Long Distance Running Pains

ElleBelleLiptak

I'm beginning transitioning from running 10k races and now I'm moving into training for a half marathon. As I've been increasing my mileage I'm feeling a little broken. (Severe DOMS, etc.) I've only done small increases in distance and lately I've moved back to help me recover. I've also starting doing some strength training to get a little more muscle. Am I taking the right approach? Is this typically normal for runners?

3dogsrunning

I'm not sure what you mean by "build up" and "broken down".
When I've increased mileage in the past i've felt some minor pain. Icing after a long run usually helps. But there is a difference between minor discomfort and real pain or exhaustion.

ElleBelleLiptak

I've always ran with compression sleeves, and I've recently moved into changing to a mid strike, I was having a lot of strike pattern problems when I moved from track to distance running. I've been icing and doing anti inflammatories. I guess I can't tell if I'm being a wimp because I'm hitting a wall or if I should take a different approach.

macgurlnet

What hurts and where? Do your shoes still have plenty of wear left on them? It might be worth going to a running store and having them analyze your stride in your current shoes as well as barefoot. My stride changed as I lost weight and ran more and I ended up needing a different style of shoe to accommodate that change. Once I got the new shoes I was able to run much more easily and with minimal soreness afterwards

~Lyssa

WhatMeRunning

Hard to tell. I felt muscle soreness in parts of my body I never suspected were associated with running when I started training for my first half. That cleared up as things strengthened, to a point. Once I got into 10+ mile long runs however I would feel pain on the side of my hips, deep pain, not muscular. To fix that I had to include strength routines for runners to build core, glutes and work on hip flexors. You should start on that now as opposed to waiting for the pain later.

misskris78

Are you dehydrated? Low on Potassium? Low on Protein? Since you're adding weights, try to drink more fluids and swap a protein for a carb and take it from there. When I get around 20 miles a week, I want carbs, but I need protein. Good luck!

BrianSharpe

What's your typical week look like?

7lenny7

ElleBelleLiptak wrote: »

I've always ran with compression sleeves, and I've recently moved into changing to a mid strike, I was having a lot of strike pattern problems when I moved from track to distance running. I've been icing and doing anti inflammatories. I guess I can't tell if I'm being a wimp because I'm hitting a wall or if I should take a different approach.

I wonder if this, when combined with the longer distances, is the cause. If these two changes happened at about the same time, perhaps go back to shorter distances until you're body is used to your new strike pattern, then increase the distances.

I'm a running noob, just throwing out a possibility.

jchite84

Which muscles, what kind of pain, etc? What is your weekly mileage? How much has it increased, etc? Could be shoes, could be overuse, could be increasing mileage too quickly, could just be that you need to do some good deep tissue massaging. I either foam roll or take a lacrosse ball to my legs for about 10 minutes every night. I'd save your compression sleeves for after your run unless you run trails and need protection from nettles or something like that. The DOMS might also be related more to the strength training than the running. When I get into "running season" I generally forgo strength training, except for occasional core work. If you want to build muscles you can add a hill day into your routine or do cross training on a bike.

TavistockToad

What's your calorie goal? Are you eating in a deficit?

ElleBelleLiptak

Hey guys. Still really new to how this whole social media thing works! Thanks for all the suggestions and input. I went and got refitted for some different shoes, turns out I was running in a pair completely unfit for me! I'm hoping that this will help out! Also I'm going to change my diet a little bit. Now that I've stared tracking my diary I'm definitely not eating enough and that's a huge factor.

7lenny7

Excellent!! Running should be much more enjoyable now!