I’d run 10km to the gym, do a workout, then run 10km home. All before starting work at 9am. My obsession left me feeling shattered and stressed
We are a nation that loves to run: over a quarter of Britons pound the pavements (or treadmills) at least one to three times per week, according to a 2025 report.
I’ve always enjoyed running, but my passion for it really escalated during the pandemic, along with almost 29 per cent of current runners, who also started during the pandemic.
Racking up the miles felt like one of the few things over which I could exercise some control. It cleared my head, got me outside and it became the crutch upon which I relied to clock up steps and burn through calories. It was a way to feel in touch with my body and to offset all the stodgy comfort foods I was inhaling.
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Although I was pretty hot on maintaining some strength training alongside runs, it was my priority. On an “easy” day, I’d clock up 15km. Other days, I’d run up to 35km. I didn’t care that my knees were “cracking” every time I squatted or that I felt constantly puffy, sluggish and inflamed.
Post-Covid my obsession continued. I cut my runs down a little, but I still maintained an intense workout schedule. I’d run 10km to the gym, do a workout, then run 10km home. All before starting work at 9am.
But towards the end of 2024, my body had just had enough. I was constantly sore, tired and ill.
“Running high mileage puts strain on the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons, and increases inflammation in the body,” explains Helen Gaunt, a UK athletics coach specialising in endurance and PT.
“Inflammation is the body’s repair response, but when it’s constantly activated, it leaves tissues sore and stiff which can hinder training progress and performance.”
In 2025, I made some big changes to my exercise routine. It took several months, but I have actually started to feel in tune with my body. Dare I say it, I now admire my body and have a new-found love for it.
The warning signs I ignored
There were some positives to my intense running schedule. I have a not-too-shabby marathon personal best (PB) of 3:15 under my belt and I’ve comfortably completed a couple of ultra trail marathons.
My running looked great on paper. But the truth was messier. After all, excessive exercise such as running puts intense stress on the body and mind.
Soreness was just a part of life. My back ached, my hamstrings were tight and though I wore the discomfort like a badge of honour, day-to-day life was uncomfortable.
My sleep was turbulent too. I’d regularly get just five hours a night, often broken, which, for me, wasn’t enough to sustain an active life.
I couldn’t be bothered to do much either, often feeling unenthusiastic about anything after about 3pm, when it felt like my daily energy had been used up.
That’s despite the fact that I felt a constant need to be eating high-energy foods. My cravings for chocolate, Cheerios and M&S biscuits were out of control.
The biggest red flag was the disappearance of my period. For nine long months, they vanished, only to return post-Covid when I took a few extra run breaks and regained the 5kg I’d lost.
“High-intensity training increases cortisol, the stress hormone within the body,” says Gaunt.
“Loss of periods, primarily due to increased cortisol levels in the body from the rigours of training, is often combined with a reduction in body fat. Athletes can struggle to take on adequate nutrition leading to low energy availability and weight loss. This disrupts your hormonal balance, potentially causing irregular or missed periods (amenorrhea).”
Gaunt adds: “Chronically high cortisol levels can slow recovery because the body stays in a tissue-breaking, high-stress mode. This can dampen the immune system, disrupt sleep and work against the hormones that help rebuild and repair the body.”
The benefits of cutting back
When I scaled back my running, I really scaled back. By the start of 2025, I was running once a week. These were slow runs, chatting to friends, rather than chasing pace or distance.
My focus shifted to strength training, walking and a scattering of Pilates.
It was the changes in my physical body that I noticed first. I’m not talking about weight loss as I’ve never had much to lose, but instead, my body composition changed. My legs felt firmer, my core looked less inflamed and more defined and there was less water retention around my stomach too, even around my time of the month.
Stress is renowned for triggering gut-related issues such as bloating, so removing my key source of stress – high-mileage running – helped to reduce the puffy “weight” I’d become so familiar with.
In terms of physique, Emma Kirk-Odunubi, a sports scientist and running coach, says that running may burn calories but to build that definition and tone, “lifting weights and muscle building is the most effective way”.
Plus, consistent running with no recovery, does muscle growth no favour.
Kirk-Odunubi adds: “Running causes muscle breakdown and small tears. These tears then rebuild so our muscles adapt and grow strong. Without proper recovery, your muscles won’t rebuild so you’re more likely to get injuries because the muscles aren’t recovering from the run. If you run again and again, that muscle isn’t repaired, you’ll cause damage and even long-term issues.”
Stepping back from the runs also allowed my appetite to become normal. For the first time in years, the constant cravings faded. I could eat one biscuit, not the whole packet. Food no longer consumed my thoughts.
“Running, especially long distances, can temporarily suppress appetite,” says Kirk-Odunubi.
But the body generally compensates for high-calorie expenditure by increasing the drive to eat over time. As I’d become accustomed to.
My sleep gradually improved too. Now, I usually sleep through the night and if I do wake up, I fall back asleep quickly. I feel rested and calm, not jittery and anxious.
“Overtraining can cause excess fatigue, but it also raises cortisol levels to the point where people can struggle to unwind and get enough restorative sleep, even when they’re so tired,” says Emma.
In fact, generally, my body has more “life”. It’s not normal to feel constantly fatigued. Exercise should ultimately energise you in the long term and constantly running was doing me no favours.
“We want the body to be in homeostasis, the ability to keep going and be in a state where we can just get on with our day-to-day activities and tasks. From a cellular level, everything is balanced, we’re not fatigued,” Emma explains.
Cutting back on mileage pretty much allowed my body, inside and out, to rebuild itself.
I now feel more connected with my body than ever – I’m in my best shape, I’m stronger, I sleep like a baby and I have energy.
How to avoid running burn-out
Although we can all individually handle different amounts of exercise, there are a few golden runs when it comes to run training.
First up, aim for a ratio of 80:20 of slower runs versus intense training.
“The slower runs, often called ‘zone 2’ training, at a heart rate of 60 to 70 per cent of your maximum, allow active recovery while also increasing your mileage,” says Gaunt.
If you’re training for a big event such as a marathon, make sure you allow your body to recover after.
“The body typically needs between two to four weeks to properly recover from a marathon,” says Gaunt.
“Take at least one week completely off from running, followed by a couple of weeks of very light, easy running, if they wish.”
Complement your runs with strength training too. Even just two sessions a week will keep your muscles strong and reduce the pressure on bones and joints caused by running.
Feel like you’ve overdone it? Or starting to notice symptoms like I did? Please don’t ignore red flags.
“If you can’t accelerate in sessions, that’s probably a sign that you have been overtraining. Your body can’t progress; it’s stuck in a plateau,” warns Emma.
A de-load of seven to 10 days, or longer, can help. This means shortening sessions, incorporating extra rest days and avoiding high-intensity runs.
“During this time, a runner experiences negligible or no loss of fitness. The body uses this time to recover and adapt, which can even lead to performance improvements afterwards,” reassures Gaunt.
It’s well worth it, and you will come back stronger.