no energy

Hi, I am training for the London marathon at the moment running 5 times a week. During the week I run in the mornings before work and on the weknds later on in the mornings. Last weknd I did a 21K. I woke up on Sunday not feeling too well thinking I was coming down with flu. This whole week I have felt like I dont have an ounce of energy!I have therefore taken a break from running this week. Lifting my arm seems strenuous! Even being my normal chatty self has disappeared. I started feeling a little better yesterday and feeling back to normal today.
I dont think I am running excessively but maybe my diet needs tweeking or maybe I need to take some type of sports supplement?? I am also prone to be anaemic so maybe I need to get some iron tablets too??
Has anyone had a similar experiense and do you have any suggestions on what supplement products to use.
Many thanks.
Lindi

If you're increasing your distance etc..have you increased your calorie intake? Sounds like you might not be eating the right stuff...or just not enough?

bokkie, if you are prone to anaemia this could be your problem. It happened to me last year and I felt same as you. Get it checked and get on the iron.

many thanks I will go for the iron fix and see how it goes this week!

Has anyone used post run supplements?? Do they help??

Iwas really struggling before Christmas with my energy levels particularly after any heavy training and running.I spoke to a friend who practices in chinese herbal remedies etc..being very sceptical about this sort of thing I reluctantly followed his advice..I swapped my cups of tetley tea for green tea and started taking reshi mushroom tablets and desicrated liver tabs...It certainly has made me feel better and less lethargic Worth a try maybe?

Lindi, if you're short of iron then taking a supplement won't make you start to feel better within a week. And it's safer to get your blood count checked (your GP will do this) before taking iron.

If you feel completely better now, it sounds like you may have overtrained a little, or had a viral infection.

Lots of people swear by a protein shake after exercise, but there's no substitute for getting enough rest, plenty of good food, and being careful about the rate at which you increase your training load.

There are lots of horrid bugs and viruses around. Maybe you are just a bit run down from the extra training and caught something? Hope you feel better this week!