Are You Running on Empty? The Surprising Risks of Running with Extreme Fatigue (And Why I Keep Running Anyway!)

What’s the real danger of pushing through a run when your body’s waving a red flag? I’ll be brutally honest—running while fatigued has nearly broken me. But here’s why I lace up those shoes for the 1,704th consecutive day, and how YOU can avoid becoming your own worst enemy…

🚨 Why You MUST Listen to Your Body Before Your Next Run

As part of my epic Runpreneur Challenge—aiming to go beyond Day 4,292, conquer 40,075km, and ultimately raise £1,000,000 for children’s causes—stopping simply isn’t an option. But trust me, it’s not about being reckless. It’s about knowing your body, adapting, and still staying in the game for the people who need us most.

Fatigue Is Not Your Friend (And Your Body Knows Best!)

After a hectic business trip, running on adrenaline and not enough sleep, my body practically screamed at me: “Kevin, you’re running on empty!” That’s where my trusty app, Athletic (which syncs with my Apple Watch), steps in. It measures heart rate, sleep, stress, and overall recovery, giving me a fatigue score out of 100. When that number crashes to 10%—like it did for me today—that’s a massive warning sign.

📉 What REALLY Happens If You Run with Extreme Fatigue?

Let’s not sugar-coat it. Pushing through when you’re exhausted leads to:

Injuries: Your muscles and joints are primed for trouble.

Increased Illness Risk: Your immune system takes a nosedive.

Zero Gains: You’re risking setbacks, not making progress.

The expert advice? REST. But on this challenge—with my mission to save children’s lives—there are no off days. So I’ve learnt to embrace the recovery run.

💡 My Top Tips for Surviving (and Thriving) Under Fatigue

Track Your Metrics: Invest in a wearable and fatigue-tracking app (like Athletic). It’s a few pounds that could save your health.

Recovery Runs are Your Friend: On extreme fatigue days, I slow down—think 5:55/km instead of my normal 5:00/km or quicker. Keep your heart rate in Zone 2 (around 120 bpm). Treat your run like a dynamic stretching session, NOT a race.

Stay Flexible: Use your data. If that fatigue score is low and your mission allows it, rest. If you can’t, adjust and do just enough to keep moving without breaking yourself.

Listen to Your Body: Seriously, this could be the difference between a minor blip and a major setback.

🌍 Why I Keep Running (Even When It Hurts)

Every day this streak continues, I edge closer to my goal: 40,075km—the circumference of the globe—and £1,000,000 raised for children’s causes. Every run, however slow, means another step towards saving a child’s life.

But I want YOU to run smart, not just hard.

🔥 Let’s End Fatigue. Let’s Save Lives.

Run for something bigger. Run smarter, not harder. And if you believe in the mission—saving lives, changing futures, making a difference—subscribe, share this message, donate if you can, or just follow along.

Are you tracking your fatigue? What’s YOUR run streak at? Drop a comment, ask a question, or challenge me—I reply to every single one!

Stay positive. Stay happy. See you on the next run.