.T. Principle to Set Realistic Goals
• Vary Your Training Intensity With Intervals
• Take an active (sports) vacation
• Follow the Ten Percent Rule
• Learn more about Avoiding Overtraining