If you've ever experienced the unpleasant feelings of irritability during or after a run, you are not alone, all by yourself, on a little island called "grumpy". I think many of us have come across this strange phenomenon at some point in our lives. So why if exercise is supposed to make us feel good, does it sometimes make us feel irritable or moody? How did the Runner's High become the Runner's Low?...
Some time ago, Bart was in a race when he witnessed a very accomplished runner, who was having a rather bad day, step off the course, tear his singlet off, and throw it on the ground, all while screaming, "my training sucks!". Over the years, Bart and I have each had our share of runs where we ended up irritable, moody, or had negative thoughts swirling around in our heads. Bart usually, all-of-a-sudden, gets very quite and you can feel the density of the air get very thick around him. Me, I get vocal and am ready to choke the daylights out of whatever is getting on my nerves. (Nope, I've never harmed anyone or anything yet).
So after giving this some thought, we decided to read up on what could be going on to trigger these feelings. Here's what we came up with.
Hunger & Dehydration:
*Lead to symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, nausea, low blood sugar (also know as hypoglycaemia), and irritability.
*Feeling cranky on long runs, could also indicate you're low on carbohydrates. Low carbs causes your blood sugar to drop.
*Feeling cranky on long runs, could also indicate you're low on carbohydrates. Low carbs causes your blood sugar to drop.
Over-Exertion & Over-Training:
*Can lead to dehydration, muscle fatigue, low blood sugar, inability to sleep, elevated resting heart rate, decreased motivation, decreased appetite.
*Too many consecutive days of training do not allow muscles to recovery properly, and over time, over-exertion and over-training can lead to decreased performance.
*Can lead to dehydration, muscle fatigue, low blood sugar, inability to sleep, elevated resting heart rate, decreased motivation, decreased appetite.
*Too many consecutive days of training do not allow muscles to recovery properly, and over time, over-exertion and over-training can lead to decreased performance.
Lack of Sleep:
*Lack of sleep can alter your mood significantly. It causes irritability and anger and lessens your ability to cope with stress.
*Research shows that repeated lack of sleep (6 hours or less a night) wears you down and lowers your immunity protection by 50%
*Lack of sleep can alter your mood significantly. It causes irritability and anger and lessens your ability to cope with stress.
*Research shows that repeated lack of sleep (6 hours or less a night) wears you down and lowers your immunity protection by 50%
Boredom:
*Running the same route day in and day out is boring and can make you dread heading out for a run and make you feel irritable afterwards.
*Running the same route day in and day out is boring and can make you dread heading out for a run and make you feel irritable afterwards.
Pain:
*Continuing to exercise when you feel pain can create negative feelings toward your workout.
*Persistent muscle soreness that lasts for hours or days is a sign you're not giving your self enough rest.
*Continuing to exercise when you feel pain can create negative feelings toward your workout.
*Persistent muscle soreness that lasts for hours or days is a sign you're not giving your self enough rest.
So if you find yourself being irritable during or after your runs, you may find one or more of the above could be the culprits.
Happy Running!
Eve & Bart
Resources:
Runner's World March 2013 Calendar: Stay Healthy
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