Subtitle: You are training harder than ever, but getting slower. Your heart is racing while you sit on the couch. Welcome to the danger zone.
Endurance athletes are wired to push through pain. Suffering is part of the sport. But there is a line where productive stress becomes destructive pathology.
That line is Overtraining Syndrome (OTS).
A recent Enduroco community thread from rider Vikram described the descent clearly: “I ramped volume quite a lot… trained myself into a hole that has seemed impossible to come out of.”
His symptoms were classic, yet easy to ignore until too late. Here is how to spot warning signs and claw your way back.
The tired-but-wired paradox
The most dangerous misconception about overtraining is that you will just feel sleepy. In reality, early-stage OTS often manifests as sympathetic nervous system overdrive:
- Elevated resting heart rate (RHR): your engine idles at 90 mph. Vikram noted HR would not settle for hours after rides.
- Insomnia: exhausted body, racing mind.
- HRV crash: variability drops and fails to rebound even after a rest day.
As forum member Coach Aditi noted: “This is more like nervous system fatigue than detraining.”
The trap of clean eating
Another culprit is inadvertent under-fueling.
Vikram wrote: “I am 100% sure I have not underate… I track all calories.” But as Amit pointed out, calculators are estimates. Under high training load, metabolic demand can rise sharply for tissue repair. Strict tracking can still hide a deficit.
Unintentional low energy availability (LEA) can suppress hormonal function and lead toward RED-S.
The recovery protocol
If you suspect you are in the hole, training your way out is not an option.
1. The full stop
You do not need a recovery ride. You need real rest.
- Protocol: complete cessation of structured training for 2-3 weeks.
- Why: autonomic reset. Even Zone 1 can keep stress elevated too early.
2. Ditch the data
Take off the Whoop. Hide the Garmin.
- Why: obsessing over daily HRV can create an anxiety loop that further suppresses recovery.
As Amit advised: “Take a few weeks off from tracking… just eat until you’re full.”
3. Eat to recover
Forget race weight during this phase. Increase carbohydrate intake and prioritize nutrient density so your body exits perceived famine mode.
Return to train
You are ready to return when you are excited to ride, not just scared of losing fitness.
Start with:
- short, unstructured rides
- gradual reintroduction of structure
Do not try to catch up missed sessions. Mark downtime as illness/injury and let plan logic recalibrate.
Conclusion
Fitness is rented, not owned. If you skip recovery payments, your body will evict you. Listen to whispers of fatigue before they become screams.