Having a harder time in week 3

sb4480

I'm on W3D3 of ZR!C25K and I'm having a really difficult time with it. The entire week has been tough and not in a working hard and improving sort of way. I feel like all of a sudden I'm having a lot of stiffness in my legs. Not soreness and not shin splints, but this horrible tightness that I can't seem to shake (doesn't seem to improve with stretching). I took the weekend off in the hopes that my legs were just overworked and needed a break, but then I went out yesterday and had the same issue. My legs and feet feel pretty stiff in general right now, not just when I'm doing my ZR session.

Any suggestions? I was fitted for new shoes last week and I'd say that's the only change that I've had. Could it be the shoes? They feel great on my feet.

lizpirate

I noticed when I was first trying to get used to running that I had to make a conscious effort not to hold tension in my muscles while doing it, if that makes sense. Another part of it could be that your new shoes correct for pronation/supination and so even if you're running in a more correct form, your body hasn't gotten used to it yet.

Great job on week 3--that's a tough one.

sb4480

Thanks, Liz I'm sort of wondering if it's just the shoes correcting my form and thus working a new area of my legs. but man, it sucks. I'm going to try it on a treadmill today to see if that makes a difference. My typical route is about 60% hills. But I'm used to those hills. Maybe a flat surface will help.

dragon1ady

Make sure you drink a lot of water both on the day you're running, and the day after. Continue stretching, it may not seem like it but it does help. First stretch immediately after the run, while the muscles are still warm, and then walk for at least 5-10 minutes, and then stretch again. Just as you start out slow with a warm-up walk, slow down and finish the same way. That works the lactic acid out of the muscles and helps them recover.

I agree that it sounds as if your new shoes definitely are a factor. If they are correcting your gait/form they are making the muscles work in a way that is different from what they are used to, and they probably are working harder than they did before. Once they get used to the new shoes, that will change, though it may take a while.