Runners-"Dead" Legs

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  • jinlopez
    jinlopez Posts: 38
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    Make sure you are getting enough Iron in your diet, and potassium.

    REST REST REST! I noticed that I feel like that after a race so I need to rest for a few days...

    Soak in a hot bath with some epsom salts...that really helps too. Or get a foam roller.

    Try to incorporate yoga into your regular routine too.

    Ever since I started Bikram yoga, my runs have been longer because I'm not gasping for air....and I'm not suffering from painful side cramps. Runs seem to be turbo-charged. A good stretch is always necessary....and I drink tons of water during the day (I run at night).
  • vtate75
    vtate75 Posts: 221 Member
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    Rest & Protein! When I find runs hard like that, I usually take off running the next day and do something else for cardio and try to get in a lot more protein!
  • minnesota_deere
    minnesota_deere Posts: 232 Member
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    lunges seem to have worked for me, i do 24 (12 on each leg) deep lunges before and after my run.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    There've been some studies done by a sports scientist in Cape Town - I forget his name - about this. His argument that this sensation is mental, not physical - that essentially, it's your brain telling your legs they can't go further, not the other way round. He suggests there are ways of training your brain to send that message out at later threshholds. But I can't remember for the life of me how he suggested you do that. I know he wrote a book about it.

    Do I win a prize for least helpful post of the year?
  • marathonmom72
    marathonmom72 Posts: 191 Member
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    Never do static stretching before a run, only dynamic. Static after.

    Static stretching beforehand can actually reduce your performance.
    I completely agree - I read an article about how static stretching before a run tears muscle, much like with weight lifting, after that the body rebuilds. You don't want to do that before your run.
  • KarmaxKitty
    KarmaxKitty Posts: 901 Member
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    The only thin I've done for this is having a glass of milk and stretching the heck out of my legs and hips. If I dont, I'm sore and tight all in my lower body. It's interesting to see how other people deal with this feeling.
  • dixiech1ck
    dixiech1ck Posts: 769 Member
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    Never do static stretching before a run, only dynamic. Static after.

    Static stretching beforehand can actually reduce your performance.

    I've heard this, too, and never understood as in high school, before the one mile race for the fitness test, they made us do static stretches. It wasn't until I started running and ran the Broad Street on Sunday that I started to pick some things up. Thanks for this topic!
  • dixiech1ck
    dixiech1ck Posts: 769 Member
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    I stretch several times a day after a long run-I also started incorporating YOGA into my routine. I also take a rebuild endurance drink after long runs that helps tremendously with recovery.

    Sassy - which do you use? My coworker is an avid bicyclist and his sister, a nurse, recommends the Ensure Clinical Strength. One 2-hrs before a race and 1 an hour after for muscle rebuild. Just curious what you use.
  • jonnyb62
    jonnyb62 Posts: 426
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    Sounds like burn out to me. Before I initially gained a junk of weight I was doing a lot of running and I knew damn well when I was pushing too much; after I rested a couple of days, I was reinvigorated to run again. I never learned that lesson though, and eventually ended up hurting my foot which in turn lead to me not running for months which in turn lead to gaining weight and now I am slowly getting back to an appropriate weight.
    Be careful. Good luck.

    Pretty much aree with this. Listen to your body - it will tell you when it's time to rest. I ran 9.5 miles Saturday at a pace I had not run before (I felt great and went for it.) Sunday morning I went out to run - dead legs. I did jog 4 miles very slowly, but I decided during that jog that I needed to rest. Did nothing else Sunday and nothing Monday. Went for a very short run Tuesday and then yesterday, I was back to my normal run and I felt great.
  • rydn4h2o
    rydn4h2o Posts: 255
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    bump - interesting stuff
  • AdrienneHart84
    AdrienneHart84 Posts: 6 Member
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    Everything I've read said to make sure you rest the day before and after your longest runs of the week. I feel my runs are the best after I've had a day, or even two, of rest.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    There've been some studies done by a sports scientist in Cape Town - I forget his name - about this. His argument that this sensation is mental, not physical - that essentially, it's your brain telling your legs they can't go further, not the other way round. He suggests there are ways of training your brain to send that message out at later threshholds. But I can't remember for the life of me how he suggested you do that. I know he wrote a book about it.

    Do I win a prize for least helpful post of the year?

    No you do not Meerkat, because your post was very helpful! :D
  • StrasseLäufer_DKL
    StrasseLäufer_DKL Posts: 9
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    Fellow Runners-

    I'm tring to get a feel for what other folks do to ease that heavy feeling you can sometimes get in your legs...

    I have been stretching for about 15 minutes before/after my mid to long runs (7-12 mi) and that seems to help a little. I've also tried compression socks, but I'm not totally convinced they are doing much to help. I could probably drink more water than I do sometimes... I'm just curious as to what other folks do!

