Running advice

sounds like you need a rest day, and you probably need more calcium and potassium in your diet. how often do you do this work out? you should have at least 2 rest days a week.

No idea on the stiff leg thing, I would check with your doctor.

That said it could be a one off bad run. Some runs I can't get moving for whatever reason and the next run I am fine. I am a very slow beginner and only just got to 25 minutes runs after seven weeks of trying to run, so you are doing so well and must be very fit.

PS. If you intend on running outside at any point, prepare by putting your treadmill on an 2% incline. Running on an inside treadmill with an 2% incline is meant to be similar effort than outside running, where the road doesn't move smoothly under your legs, LOL

The sore and stiff is totally the recipe for a rest day. I get tight when i push it too hard over too many days .

Great job on the running!!!

hey - it's great to see that your getting into running. i love running and have just completed my first marathon last week!

I would reccommend that you change things up a bit so that you are not doing the same thing every day. If you are doing 4 sessions a week I would suggest that two are long slow-ish runs where you are concentrating on going for longer distances/times.

Another day your should try a speed session - so, warm up and stretch first (as you normally would) and jog or walk slowly for 1 min and then go as fast as you can for 1 min and repeat this 5-6 times. every week either up the speed of the sprint or do another repetition. Make sure that the one minute recovery is slow, you want to try to catch your breath so you can go as fast as you can for the sprint. These types of excercises builds strength and develops you anerobic fitness which is different to aerobic fitness an you need both!

Then (as an answer to your question) i would reccommend doing a yoga or pilates class as your other session so you get a really good stretch out!

Hope it works out!

Can I add some food for thought? How stiff and sore are your legs? If you are increasing your running distance by more than 10% per day, or total 10% per week, it is a recipe for over-use injury. If you are running the same distance each day, about the same pace, it may be a nutrition thing, and you should heed the advice of some previous posts. If there's not an injury, your diet is good, and you're just feeling sluggish, I say push through it. Running and burning those calories can be hard work sometimes, but totally worth the effort. That's why there is such a celebration when someone crosses the finish line of a marathon. Not because they ran when they felt good, but because they ran to accomplish their goal.

Sounds like me when I started. I got the bug and did too much too soon, I think ... I very quickly built up from about 8 mins to 5km in 30mins and was doing solid running on an almost daily (weekday) basis. I got a similar injury and had to stop for a quite a while in the end because I pushed through it. In fact, I was even tested for DVT because my leg was so stiff.

Now, I alternate my cardio even though I'd love to run more. Most of my runs now are HIIT too, like someone said already - you run fast for a min or two and then slow right down for a minute to bring your heart rate back down.

And the most important thing is those stretches afterwards - you don't look silly or uncool. They are so helpful in recovery! If there is a sauna at your gym, I find that helps after a long run and I use it as a reward to myself on the days I've pushed harder.

Hope your leg feels better soon !

Thanks for the advice everyone. I run at the gym three to four times a week. Monday to Friday though, very rarely at weekdns as I usually work which involves standing up all day outside anyway!

I do take a water bottle with me and I do tend to drink half the water in it when working out.

Maybe I should concentrate on stretching more. Although I do it, maybe i'm not doing it for long enough.

Thanks for the outside running advice! I dont run outside generally but it's somehting im looking into come 2012!

Cheers! x

if you are waiting to hydrate yourself during or even before your run, you are waiting too long. drink water the night before, all day.

stretching should be the most important part of your work out. my stretching is usually about 4-8 minutes long. i do dynamic stretching, with things like arm cross overs, pinwheels, hip rotations, and knee rotations. then i do about 40-50 jumping jacks and 40-50 butt kicks. static stretching is best for cooling down.

Stiff legs mean you got a good workout! If you actually injured yourself you'd know it (trust me on that one). Why did you get stiff sooner than usual? Perhaps you weren't as well hydrated, hadn't eaten for awhile, didn't rest enough, etc etc etc.

If you get stiff legs in the future, I highly recommend a foam roller or something similar. And of course remember that rest is key. Perhaps try doing some biking or swimming after running several days to take the load off your joints and legs.