Unexplained fatigue / achey legs

Simon Pryde

Just p[osted this in main forum but perhaps it's more relevant here.... 


Hello,

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this.

Spent a long time out injured from September 2015 - calf problems then plantar fasciitis and other foot issues.

Eventually started running again in November, and built it up slowly (prior to injury I was doing quite high mileage and competing in ultras). Foot was okay, upped the training, but have suddenly hit a wall in that I can barely run five miles without my legs aching - it feels like the LAST five miles of an ultra. I feel generally tired and just want to stop - every pace of the way. All of which is rather unlike me! I've felt a bit fatigued generally - but just have a general inability to run. I've also had niggly adductor and glute injuries.

I'd put in three quite hard sessions the week before things started to go wrong - but if I overdid it, surely the effects shouldn't last THIS long (it's nearly five weeks since then).

My physio suggested iron deficiency - I have been to GP and had blood test - she says if it come back okay to just see how things go and if symptoms persist in a month, go back. Physio also said an "underlying virus" could be the cause - even though I've not had any other symptoms.

I can cycle and swim okay without feeling "achey" - but I still probably feel more tired during and after than usual. I feel like I am yawning lots - sometimes even DURING exercise, which I'm sure I never used to do.

It's a big frustration having been out injured for so long previously.

Obviously I will wait and see what the blood test results show and take it from there, but I just wondered if anyone else has had similar symptoms.. And what the problem turned out to be (and how you solved it!). I'm not going to jump to any conclusions about what's causing this, but I'm also keen to investigate all possibilities.

literatin

It sounds quite similar to my experience of iron deficiency (low ferritin rather than haemoglobin). At its worst, I would find myself closing my eyes while running down the back straight of the track because I felt I needed a little rest! HOWEVER, the standard blood tests you get from your GP often only include haemoglobin rather than ferritin, and even if they test for ferritin the NHS will consider a much wider range to be 'normal' than the ideal range for endurance athletes. So you are likely to be told your results are 'normal' with no accompanying details even if they are not, and especially if your GP doesn't know anything about endurance athletes. So make sure you ring up and ask for numbers, rather than just getting a text saying 'all your blood tests are normal'. According to the Scottish Institute for Sport, the optimal ferritin range for a male endurance athlete would be 80-345, with 50 as an absolute minimum.

Simon Pryde

Thanks Literatin. They actually said they would only be in touch if they notice something abnormal. So if I hear nothing, I will chase them up. I have started taking iron supplements anyway, so will see if that helps. How did you recover? How long did it take? Did you have a complete rest?

literatin

Hard to say how long it took, because I only went to the doctor after about nine months of getting gradually slower and more tired. I wasn't recovering from hard efforts, was tired, achey, had dry hair, couldn't get my heart rate up beyond a certain level and couldn't take satisfyingly deep breaths. Luckily my doctor is a runner and was prepared to take my coach's recommendations seriously. I was prescribed ferrous fumarate tablets (210mg), which I was initially recommended to take three times a day, but I cut this to just one when I started getting the same symptoms but worse, and the next blood test didn't show much of an improvement (30-something as opposed to 29; it should have been about 50). However, once I increased the dose back to 2x 210mg a day and started being much more careful about timing (with vit C, not with calcium, etc.) things improved more quickly. I didn't have a complete rest; I could still run and do other sports, just not as well and had to be more careful about recovery times between hard efforts. Probably was back to normal within about 6-9 months?

Simon Pryde

Thanks, useful info. Certainly SOUNDS similar. Will be interested to see my blood test results and take from there. Glad you got back to normal! 

Captain

I think Literatin has hit the nail on the head. And touched lucky!!
Having a doctor who s also a runner is a real massive favour.
THIS IS NOT HAVING A GO AT GPs!!
Typically, the conversation will go like this; "Doctor, it hurts when I run. " Reply, "Well don't run, then." not quite what er want to hear...

Captain

Incidentally Simon, who did you finally get rid of the calf/plantar issues? I ask as  I've just been starting with this myself, and am scared to death it'll take years to get rid of...

Simon Pryde

Captain, apologies for the delayed response - I was away on holiday. Regarding the PF issues, well, still not completely resolved, but the turning point for me (after trying several physios and specialists) was being referred to a podiatrist who was excellent. He gave me exercises to do, insoles (which I still wear) and analysed my gait and gave me some pointers. He was a class above anyone else I had seen (and a bit more expensive, unfortunately). Prior to that, I tried pretty much everything, with little or no success. I would say keep up the calf stretching and any other exercises you're given, and keep your chin up - you WILL get over it!

JF10

Hi, just found this thread.
Did you get anywhere with the fatigue problems ?

aneesto

I read before in one of the issues of runner's world that the symptoms you're describing sound like something related to ultra runner's overtraining - I can't remember the concept's exact name but it's the body's way of saying that it has had enough. It usually comes rather unexpected, and when you were following your training and recovery by the book, but your body considers it still to be too much and shuts down. It's not a case of taking a week off but rather a longer proper recovery. Your body has basically given up. On another note, the achey muscles - maybe there's too much inflamation in your body and acid build up, you're not getting enough protein, not enough liquids? Maybe getting a holistic view would help? How is your liver, pancreas, sugar levels doing? Are your kidneys working fine?

Sub17ParkRun

It could be posterior tibial tendonitis and over time that may lead to Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction. Protect your arches and do what your experts(podiatrist and physiotherapists)  recommend and take as much rest as possible or do easier activities like swimming, walking, cycling, rowing, etc. PTTD fix is ankle fusion and tendon transfer, complicated surgeries with uncertain outcomes. Ankle fusion will limit you, ankle mobility will be reduced to 90%.