Leg pain after running

trueblu3
trueblu3 Posts: 62 Member
edited November 30 in Fitness and Exercise
I go on my exercise bike for 20mins every night and have completed body beast and t25 and I'm half way through completing t25 again so I consider myself very fit but I've just starting running and after today's run of 4 miles my calves and thighs are really hurting but why is this? I thought I'd be fine considering I do circuit training and cycling every night! Can someone explain why I'm feeling this pain?
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Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Because you're working different muscles in a different way
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited March 2016
    trueblu3 wrote: »
    That's what i thought but because I'm fit and legs are strong then I thought I'd be fine

    Obviously not! Stretch, plenty of water and protein, and suck it up!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    trueblu3 wrote: »
    ... but I've just starting running and after today's run of 4 miles my calves and thighs are really hurting but why is this?

    How long have you been running and how are you building up your distance?
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  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    trueblu3 wrote: »
    That's what i thought but because I'm fit and legs are strong then I thought I'd be fine

    Nope.


    that's like being good at bowling and therefore expecting to be good at tennis as well.

    Your legs hurt because you started running multiple miles without any conditioning.
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    trueblu3 wrote: »
    What conditioning do I need to do?

    Start with shorter distances so your legs don't hurt
  • Run_for_my_life
    Run_for_my_life Posts: 15 Member
    proper shoes, build slow, run slow. That is my advice.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    trueblu3 wrote: »
    What conditioning do I need to do?

    Have you tried running?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    trueblu3 wrote: »
    I only run every Saturday and Sunday morning this was only my second weekend.. Ran 4 miles today and every weekend I'll try and go a bit further until I can do 10km. I do intense circuit training after work every night on weekdays so can only run at weekends

    That would be a prime example of too much, too soon.
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  • ephiemarie
    ephiemarie Posts: 264 Member
    edited March 2016
    ^^^ Yes. Start with some shorter/easier runs first. Running is high impact, while cycling and much of T25 are low impact, so you're stressing your muscles and joints in different ways now. If you're working your legs hard every weeknight, you're going into your runs with legs that are already a bit fatigued. This will effect your running and your post-run recovery. The fact that you were able to out and run 4 miles in one shot without much of an actual running background is very positive for your ability to work up to the 10K distance. Good luck!
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    Nothing can prepare you for running except running. You have to start slowly no matter how athletic you are. Even folks that run several times a week for years risk injury if they suddenly increase distance too dramatically.

    Plus, the weekend warrior approach is probably not going to help in the long run. Consistency is the key to running and doing it back to back days one time per week is probably not a good strategy.
  • hockeysniper8
    hockeysniper8 Posts: 253 Member
    Cycling, you are just working your thighs. You need to start an overall lower body workout: squats, calves, and hamstring exercises. This will prevent future injury as well
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Try the couch to 5k program to gradually condition your legs and hopefully avoid injury.
  • birdiegirl73
    birdiegirl73 Posts: 11 Member
    There is also a couch to 10k app that can take you further distances. I started on couch to 5k and continued to the couch to 10k app starting at week 9 because I completed the 5k app first. Good luck
  • trswallow
    trswallow Posts: 116 Member
    If you are only going to run twice a week, then do one run over the weekend and the other one midweek. If you actually want to get better then you should run at least three times a week. To avoid increasing distance too quickly don't increase total weekly mileage more than 10%.

    Also pain/soreness is not a sign of a good or effective workout.
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  • workout_junkee
    workout_junkee Posts: 473 Member
    Decrease your miles and work up. I would start at 2 miles and add a 1/2 mile each week. Also, have you been fit for a proper shoe?
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  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    BTW - I like your profile picture. I'll be seeing The Who again on Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
  • trswallow
    trswallow Posts: 116 Member
    Almost any workout that you are doing multiple times per week would benefit from being spread out. When you go out and run you do a certain degree of damage to the muscles and tendons of your legs and feet, which can result in soreness when you finish or a day or two latter. Given time to recover the soreness goes away and your running related conditioning and fitness increase by a small amount. Repeat this process enough times and eventually you can see a large increase in your running conditioning and fitness. If you stop repeating this process or don't do it frequently enough, then conditioning and fitness will start decreasing.

    The problem with only running on Saturday and Sunday is:
    1) Sunday's run will be compromised because you are already sore/fatigued from Saturday's run because you did not give yourself sufficient time to recover.
    2) For an untrained runner six days is too long to go between running sessions. A well conditioned athlete can go 2 to 3 weeks without losing a significant level of fitness (7% of VO2 Max) (http://running.competitor.com/2014/03/training/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-out-of-shape_70267). However a beginning athlete does not have much fitness to lose and given enough time can go beck to their original fitness level (http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/Deconditioning.htm).
    3) Progress will be slow, if at all, and there is a high likelihood of soreness after each run. Each Saturday's run would almost be like starting from scratch. This can result in frustration and giving up on running.

    By spacing out your runs more evenly thru the week you will not be carrying as much damage and fatigue into your runs and they can be a higher quality run. You also will not be going so long between runs that you start experiencing deconditioning.

    Training is a balancing act between stressing particular parts of your body enough to produce adaptations to the stress and providing your body enough to time to at least partially recover from the damage caused by the stress.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    Nothing can prepare you for running except running. You have to start slowly no matter how athletic you are. Even folks that run several times a week for years risk injury if they suddenly increase distance too dramatically.

    Plus, the weekend warrior approach is probably not going to help in the long run. Consistency is the key to running and doing it back to back days one time per week is probably not a good strategy.

    I agree with this fellow.

    I am a fan of 3x a week running when you first start with a mandatory rest day in between. You are in that dangerous zone where your cardiovascular fitness is leagues ahead of your muscle/ligament/tendon adaptations. Try to add a third day, 2 back-to-back is sort of the worst. You will struggle to progress, struggle to get adequate rest, and struggle to improve with so many non-running days in between. Anyways, if you want to keep running try not to do too much too soon. 2-3 miles 3x a week with a rest day would be preferable. After 3-4 weeks of that you can start bumping up the distance again. Try not to increase weekly mileage by more than 10% a week.

    Maybe look up some of Hal Higdon's plans, they are pretty reasonable in weekly mileage and increases.
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  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    Make sure you have proper shoes and don't up your mileage too quickly.
  • workout_junkee
    workout_junkee Posts: 473 Member
    trueblu3 wrote: »
    Ok thanks for advice.. I already workout every weeknight by doing t25 which I love and when that is completed I will be doing insanity max 30. I also love running so I really want to do the both and just need advice on how to incorporate both into my schedule without burning out. I think I'll run every Tuesday Thursday and Saturday and still do the circuit training every night. From now on I'll stick to 2/3 miles until I'm ready to increase the distance

    When combining running with T25/Max 30 I will replace the cardio workouts with running.
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    trueblu3 wrote: »
    But then the program wouldn't work.. Does everyone think running 3 times a week and doing circuit training 5 times a week to much?

    What programme wouldn't work?
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