W4 R3 woe ...

[angemum]

Whyyy??

All's going great, v few aches, repeat a few runs here & there, slow & steady ... Doing all the right things, no issues with wk4 so far, feeling confident about stepping up to W5 etc etc. OK, so feeling a bit tired, but in the past, it's the getting out that has perked me up then -

Wham. Struggling to get through it, but it's all in the mind, right? Repeat the mantra - you can do it etc etc. And I do. But when I get back, I am *knackered*. Calves are achey in the extreme & I'm so tired I can barely move.

Extra stretching, compression socks etc but no relief. Early night, but too tired to sleep. Calves still aching today, which hasn't happened before. Feel like I've been run over by a truck.

What did I do wrong??? Or do bad runs just tip over into bad recoveries?

[Sadie-runs Graduate]

Oh poor you! I do know how you feel. For the first few weeks (at least) I was exhausted after my runs, and my muscle pain lasted at least until the next run. I am on week 7, and that seems to have abated a bit. My legs don't ache as much either – I can only suppose that is because my muscles have gotten stronger.

If this continues, I would recommend perhaps seeing your GP and asking to have your iron levels checked. Women can suffer from iron deficiencies quite easily, and more so when you start running. I am a vegetarian, so when I started running and started experiencing extreme fatigue, I started a gentle iron supplement (in liquid form, available from health food stores). This seems to have helped; I am no longer so exhausted in my day-to-day.

Another thing I am trying is massaging my calves with magnesium oil spray (again, from health stores). Magnesium plays a part in muscle recovering, and apparently we are all a bit lacking in it these days because of depletion of minerals in our over-farmed soil. It can also aid sleep.

Most of all, do make sure that you are indeed getting enough sleep. And don't worry! It could also just be a blip. Keep up the stretching post-run, drink lots of water and rest as much as possible.

Sadie-runs x

[angemum Graduate in reply to Sadie-runs]

oh thanks - yes, sleep's been a bit of an issue, so maybe it's just that. Can't run now till Sunday so will mentally bin it & repeat run then

[Hidden]

Sometimes they are just rubbish runs and hit you hard...take an extra days rest, do your stretching and next time slow it down, just in case you were speeding a bit.

We all seem to get one that hits hard, hopefully that's yours out of the way

[angemum Graduate in reply to Hidden]

actually, yes - speeding could have been a thing. (Not that I'm going fast, but these things are all relative!) Thanks.

[misswobble Graduate]

It's only week 4. 🙂👍🏃‍♀️✔️💪

[Idizzy1 Graduate]

As a fellow calf pain sufferer first thing to do is get things checked out,there is a big difference between a muscle strain and a tear.

Once I got the all clear mine was just strained here is what I’ve done:

Slow down

Shorten my stride

Stretch more after the run

Ice for 20 mins

Kinesiology tape my knees due to confirmed misalignment

I can’t tell you which one made the biggest difference, I think the ice, stretches and tape to avoid transferring the bad biomechanics through my legs combined have been the most effective combination, but I’m much more pain free now.

These are the gel wraps I use, keep them in the freezer and I just put them on my calf not my shins

TheraPearl Shin Wraps, Reusable Hot Cold Therapy with Gel Beads, Two Packs for Shin Splint Pain Relief, Flexible Hot and Cold Compress for Pain Relief and Swelling amazon.co.uk/dp/B008O02AEW/...

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Week 4.. early days... all runs are worth it.. warm up well, keep stretching and just make sure your exercise on rest days is happening too. Stamina is needed and strength.. running is not enough! Try these too

nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/...

A roller might be useful for your calves.. exquisite torture and great when it stops

Chin up.. early days and you could just be a tad under par

Keep up a healthy eating regime, hydrate well every day, rest up and be kind to yourself. You are going to do this.

No such thing as a bad run....each run teaches us something about running and about ourselves, This has taught you.. how strong you are... listen to your body and now just move on, when you are ready... steady and slow