Tired legs when running - any advice?
lisaabenjamin
Posts: 665 Member
I'm currently 28 days into a challenge to run 5km every single day for 50 days. Until a week ago, I was really starting to notice how much fitter I was getting since the start of the challenge - my pace had really improved and I was hitting a new PB almost every other day! In the last fews days however, I've been suffering with really tired legs - they feel so heavy and seem to be refusing to move quickly! Today I would even describe them as a being a bit wobbly and I had to walk it out for a few metres.
5km isn't a huge distance, but I'm not taking any rest days while doing this challenge, so I know that will be a contributing factor to the fatigue, but I just wondered if there is anything else I could be doing to help? Will RICE-ing help, maybe, or more protein in my diet perhaps?
Any advice welcome!
5km isn't a huge distance, but I'm not taking any rest days while doing this challenge, so I know that will be a contributing factor to the fatigue, but I just wondered if there is anything else I could be doing to help? Will RICE-ing help, maybe, or more protein in my diet perhaps?
Any advice welcome!
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Replies
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I can't imagine why anyone would encourage a new runner to run every day for 50 days. Of course your legs are sore, they need some rest. Watching your protein intake should help recovery but it's not everything. That said, I do know one individual who runs every day but he's been doing it for years, he does vary the pace/distance to some degree, and he's not eating at a calorie deficit either. Personally, I think that you're setting yourself up for an injury.0
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Fortunately, the reason that your legs are wobbly is a quick fix.
Unfortunately, the fix is ending this (in my opinion, ill-advised) challenge.
I hope I don't come across too harshly, but it's that's simple. I've been surrounded by Boston Marathon Talk for the past six-months and every single person training around me agreed: at least one off day a week. And they were training to run much longer than our 5ks!
If you want to stick to the mileage goal at the least, I'd recommend replacing two 5ks in your week with 7.5k days (not consecutive). Then you can take an off day and still be hitting your mileage mark.
As for messing with your macros, it might give you more or less energy, but it won't give your legs what they seem to need: a break from running. Sorry! I'm sure this isn't what you wanted to hear...If anyone does have a miracle weed that replaces the need for recovery time, please let me know. (I'd like some.)0 -
This is one of the reasons that these challenges can be often get rather silly....I mean they're a great way to get people to move, but most people who set these things up don't actually understand training and fitness, they just think they need to be working out all of the time.
I always tell people, the two most important days for me and my training and fitness are Wednesday and Sunday...because they are rest days. The body needs time to rest and repair itself. Exercise is great for you...it is also tremendously hard on the body and recovery is very important.
A new runner in particular shouldn't be running every day, even if it's just three miles. Even seasoned runners take rest days.0 -
Thanks for the concern guys, however I should add I'm not a new runner! I have been running on and off for about 3 years now and 5km is an easy distance for me, I guess it's just the cumulative effect of running every day that I'm not used to.0
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Are you doing the 5x50 challenge? http://www.5x50.org
Unless you were running around 35 miles a week before starting I think the reason your legs are so tired is that you've tried to increase your activity levels too quickly and have given your body no rest days to adapt. If you are doing the above challenge and don't want to stop, I'd take a couple of days to do one of the other 5k activities like cycle or walk a 5k.0 -
I find that tired/solid feeling like my muscles won't move when I don't stretch/warm up enough beforehand.
And if you're feeling it too much, definitely just listen to your body. Take a day or two to rest your muscles. You won't fall off the bandwagon if you do this.
Also, I'm not sure where you run, but it is good for your shins especially, to ensure you're running on some ground that gives, such as an oval, or grass as opposed to concrete. I used to run a lot and ended up getting really sore shins, I had to stop for a while and look for other exercise it became so painful.0 -
My running club does a 100 runs in 100 day challenge every year ( it's a 30 minute run so for a lot of them it's at least a 5 k)
While there is a lot to be said for rest days, and I do agree it is not always smart for someone very new to running to do, this also has it's benefits.
One of the drawbacks is what you are describing. Most of the people who take part end up going slower during the challenge. A lot have reported after the challenge great improvements in their running.
