I run and I never feel sore - should I? - Runner advice

itsmeGennie
itsmeGennie Posts: 39 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys,

I've been jogging/running for the last year and decided to sign up for 10K (my sister made me). I've never trained for a running even before. I've been training for the last six weeks using the Hal Higdon intermediate training plan so I run about 15 miles a week. I do body weight exercises - sometimes w/weights - for strength. Question is - I never feel sore like when I first started running. I'm not super fit but I'd like to get better at running.

Does this mean I'm not pushing myself enough??

Other things to know:
- I always run outside (even this past winter in NY)
- I'm 5'7/120lb , female
- My runs (about 4x a week) I run at a 10-11min pace.

Replies

  • akirkman86
    akirkman86 Posts: 89 Member
    I am in the same boat. When I FIRST started running I used to get sore, but now I never do. I'm training for a half marathon... 10 miles on Friday, and no soreness whatsoever. Not sure if stats matter at all, but I am 5'7" and 133 lbs.
  • itsmeGennie
    itsmeGennie Posts: 39 Member
    @akirkman86‌ Thanks for the reply. I hope we get our questions answered!
  • gabbo34
    gabbo34 Posts: 289 Member
    edited March 2015
    I dunno. I guess I think of running like any other sport your conditioned to do. You shouldn't feel pain or soreness unless you get injured.

    If you're not conditioned to do it,or go past what your body is ready for - you stand a higher chance of getting injured. You'll hear a lot of expert runners say to ramp up mileage slowly (10% a week) so your body adapts...but some folks are just born to run. (cue music)

    Unfortunately I'm not one of them. I ramped up too quick and got a bad case of post tibia tendonitis. After anything longer than 8 miles, my ankles feel like Kathy Bates hit them with a sledgehammer in Misery. I limp around the evening after my Sunday long runs and most of the next day. But it gets better after a couple of days and I can do my 4-5 mile weekday runs just fine.

    I should take a few months off to let it heal...but it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. Believe me, I'd LOVE to be in your shoes. :)
  • MrKbailey
    MrKbailey Posts: 61 Member
    I've been running for many years. Proper warming up and cooling down reduces chance of soreness. However, if you are setting PR's and extending your VO2 Max you will have some soreness.
  • itsmeGennie
    itsmeGennie Posts: 39 Member
    I usually feel (very) sore after other workouts like weights and basketball which is why I was wondering.

    Ahh, maybe I'm not running far enough. I've never run 8 miles before, ever. I run until I hear a certain song and I turn around and go back home. According to my training plan, I'm not due to do so for another 2 weeks.

    Shame, I guess me and akirkman86 are the lucky ones!
  • Nikki10129
    Nikki10129 Posts: 292 Member
    Definitely not a shame :P

    also don't worry about not feeling sore, follow the training plan. Pushing yourself too far too fast could result in you feeling sore and then injuring yourself, and you've made it so far, you wouldn't want to do that before your first race! Whatever you're doing seems to be working, so long as you are seeing improvement in your endurance.
  • eemmerson929
    eemmerson929 Posts: 27 Member
    "Should I..?" Get down on your knees and praise the baby jeebus? Why yes. yes,
    you should! :(
  • riveraandrew39
    riveraandrew39 Posts: 3 Member
    No soreness is not bad at all,If your constantly running throughout the week, then with all that cardio, your body reduces lactic acid. Which isnt bad,lactic acid is the soreness,or tightness of the muscle durring intense training
  • shcraddock
    shcraddock Posts: 7
    I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a runner, though I have ran two half marathons. I found the short to mid-distance runs I was fine, though the longer runs made my knees and legs a bit more sore.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    I'll generally feel sore after a speedwork session, but your mileage isn't enough to really benefit from those. I'll feel fatigued, but not sore, as such, after a long run.

    For me, 6 miles is a short run, a speedwork session will be in the order of 8 miles all in and a long is generally between 10 and 15 at the moment.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    I used to feel sore in muscles I never imagined were associated with running when I first started out. Since building up that original strength though, I usually only feel sore when I am pushing limits, like near my longest run mileage (currently 13.1 miles is my longest and I felt pretty sore for the first day after a recent 12 mile training run). I've also felt sore after some tempo runs where I really pushed my limits, and of course interval sprints.
  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 649 Member
    You don't necessarily need to run to the point where your legs are sore every time you run. You are building capillaries, stroke volume, mitochondria ( which burn fat) on your easy training runs.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    If you are keeping things at a reasonable pace and not shaking things up to much, you should feel pretty much fine. It does not in any way mean you aren't working hard enough. It just means you're doing things at a pace your body enjoys!
  • loratliff
    loratliff Posts: 283 Member
    snowflakesav wrote: »
    You don't necessarily need to run to the point where your legs are sore every time you run. You are building capillaries, stroke volume, mitochondria ( which burn fat) on your easy training runs.

    Yep. Mildly sore is normal, and so is no soreness... Everyone is different. I'm never sore after 4-5 mile weekday runs, but occasionally after a long run, I feel a little "creaky" the next day. Ten+ miles is a long time of sustained impact, so it only make sense that your bones and muscles need time to recover.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    I run a lot, but only rarely do I find myself sore from it. Usually when I do a particular type of run that I haven't done in a while. For example I was pretty sore after my first hill-repeat run of the year a few weeks ago (those are hard to really simulate on a treadmill, so they didn't happen all winter). I'll be sore after races where I am obviously pushing faster than I would if it was just a regular run of that length. Other than that, no I don't really get "sore".
  • itsmeGennie
    itsmeGennie Posts: 39 Member
    @glevinso @loratliff I think I'm in the same boat. I forgot to put my mileage - I do about 3-5 miles, 4x a weekday and longer run on Saturday morning (6-8 mi). I only really feel soreness after the longer runs.

    I think I may have spoken too soon because the last run I had my first pains! The muscles on the inside of the lower part of my legs (b/w the fat part of calf and ankle) were super sore for about two days but a good massage helped me out.

    My speed workouts
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