No, training too hard won’t make you a better athlete

NCR-based runner Meenal Kotak remembers looking forward to claiming a personal best in the “24 hours World Championship” in November 2019. “When we talk of ‘marathon over-training, it is important to understand that over-training is usually relative to the training load a person is accustomed to,” believes Dr Aashish Contractor, Director, Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai. “Ultimately, over-training disrupts the delicate balance of multiple systems, throwing off hormones, the immune system, behaviour and mood,” points out Jain, adding that this could, in turn, cause a confusingly broad range of possible symptoms, including insomnia, irritability, anxiety, weight loss, anorexia, a loss of motivation, a lack of concentration and depression. “It is not unusual to find a runner suffering from emotional changes including - lack of concentration or focus on tasks, low self-esteem, poor motivation or even depression,” adds Jain. If you begin training again and start to experience symptoms of over-training, return to resting,” says Jain, adding that one may need to slow down in all areas of your life.