u/One-Jellyfish694

Posting because I've been spiraling about this for a while and want some sanity check from people who actually train.

Stats first: 35F, running consistently for 8 years, marathon PR 3:15 (Chicago 2024), half PR 1:28, 10K 39:57. Hit 3:15 in October on what felt like a comfortable build, was projecting sub 3:05 for spring. Then November-December everything started feeling 30 seconds per mile harder at the same effort. Easy pace went from 8:00s to 8:30-8:45s and felt the same RPE. Tempo work that should be in the 6:40s feels like 6:55-7:00 and I can't hold it as long. MAF heart rate is creeping up at slower paces.

Build details: 55mpw average, peaked at 70 for the fall block, 6 days/week, 1 quality session, 1 long run, rest easy. Sleep averages 7-8hrs (Whoop confirmed). Eating, if anything, more than I was during the fall build because I was trying to support recovery. Cycle normal, no birth control. Not injured. Have done two real deload weeks plus a full 7 days completely off in February (came back worse if anything).

Things I've already considered and tried to rule out by adjusting:

• Overtraining/under-recovery: 70mpw peak was below my historical peak of 80. RHR is actually slightly lower than last year. Whoop strain has been normal.
• Underfueling: tracked intake for two weeks, sitting at roughly 2400-2600 cals/day at 110-115lbs. Higher carb than I usually run.
• Shoes: rotation is the same, new pairs of the daily trainer and supershoe both broken in normally.
• Weather: started in cool November, persisted through cold winter and now into warming spring. Not weather.
• Stress: job is the same, life is the same.

Went to my PCP in February and got the standard "you might be doing too much, consider stress management" which, fair but also I know what overtraining feels like and this isn't that. She ran a CBC, said everything looked normal, didn't run anything beyond that. No ferritin, no vitamin D, no full thyroid.
Before I push for more comprehensive bloodwork anyone here had a slow burn like this where the answer turned out to be one specific deficiency or hormone thing? I'm asking because the women's running literature on this is way thinner than the men's and I want to know what to specifically ask my doctor for. Or if I should just order my own panel since she didn't even run ferritin on a 55mpw female.

Also genuinely open to you might just be overtraining and don't know it. Will not be hurt by it.

32F. Six years lifting consistently and last fall I hit a real PR phase, squat went up 25lbs deadlifts were moving and i felt like a different lifter. Then in january everything went backwards and I cannot figure out why. Weights I owned in october feel impossible now and worst of all warmups feel like working sets. Got dizzy walking to my car after the gym last week which scared me a little. I'm sleeping more than I used to and somehow more tired. Nothing changed like same program, same eating style and cycle is normal, not injured as far i know. I've tried everything obvious. Two deload weeks full week off which made it worse. Sleeping 9 hours or even eating more. Eating less in case it was inflammation, using creatine. Went to my doctor in March and got told you're 32, manage your stress, here's a therapist referral, like ok asshole. I am measurably weaker than I was in october and I don't think that's a thinking problem. I started crying in my car after the appointment which honestly tells me he might have a point about the therapy.

Has anyone else hit a wall like this and figured out what it actually was? I keep gaslighting myself into thinking I'm just being dramatic about a normal slump but I don't know anymore.