Athletics: Runners' Burnout: Mental, Physical, Emotional Turmoil

George Miller took up running 25 years ago, but by his own definition he was little more than a casual observer. He entered a few races but rarely accumulated more than 12 miles per week.

But on two occasions in recent years, Miller entered the trail running and ultramarathon worlds.

Miller, a firefighter and paramedic in Half Moon Bay, Calif., first became enthralled with ultras after volunteering his medical expertise at an aid station at the Western States 100-MIle Endurance Run.

Enthused by the runners' efforts as they progressed throughout the day and night on the course's rugged trails, Miller, then age 49, was quickly "hooked." He decided to run a marathon and then progressed into the 50-kilometer distance.

But like many new runners, Miller's inexperience proved frustrating. He eventually suffered from burnout. In his instance, it was both physical and mental exhaustion.

While not particularly accumulating high-mileage weeks, Miller's enthusiasm caught up with him. And while he finished events, he wasn't enjoying the experience.

"I felt prepared going into the race," Miller said of one experience, the Big Basin Marathon in Boulder Creek, Calif., a trail event with 4,500 feet of elevation gain. "But things fell apart after the first mile. In my excitement, I broke the most basic rules by going out too fast and not eating enough. By mile 18, I bonked big time."

"The one packet of GU I had kept me 'alive' enough to walk most of the rest of the way," Miller continued. "But my body was mad at my mind for getting it into this mess."

Miller finished the difficult race, but with a combination of depleted muscles and disappointment, he didn't run again for nearly two weeks.

"For the next few days, I stretched and felt pretty good," Miller recalled. "Nothing really hurt, but I could tell my body had been through an ordeal. I didn't run again for 10 days. I just didn't feel like running."

Miller, a husband and father of five children children who's also active in other hobbies, is still new to the sport. But he realized he needed to re-evaluate his goals as well as his training and racing methods to avoid further burnout and unsatisfactory results.

In addition to increasing his intake of fluids, foods and mineral supplements, Miller devised a new multi-step physical and mental approach for his advancement in the sport. He also has developed a simple philosophy.

"I stopped feeling like I had to run everything and I realized that I'm not a fast runner; I stopped concerning myself with speed," he said.

Miller's new self-imposed guidelines and goals also include:

* Realize my mistakes and research ways to rectify them;

* Set realistic, attainable and gradual goals;

* Keep the will to run "alive" by socializing with other ultramarathon runners;

* Enjoy the times I'm power walking;

* Feel like I want to run only a few days after a race;

* Finish with a smile and good feeling inside;

* Stay hydrated and fueled so I won't bonk.

While Miller has been able to realize and strive to correct his running predicament, many other beginning and experienced runners have more difficulty.

Gordon Bakoulis, author, editor and three-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials competitor, has written and experienced burnout. She cites stale training habits, overracing, overtraining and mental letdown as signs of running burnout.

"Don't race too frequently," Bakoulis said. "Just like running too much mileage or doing too many speed workouts, overracing can lead to excessive fatigue, burnout, and it may contribute to injury.

"A good test of whether you're racing too frequently is your mindset as you approach a race. You should have a feeling of eager anticipation and excitement. If you approach a race with a sense of listlessness or boredom - or worse, dread - you have probably been overracing."

Another sure sign of overracing or athlete burnout, Bakoulis suggests, is a sudden, otherwise unexplained dip in race performances.

But a "burned out" runner can also use the problem as a blessing, according to Bakoulis. If an athlete recognizes their burnout symptoms, they can refocus their training and even improve their running.

Veteran ultramarathoner and race director Shawn McDonald of San Diego, Calif., knows the burnout phenomenon as well as anyone. McDonald has completed dozens of ultramaratnons, including several 100-mile races. But even an athlete of McDonald's caliber knows the value of a relaxed mileage week. As a result, he reduces his running mileage and incorporates other forms of exercise after important competitions.

"If one has a 'cutback week' every fourth or fifth week, then in the long run they will be a stronger and faster runner, have fewer injuries and be much more likely to avoid burnout," McDonald said. "It takes some planning and motivation to put these changes into your running program, but it is the smartest thing to do."

© Copyright 2003, James Raia

Posted with the permission of James Raia.

Subscribe to James Raia's Endurance Sports News and Tour de France Times at: www.byjamesraia.com. They're free and spam-free.