Football and training advice please

Hi

I would appreciate any advice. I am back to running after a 7 year brreak. I used to run 50+ miles pw + cycling/football. Then I got a post viral illness and was wiped out for 5 years. I am now back aged 43 and have been playing 5 a side for one hour x 3 days a week for 2 years. I really want to run quite high mileage again, however, I find the football (monday, tues, friday) very intensive;leaving me  still tired the next day. Does any one have any idea how much effort this football should  be using - it feels like a speed session, but i dont know if this is a legacy of my illness. Have I really got to cut back the footy to run more? 

Are you abolutely sure you used to play football 3 times a week.. and cycle.... and run 50+ miles a week?  All at the same time?  Could it be that, in the mists of time, you're forgetting that you perhaps did one or two of these activities... but not all 3 every week.

Even if you did, you have to respect that you're into your forties now, whether or not your viral reaction is affecting you. I really think that if you're finding football 'very intensive' then it does sound like you're trying to run around like the 23 year old you used to be!  This would be like a speed session for anyone.

In my opinion, knowing little about you, if you want to run high mileage, I think you need to cut football down to once a week. Maybe twice if you're ultra fit... but think about becoming the sweeper rather than the midfield dynamo.

You'll be wiped out again if you don't ease up.

If you managed 50miles a week running, cycling and footballyou were doing pretty darn well indeed.

Most people who get to that mileage level find they need to cut the footy out, I certainly did.

Seems the answer is what's most important to you? The running mileage or the footy? After your time out, and possible weakness of your system, it's too optimistic to think you can get up to the full schedule this far on so quickly.

Runwales - I checked my log. You are right. I probably averaged once a week football and even cut that back when marathon training. I need to make a choice I guess and cut back the footy. I dont know if it is the sprints etc that produce the tiredness, but I would consider it as hard as an 8 mile easy run in terms of knackerdness. I have tried playing in defence and can use half the effort - maybe that will help as well.