Soreness the next day

page19 · March 12th, 2007, 04:49 AM

When I run longer distances, around 4-6 miles, I tend to wake up really sore the next morning. Well, I feel it that day, but the next morning is when it really hits me. And it usually lasts a couple of days before I'm back to normal. Obviously my legs are hurtin, but even my shoulders get some stiffness out of it too.

Couple of questions

What can I do to help prevent this, or is it just gonna be that way as I work at it? I always stretch and warm up, and twice as much stretching when I'm done.

And when it does happen, what's the quickest way to get back on track? Let it rest or try to get it moving again?

I like pushing myself as much as I can, but it's not worth it if it deters me from going to the gym for the next few days because I'm sore!

Give me some insight on what I need to be doing if you would

**JoeBAR** · March 12th, 2007, 05:48 AM

- Don't stretch before running: don't stretch cold (not that it's gonna make a lot of difference)
- There's nothing wrong with going to the gym with sore legs from the previous day(s)
- Shoulders: relax when you run. Every so often, let your arms dangle to your side, shake your forarms a bit. It takes time to get used to holding your forarms up without shrugging your shoulders, but it really is necessary on long distance (several hours run for example

).
- Stretch: try holding the stretch longer (15~20s) and really stretch the muscles. For thighs, the old standing and pull the heel against my ass doesn't stretch me at all, so I do a modified version with a knee on the floor which allows me to stretch further. My calves are the hardest to stretch, I need to get my feet at 45 deg from my legs to feel it!!!
- Finally, I must say that ... Practice makes it easier

**g_samsa** · March 12th, 2007, 11:52 AM

You probably need more stretching after your run, but mostly the problem is a lactic acid buildup. To be honest, I forgot the science behind it (and I don't really want to look it up). But, the solution is conditioning, stretching and diet. If you are getting really sore then you're practicing too hard and you haven't built up your base well enough. The only days that you should feel really sore are the days that you have designated as hard days. Every other day should be easy and you shouldn't feel hardly any soreness at all.

Stretching is important because it will keep you from cramping after those hard days. you'll want to stretch as often as you start to feel cramped.

Third is diet. Your post exercise diet is important to the speed of your recovery. You need a fair amount of protein and lot's of carbs. The university of Illinois did a study and found that Chocolate milk is the best post exercise drink. (it beat gatorade AND all the fancy drinks you buy from GNC). Also be sure to eat lots of fruits and veggies. What you put in your body goes a long way to helping you recover quickly.

Anyway, I hope that helps. The main thing is conditioning. Try to make 8 miles easier by running slower at first. Only push it faster when you feel comfortable. Your muscles will thank you. Muscle fibers are tough little suckers, but don't go abusing them.

**Adonis** · March 12th, 2007, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by page19

When I run longer distances, around 4-6 miles, I tend to wake up really sore the next morning. Well, I feel it that day, but the next morning is when it really hits me. And it usually lasts a couple of days before I'm back to normal. Obviously my legs are hurtin, but even my shoulders get some stiffness out of it too.

Couple of questions

What can I do to help prevent this, or is it just gonna be that way as I work at it? I always stretch and warm up, and twice as much stretching when I'm done.

And when it does happen, what's the quickest way to get back on track? Let it rest or try to get it moving again?

I like pushing myself as much as I can, but it's not worth it if it deters me from going to the gym for the next few days because I'm sore!

Give me some insight on what I need to be doing if you would

Your experiencing from soreness byt aksing your body to do more than it has in the past. You are asking it to adapt to the stress(running) you put on it. To repair the damage caused by the stress muscle breakdown and anabolism must occur.

To reduce the DOMS associated with your training increase your caloric intake speciifcally healthy fats and proteins. Keep carb intake at 1.25-2.0grams per 1lbs of bodyweight.

Don't go as hard when you train. Work up to 4-6 miles.

Train through your muscle soreness and you will get better at it.

page19 · March 12th, 2007, 04:54 PM

I'm not marathon training, I just enjoy running. Maybe someday though. If anything, I need to work on running shorter distances faster. I get timed on a 1.5 mile run for a fitness test at least yearly. Any tips on how to train for getting the best time I can while you're all here?

Though I'd still like to run longer distances instead of just running for 10 minutes and that being it.

I definitely only feel sore on the days I run my hardest. Other than that I'm just fine. I never heard about the chocolate milk, that's interesting. What's in it that makes it work better than everything else? (And why chocolate over regular?)

Thanks for all the insight guys

**g_samsa** · March 12th, 2007, 05:48 PM

Here is a link to one of the articles about chocolate milk. It was Indiana University -- sorry about the error. Anyway, I guess the preliminary results were very good for chocolate milk. The study was small, and it was funded, in part, by the Dairy Industry. However, they say the results are still valid. I've tried it, and I feel pretty good afterwards.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/...n1342839.shtml

Here is another article about recovery in general. This one has some good info on protein/carb ratios that is an interesting read.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/524370