if you run in the morning

[lynn]

What do you do to recover so you can function throughout the day. I stay hydrated, do a cool down walk for about a mile, stretch when I get home, eat a protein/carb snack. I can't seem to get going, I feel exhausted for hours. Any suggestions?

[Critterfixer]

First thing I would do is to cut back miles. The second thing I would look at would be electrolytes, particularly if you are running daily and/or sweating a lot.

[thessa516]

Not running, but cycling. If I do too much, I'm exhausted and it takes all day to recover. I'd cut back on the pace or mileage and see if that makes a difference.

[MotherGoose]

I am not remotely an athlete or a runner, but I find if I do 20-30 minutes on the eliptical trainer, at a pace to get my heart rate up, I feel energized.  That's less than 2 miles total.  I'm sure I would be exhausted too if I seriously worked out :)

[MyLittleBears]

I run in the mornings but I usually have a higher carb dinner the night before and/or I eat a carbish breakfast about 1.5 hrs before running. It has to be healthy carbs paired with lean protein. I think this has made the biggest impact. I could feel it fueling my run. When I don't do this I definitely feel it. If you are just starting out, try to build up to running. Walking briskly then running a bit until you feel yourself getting stronger. One thing that is easy to do is try to run to long or too fast too soon. This can get your adrenals into overload and will feel exhausted for the rest of the day.

[Miss Tick]

That sometimes happens to me on Saturdays after my long run, but not so much if I stay ahead of the hydration curve.

[Rachel]

I don't run until closer to lunch time, I don't function well if I run too early in the day. Ideally I would run around 10, but that doesn't mesh very well with homeschooling.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I would think something else is off if you are exhausted. Did you just up mileage? New training schedule? Diet or sleep changes? I also think individuals vary. I get up, have coffee and run. I don't take water but others like to drink. Others like a snack. Is running a new thing or just time of day?

[grantmeawish]

My first thought: are you eating enough?

[kroe1]

When I return from my run, I have the most energy I will have for the rest of the day. Go figure.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

My first thought:  Are you sleeping enough?  

 

Generally, exercise should leave you feeling revved up, unless you are doing a very long run.  

 

Also, consider shortening the time you are out, but making it more intense.  Rather than a 40 minute jog, do 20 minutes of hill repeats, temp running, or speed work of some kind.  Break up the harder workouts with a (still short) jog and stretching/core strength every other day.