Overtraining syndrome?
This question is for my sister, not for me, but there are so many smart people here I thought I would ask.
Background: My sister is 33 and is an MD (neurologist). She is a runner/triathlete but has been primarily running for the past 9 months or so, with a few spins during the week. She was training for the Nashville marathon (the race was a few weeks ago) and had complained a few times about how heavy her legs felt on all of her runs. I thought she wasn't fueling properly both before and after her runs, and she vowed to work on that. She did complete the race, but said her legs felt terrible after about 6 miles, and she had her worst marathon time, by far.
Fast forward to now: She has been mostly resting, and has only run a few times since the marathon. She has has a couple of ART sessions, as well. However, she said that, after any workout (either a short, easy run or an easy spin), her legs immediately get very, very sore (muscular, DOMS-like), and the soreness lasts for about 48 hours. She has played Dr. Google and thinks she has overtraining syndrome. She has also promised to visit a doctor and get some bloodwork done if 2-3 weeks of rest does not resolve her condition.
Does anyone have any experience with anything like this? Getting a doctor to visit the doctor is like pulling teeth! 
Thanks so much!
Comments
I sometimes experience similar symptoms....
For me, however, it seems that it is because my right leg is slightly shorter than my left, so when I train a lot, I put extra stresss on my body....
When it is really bad, I struggle to run more than a few miles and after 4-5 Miles, my legs feel like I have run 20+ Miles
My solution is go visit a good ciropractor (one who knows triathlon and what we do to our bodies) and get 'straighned out'.... Almost immideate effect... and makes a HUGE difference to my training, power output, running speed, endurance etc....
Could be the same she is experiencing... The trick is to find a really, really good ciropractor.....
@Tom, no, she hasn't had any bloodwork yet, but has promised me she will do it.
Keep the suggestions coming folks! This is very helpful!
John, before she signed up for the Nashville marathon, her schedule was something like an hour to hour and a half early am workout, either a run or a spin, M-F, and then a long 2-3 hour trail run on Saturdays and Sundays. After she signed up for the marathon she cut out some of the trail running and focused on big mileage on Saturdays, running up to 23 miles before the race. She continued this level of workout even when she was experiencing the "heavy legs".
As far as the irritability, moodiness, and isolation goes: she moved to Nashville for one year only to do a neurology fellowship, before she moves to Boulder. She didn't know anyone initially, so she ran (a lot) on weekends for something to do. She's also not getting enough sleep, as lots of young docs don't, so I'm not sure if her irratability and moodiness are due to that or overtraining.