Also - with this kind if a challenge your are not supposed to be pushing it every day or running for PRs.0 -
How many miles were you running per week before you started? Are you running at an easy pace? You mention you are setting a new PB often, are you running at an easy pace?0
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Like others have said; rest days are CRITICAL.
Drinking water (at least 2L a day) cannot be understated in it's importance.0 -
Are you doing the 5x50 challenge? http://www.5x50.org
Unless you were running around 35 miles a week before starting I think the reason your legs are so tired is that you've tried to increase your activity levels too quickly and have given your body no rest days to adapt. If you are doing the above challenge and don't want to stop, I'd take a couple of days to do one of the other 5k activities like cycle or walk a 5k.
Yes, I'm doing the 5x50 Challenge - 28 days in and I'm not going to quit now! You could be right about increasing my activity levels a bit quickly. Before the start of the challenge I hadn't run for a few months (I was put off for a while by a disastrous off road race in January!!) although I was spinning twice a week (one class of which was a double-length endurance class) and playing other sport at least two nights a week - probably not quite enough to prepare me for this challenge.0 -
I guess it's just the cumulative effect of running every day that I'm not used to.
As I stated, even seasoned runners take rest days when training...minimally you should have days where the runs are much easier than other days...you shouldn't be setting out to PR everyday and pushing yourself that hard.
I'm training for a century at the moment and I'm putting quite a few miles on my bike these days and having to train a lot more than I normally would...and while I do cycle on multiple consecutive days, I have rides that I'm pushing and rides that could very much be described as recreational...I'm really not doing anything more than keeping my legs moving...my HR doesn't even get about 130.
I would suggest if you aren't going to take rest days that you at least have easier run days mixed in there....but really, evened for seasoned runners and athletes in general....everyone I know takes some rest at least once per week or every 10 days or so if they're really pushing.0 -
My running club does a 100 runs in 100 day challenge every year ( it's a 30 minute run so for a lot of them it's at least a 5 k)
While there is a lot to be said for rest days, and I do agree it is not always smart for someone very new to running to do, this also has it's benefits.
One of the drawbacks is what you are describing. Most of the people who take part end up going slower during the challenge. A lot have reported after the challenge great improvements in their running.
Also - with this kind if a challenge your are not supposed to be pushing it every day or running for PRs.
As I said I'm not a new runner, but I guess I may have got a bit carried away with trying to push for PBs every time. My body is telling me to slow down the pace I think!0 -
My running club does a 100 runs in 100 day challenge every year ( it's a 30 minute run so for a lot of them it's at least a 5 k)
While there is a lot to be said for rest days, and I do agree it is not always smart for someone very new to running to do, this also has it's benefits.
One of the drawbacks is what you are describing. Most of the people who take part end up going slower during the challenge. A lot have reported after the challenge great improvements in their running.
Also - with this kind if a challenge your are not supposed to be pushing it every day or running for PRs.
As I said I'm not a new runner, but I guess I may have got a bit carried away with trying to push for PBs every time. My body is telling me to slow down the pace I think!
You hadn't said that before I posted but I would have said it anyway - was just mentioning it in reference to the other posts. I wasn't intending to imply you were. It was meant in general.0 -
How many miles were you running per week before you started? Are you running at an easy pace? You mention you are setting a new PB often, are you running at an easy pace?
Before the challenge I hadn't run for a couple of months actually - I took part in an off road race in January (my first off road experience) and hated it so muuch that I gave up on running for a while! But I was doing a lot of spinning and other exercise instead so my fitness was still good. I started off running at an easy pace, but my easy pace started getting quicker, which motivated me to push myself a bit harder. Guess I should be taking it easier to maintain this over 50 days.0 -
My running club does a 100 runs in 100 day challenge every year ( it's a 30 minute run so for a lot of them it's at least a 5 k)
While there is a lot to be said for rest days, and I do agree it is not always smart for someone very new to running to do, this also has it's benefits.
One of the drawbacks is what you are describing. Most of the people who take part end up going slower during the challenge. A lot have reported after the challenge great improvements in their running.
Also - with this kind if a challenge your are not supposed to be pushing it every day or running for PRs.
