It's a tough topic this one.

I think you were really wise buying a book that specialises in periodization, you should be able to set up a good program using that as a resource.

Overtraining is just plain nasty, and it is sometimes a very fine balance between overtraining and improvement. The most anyoing thing is that there are huge variations on how much it will take to get each person into an overtrained state (depending on your job, wife (), genetics etc).

I'd say if you are not doing over 10 hours training a week, there's a good chance you don't have to worry about overtraining because you should have ample recovery time between workouts. If you're doing more, then I guess apart from a structured program with a good rest period during the year, you can only learn your limits as you go, and listen to your body when it's tired.

Mark.