Me legs are sore

Fear Sneachta Ban

Hi, I'm newish to running and for the last week my legs have been getting quiet sore. I've been running further distances so I assume that's the reason but what I want to know if anyone has the remedy to this problem.
I'm not rich so i can't go to a phsio or anything, is there any cheap ways of helping your legs recover? It's my upper legs, quads/thighs.

average_runner

Can you explain how much and what distances you are running and where is soreness in the legs. Are you following a plan?

Erper

Fear Sneachta Ban wrote: »

Hi, I'm newish to running and for the last week my legs have been getting quiet sore. I've been running further distances so I assume that's the reason but what I want to know if anyone has the remedy to this problem.
I'm not rich so i can't go to a phsio or anything, is there any cheap ways of helping your legs recover? It's my upper legs, quads/thighs.

thats normal especially if you haven't run for long time and this is first time like this...
usually when you start running you stretch first, warm up and than go, but dont do like 5miles straight away, do little by little

Younganne

make sure you have a decent pair of runners that are correct for your feet!!
also make sure you are not running as fast as you can each time you go out. Build up your distance and pace slowly!!

seamus

Yeah, some soreness is normal enough when you push yourself a little harder, be it because you did an exceptionally long run, or you ran a hard race. Or even some days, "just because", especially when you're starting out.

Rest is the best recovery, it's essential for getting fitter and stronger, and it's free Listen to your legs, if you feel a bit stiff or sore then skip the run for today and go tomorrow instead. Running with sore legs, the soreness will usually fade after ten minutes, but you may actually be causing yourself to go backwards in your overall fitness.

The cause of soreness and DOMS is generally theorised to be due to microtears in the muscle fibre, causing the muscles to inflame. The soreness is designed to protect your muscles from further exertion, and the process of repairing the muscles increases their strength. So running through sore legs is not really advisable, and if you find the pain escalating then that's a signal that you need a couple of days rest to let your legs repair themselves.

Warm up/cool down is essential. The start of each session should involve at least five minutes of gentle jogging to bring up the heart rate and warm up the muscles. Then five minutes of the same at the end to bring the HR down and clear any lactate in the muscles. The warm up/cool down should be ten minutes each if you're doing a hard session.

Murta

Try walking for 15 mins or so after your run. If possible, fit in a few walking breaks thru out the day or the next day. Used to work wonders for me when I was a newbie to the running lark. The walking will help to lengthen the muscles that are shortened during running.

You didn't mention what distance you run at? If running sufficient mileage, it's worth doing the last one as am easy/slow mile to help flush out the legs. When I can't manage a slow mile, I'll walk it instead.

Fear Sneachta Ban

Thanks for the replies.
As I said I don't have a lot of money and I'm new to running so I don't own a garmin or anything. I have a plan I'm following but it's one devised by me. I have a place where I run and when I started out I ran at medium pace till I felt a little tired, then ran back on the same path. I take note of where I reach each run and the next time I try to go further.
I don't time my runs and obviously I don't know the distance I run. I know it's not a very scientific plan and probably not one that would be advised but I find it's working for me, I can see my improvements clearly.
The soreness is just the quads/thighs, no where else is that uncomfortable although I use 2 pairs of runners and that might be something to do with it as someone mentioned. It's not just painfull when I run but the next morning as well.
Also I just stretch for my warm up, maybe I should add a light jog. The other ideas about warm downs etc I will take on board, thanks.

huskerdu

Your plan is fine for getting started and increasing your mileage.

All you need to be doing is running regularly and increasing your distance
over time,

You are probably running a bit too fast. Slow down a bit. you should be running at a pace that you are comfortable at.

To get stronger as a runner, you need to build endurance by running
longer distances. To do this without soreness and injury, you should be running slowly. After time, you will be stronger and your pace will increase
naturally. It doesn't seem to make sense, but it really works.

You dont need expensive equipment. If you want to find out more about your
approx distance and pace, get any sort of cheap stop watch and use
www.mapmyrun.com or www.gmap-pedometer.com to calculate the distance.