    -Dani

    Are you talking about getting a dead leg feeling at the end of the long run, the day after the long run or the run after the long run?

    All during the run sometimes... mostly if I run in the evening... It's hit or miss, but Ican usually tell about an hour before my run weather or not it's going to be sluggish one. I'm not saying it happens all the time, just maybe once a week, and not neccessarily after a long run day. But I am really diggin the idea of this foam roller... I used one last night and it hurt like crap, bbut my legs feel pretty great today!
  • StrasseLäufer_DKL
    StrasseLäufer_DKL Posts: 9
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    There've been some studies done by a sports scientist in Cape Town - I forget his name - about this. His argument that this sensation is mental, not physical - that essentially, it's your brain telling your legs they can't go further, not the other way round. He suggests there are ways of training your brain to send that message out at later threshholds. But I can't remember for the life of me how he suggested you do that. I know he wrote a book about it.

    Do I win a prize for least helpful post of the year?

    No you do not Meerkat, because your post was very helpful! :D

    I don't know, there might be some logic to this... I'm sure that most of us would push through the run anyway and find that by the end of the run our legs feel about normal.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
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    If my legs start to feel sluggish during a run, I change my stride for a short time by basically hopping from side to side,while still moving forward. Works for me, now whether its mental or actually does something physically, I do not know.
  • emzley
    emzley Posts: 11
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    In january I started to up my weekly miles which were betwen 30-40 for most of last year to 50-65 (I did this gradually for an april marathon). I could feel my legs getting tired with the more weekly miles I was putting in but actually found after a few weeks of it that my legs were getting used to it and it felt a lot easier. Currently, I run or gym 6 or 7 times a week and find adding strength training helps (I do a body pump class once a week and general leg strengthening exercises too), I also brought a foam roller this year which really helps if I feel a bit of a niggle in a specific area oh and for some reason a bath after a run really helps my legs feel new again.
    I hope my post might help a little. - I know a lot of people would probably say 'rest' or 'don't run as much' etc, but it's hard to do that when you love running so much :)
  • jhungate
    jhungate Posts: 95 Member
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    You need to build in recovery time. I average around 50 miles a week and about every forth week I cut back to 25-30 miles at a slower pace. You should also build in a rest day, only run 5-6 days out of every 7. Your legs feel heavy because of lactic acid build up and you need to give them time to recover.

    Also, pre-run stretching doesn't do much good, really shouldn't do much more than loosen up. Post run stretching is critical.

    The other two pieces that may not seem related are important too, you should be doing some other type of cross training (cycling, Zumba, swimming, whatever) and you need to make sure you have the right shoes for you. Take care of your feet and they will take care of you.

    Hope this helps, see you on the street! :)
  • ♥xenawarriorprincess♥
    ♥xenawarriorprincess♥ Posts: 440 Member
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    Fellow Runners-

    I'm tring to get a feel for what other folks do to ease that heavy feeling you can sometimes get in your legs...

    I have been stretching for about 15 minutes before/after my mid to long runs (7-12 mi) and that seems to help a little. I've also tried compression socks, but I'm not totally convinced they are doing much to help. I could probably drink more water than I do sometimes... I'm just curious as to what other folks do!

    -Dani

    Hydration will help but have you thought of fuel? Try some sort of energy gel or sports beans etc, and see how they help...I too get that dead feeling in my legs on my long runs and I will be trying the energy gels etc...to see how that helps
  • galesgym
    galesgym Posts: 2
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    I have been running 20 to 25 miles a week at about an 8:30/8:45/mile pace. For the last month I have felt like my legs were dead or without any energy, could not run free and easy and my pace has increased to the point I can barely maintain a 10:00/ mile pace. No change in diet or calorie intake, no change in weight, tried doing wind sprints just to get my legs moving and other than some soreness the first time it has not been a problem but also didn't help. I am 58 years old not looking to increase my mileage but can not think of any reason for my times to be increasing. Can anyone give me an answer to this problem?
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    I have been running 20 to 25 miles a week at about an 8:30/8:45/mile pace. For the last month I have felt like my legs were dead or without any energy, could not run free and easy and my pace has increased to the point I can barely maintain a 10:00/ mile pace. No change in diet or calorie intake, no change in weight, tried doing wind sprints just to get my legs moving and other than some soreness the first time it has not been a problem but also didn't help. I am 58 years old not looking to increase my mileage but can not think of any reason for my times to be increasing. Can anyone give me an answer to this problem?

    How many days a week are you running? Have you taken an extra rest day or two? Is it getting hotter and more humid?

    I'd bet on an increase in humidity and your body just needing an extra day of rest.

    Also, what are your race times. Those "easy run" paces are probably too fast, unless you are running sub 20 minute 5Ks.

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