As I said I'm not a new runner, but I guess I may have got a bit carried away with trying to push for PBs every time. My body is telling me to slow down the pace I think!
You hadn't said that before I posted but I would have said it anyway - was just mentioning it in reference to the other posts. I wasn't intending to imply you were. It was meant in general.
No worries, we overlapped in our postings! :-)0 -
Like others have said; rest days are CRITICAL.
Drinking water (at least 2L a day) cannot be understated in it's importance.
Thanks, I do drink a lot of water.0 -
Disclaimer: I'm not a runner! However, I do have med tech training and a care giver back ground. Just take what I have to say with a grain of salt
As you are an experienced runner, having taken a short break, and only after being well into this challenge you are feeling the heavy, muscle fatigue, I wonder if you are experiencing a mineral depletion. Magnesium, which is essential for muscle slow and fast twitch, is the first thing that popped into my head. Also zinc and chromium are important for running fitness (a quick google showed me.)
Just an idea. Happy day! 0 -
Disclaimer: I'm not a runner! However, I do have med tech training and a care giver back ground. Just take what I have to say with a grain of salt
As you are an experienced runner, having taken a short break, and only after being well into this challenge you are feeling the heavy, muscle fatigue, I wonder if you are experiencing a mineral depletion. Magnesium, which is essential for muscle slow and fast twitch, is the first thing that popped into my head. Also zinc and chromium are important for running fitness (a quick google showed me.)
Just an idea. Happy day!
Interesting, thanks! I will look into that. I know a lot of people who exercise a lot eat bananas (not sure if they have magnesium, zinc or chromium in them, but I know they do have a lot of potassium). Unfortunately I absolutely loathe bananas!0 -
Are you doing the 5x50 challenge? http://www.5x50.org
Unless you were running around 35 miles a week before starting I think the reason your legs are so tired is that you've tried to increase your activity levels too quickly and have given your body no rest days to adapt. If you are doing the above challenge and don't want to stop, I'd take a couple of days to do one of the other 5k activities like cycle or walk a 5k.
Yes, I'm doing the 5x50 Challenge - 28 days in and I'm not going to quit now! You could be right about increasing my activity levels a bit quickly. Before the start of the challenge I hadn't run for a few months (I was put off for a while by a disastrous off road race in January!!) although I was spinning twice a week (one class of which was a double-length endurance class) and playing other sport at least two nights a week - probably not quite enough to prepare me for this challenge.
Increasing activity like this can increase your chance for injury. Even if you have been doing it for 28 days you could still be setting yourself up to get injured and not be able to run at all. I would be very careful. I know it is hard to stay no to a challenge or quit but I wouldn't risk it getting injured even if you came this far.0 -
Are you on a deficit? If I try to run when inadequately fueled (ie, haven't eaten enough before the run), my legs feel heavy. Try having more calories beforehand to see if it makes a difference. Also b vitamins might help.0
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Quitting is not an option for me - once I've got it in my head to do something I won;t be happy until I've done it! But I really do appreciate all your advice. I think I have been pushing it a bit hard, so I'll try and take it easier and perhaps run/walk instead of trying to get PBs all the time! Hopefully that way I will be able to see the challenge through without injuring myself. Some runner friends have also suggested I try drinking a protein shake within 30 mins of my run, so I'm going to try that too.0
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Are you on a deficit? If I try to run when inadequately fueled (ie, haven't eaten enough before the run), my legs feel heavy. Try having more calories beforehand to see if it makes a difference. Also b vitamins might help.
Yes, this is also something I need to look into. I am on a deficit and the weight has (perhaps not surprisingly!) been falling off me lately so more calories needed I think!!0 -
Are you on a deficit? If I try to run when inadequately fueled (ie, haven't eaten enough before the run), my legs feel heavy. Try having more calories beforehand to see if it makes a difference. Also b vitamins might help.
Yes, this is also something I need to look into. I am on a deficit and the weight has (perhaps not surprisingly!) been falling off me lately so more calories needed I think!!
You may not need more calories total, just to re-appropriate some to the time prior to your run, to get you fueled up.0 -
I'm currently 28 days into a challenge to run 5km every single day for 50 days
It needn't be a run every day, there are options for walking, cycling, rowing or other.
As far as nutrition is concerned I usually have a recovery drink after my long runs and rides. Personally I use SIS Rego, available in Tesco.0 -
I found foam rolling or have someone massaging the thighs & calves helped.
I often run with tired legs too, as long as it's not pain.
Just be careful not to push too hard and injure your legs.
ps, I do take rest days though trying to give my legs time to recover and get stronger.0 -
I'm an experienced kick boxer. I'm in good shape for kick boxing. I would NOT do kick boxing everyday like that. IMHO it's asking for an injury! Are you SURE you have to do this to yourself?0
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I'd just like to reply by saying my experience. We had done summer training for three months and the second week of the season for cross country I took a really bad fall. I was out essentially for three weeks and tried to go back. The coach wanted me to do two miles the first day I was back. I was in a lot of pain and eventually a couple days I had to stop. I went to the doctor a week after that. She said I need to take a week off and the go back slowly because I did too much. So it had been seven weeks since I started the season and I had gotten up to a mile for warm up. The only way for me to run in a race that I really wanted to go to because it was over night was to run in a 5k race which would be in one week to be able to get to that distance. I did and I got a PR and ran the rest of the season. It was probably one of the stupidest things I've done since I was in pain from that 5k to the end of the season. I'm not saying for you to quit or anything, but like you said try not to push yourself as much. Maybe some days walk the 5k and not run.0
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Are you doing the 5x50 challenge? http://www.5x50.org
Unless you were running around 35 miles a week before starting I think the reason your legs are so tired is that you've tried to increase your activity levels too quickly and have given your body no rest days to adapt. If you are doing the above challenge and don't want to stop, I'd take a couple of days to do one of the other 5k activities like cycle or walk a 5k.
Yes, I'm doing the 5x50 Challenge - 28 days in and I'm not going to quit now! You could be right about increasing my activity levels a bit quickly. Before the start of the challenge I hadn't run for a few months (I was put off for a while by a disastrous off road race in January!!) although I was spinning twice a week (one class of which was a double-length endurance class) and playing other sport at least two nights a week - probably not quite enough to prepare me for this challenge.
While I think your drive is admirable...you really are setting yourself up for serious injury. So....before I get into my rant at you let me say that I understand your runner's mentallity right now and I understand your wanting to keep going, and I understand that you had been running for a few years before this....that being said....
You went from a 0 mile week to a 21 mile week. Even experience runners...elites, ultra runners, etc.... DO NOT DO THAT! Especially when the reason that you were side-lined was because of a off-road running injury. Your running fitness depletes more and more every week that you don't run...and actually after 2 months it is highly recommended to get back into running using an advanced version of C25K so that your muscles and bones can readjust back into what you are doing. Sure, the come back isn't the same as starting over from scratch, but you still need to allow your legs time to recover and heal from what you are making them go through. Honestly...if you come out of this injury free (meaning no running injury at all...no PF, ITBS, RK, etc...) I will be suprised, because you are setting yourself up for serious injury right now with doing this and not taking a day off running to allow your body the need to recover...which your tired legs are screaming at you to do.0 -
Good luck not getting injured over this arbitrary challenge. Whether you have been a runner or not you've been off months and went from 0-20+ miles per week. At this point try to slow down, foam roll, get adequate sleep & nutrition and cross your fingers.0
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You really might want to consider at least 1 rest day. As others have said you went from 0 - 21 miles in a week. I know you have said quitting isn't an option because you have it in your head, would you rather get injured and not be able to do anything for a long time?
I started lifting heavy things, I was struggling with some new weight I put on the bar when doing overhead press. At first I didn't want to back the weight off even though I was struggling. I thought that meant failure, and I would be disappointed in myself. Then I realized, which would I be more upset about, taking off 5 lbs and completing the set, or injuring myself and not being able to do it at all for awhile.
I know the feeling of being upset because I was told I had to rest. I started a C25k program and learned I love running, my doctor recently told me I need to not do any high impact like running for a month. So I know how much it sucks to injure yourself and then be told you can't do it for a lot longer than had I just taken a day off to rest.0
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