Runners- heavy legs

leahartmann
leahartmann Posts: 415
in Fitness and Exercise
So, I´m a fairly new runner. I can´t run very far yet (like 5 minutes top , then I walk-run, walk-run) and I DON´T run very fast! My problem is my legs. They become very heavy and sore as I run. When I have to stop running and start to walk, it´s more because of my legs than my breathing. I have the right pronation in my shoes, so that´s not it. What am I doing wrong and how do I avoid it?

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Replies

  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
    By the way- I run 3 times a week and begin and end with a few minutes walking to warm up and to slow down.
  • damo1023
    damo1023 Posts: 15 Member
    i started out about 8 weeks ago and could not manage much more than about 3 mins of running without a walk break. It gets easier as your body gets used to the stress of it.
    Follow a plan like the couch to 5k and remember that you'll progress over time.
    Its not the same for everyone but in those 8 weeks I've gone from the c25k to running 9.5k in 49 mins without a break last on my run yesterday nite.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Could it just be that you're not used to that type of activity by that muscle group? Everything takes time to develop. Could also be that you haven't enough fuel in the tank... or you're dehydrated. Many things can cause running to be difficult. It isn't easy.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    i started out about 8 weeks ago and could not manage much more than about 3 mins of running without a walk break. It gets easier as your body gets used to the stress of it.
    Follow a plan like the couch to 5k and remember that you'll progress over time.
    Its not the same for everyone but in those 8 weeks I've gone from the c25k to running 9.5k in 49 mins without a break last on my run yesterday nite.

    That, BTW, is awesome progress. Way to go!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Is this experience specific to running? Do you have the heavy muscle feeling on an elliptical or swimming or riding a bike (at a comparable intensity to the run)? Or what about lower intensity activity like walking, does it happen then?
  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
    Is this experience specific to running? Do you have the heavy muscle feeling on an elliptical or swimming or riding a bike (at a comparable intensity to the run)? Or what about lower intensity activity like walking, does it happen then?
    I walk like an hour and a half every day- no problem. And right now, I don´t do much exercise beyond that. Before I had the right pronation, I had a problem with my shin, even when I walked. But not anymore. It´s only when I run.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    I wish I had a better answer- I suspect you have a mental block against running that is producing the symptoms you're describing. I'm not saying that the symptoms are made up at all- but that the mental block is truly causing the symptoms. If you don't experience the same symptoms from similar effort in other activities, and its not joint pain, then I think you don't believe that you can run. I'm not sure the best way to overcome this except to go just a little bit father each time, and prove to yourself that you can on fact run, little by little!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i think it's a common feeling when you're just starting.
    running is like 80% mental i'm finding. some days i feel like a gazelle and can run 7 miles and other days i can feel like an elephant and can barely do 1 mile.

    another thing that affects me is food. i tend to run better fasted (only having water) than if i have a meal in my system.
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
    So, I´m a fairly new runner. I can´t run very far yet (like 5 minutes top , then I walk-run, walk-run) and I DON´T run very fast! My problem is my legs. They become very heavy and sore as I run. When I have to stop running and start to walk, it´s more because of my legs than my breathing. I have the right pronation in my shoes, so that´s not it. What am I doing wrong and how do I avoid it?

    Thank you for taking the time to read this.
    running is mostly in the mind so, other than the normal things like resting and icing your legs if they are really sore, Remember RICE = Rest Ice Compression Elevation.
    I'd say either listen to music, or change your music for something more upbeat at the point where you want to give up. Something you want to dance to for example, that way you can promise yourself to stop after that track, or the music will help you just to get past the' hump'. Keep going, but if you need to stop, then stop, walk for 30 second and try again. I took 5 months to go from couch to running for 8 minute nonstop, a year later I was running two half's a year for 10+ years. I'd still be running now were it not for a spine injury. (Roll on the weight loss so I can get running again)
  • Katy_V
    Katy_V Posts: 43 Member
    Hey there- first off well done on getting out there and good luck. All good advice from the above posters. Definitely agree that if you're not injured in any way then with keeping at it your muscles will get used to it. Music and mind games are good. Personally I listen to audiobooks - I'm too lazy to change up my music often enough.

    It's totally a mental thing - I always find a certain phenomenon where I think because everyone talks about how much they love running, they must all find it super easy, why am I struggling? I think the answer is running presents a different challenge to everyone - it's supposed to be challenging, that's why the payoff is so great. All I'll say is believe it - and listen to your body. If it's painful, stop, walk as far as you need, go again. And WELL DONE.

    P.S. I've been running for years and get "heavy leg" days...
  • lnt_helent
    lnt_helent Posts: 13 Member
    Do you mean that you pronate with your right foot, or that you have rectified that? It sounds like you had shin splints as a result of pronation. Do you still get the shin pain when you run? Or is it just muscle tiredness?
  • gracefulotus
    gracefulotus Posts: 42
    Can you describe the soreness?
    I used to try jogging on the road and found that my feet would cramp up and become so stiff and painful that I would have to stop and just stand there. I'd limp home and massage my feet. I then discovered that I needed to stretch out the calf muscles (see Stretch 1 - http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/a/calfstretch.htm).

    I also discovered that I could jog on the treadmill at the gym at a reasonable pace with an incline of several degrees quite happily without getting sore and cramped feet. The reason was that I had been doing a lot of lower body weight training and had built up some nice muscles in my legs and glutes.

    So, for me it is a combination of stretching out the gastrocnemius and building leg and glute muscles.

    Hope this helps.
  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
    I wish I had a better answer- I suspect you have a mental block against running that is producing the symptoms you're describing. I'm not saying that the symptoms are made up at all- but that the mental block is truly causing the symptoms. If you don't experience the same symptoms from similar effort in other activities, and its not joint pain, then I think you don't believe that you can run. I'm not sure the best way to overcome this except to go just a little bit father each time, and prove to yourself that you can on fact run, little by little!
    I will definately try this! Maybe you´re rigt. I don´t believe much in myself, that I can actually run. I tend to focus on "I can run that far" and "I´m to slow". Maybe I should just kick my own butt and get into gear! Thank you.
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    It's lactic.

    Because you're quite unfit you very quickly start to run at a heart rate that gets your body to work anaerobicly rather than aerobicly. That results in lactic acid build up in your legs.

    Read this:
    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-does-lactic-acid-buil

    Get a HRM, work out where you're lactic threshold is and start running at a pace that heeps your HR below that threashold. Your fitness will improve, your legs won't feel heavy and your lactic threshold will increase as you get fitter so you can run faster without your legs feeling like bricks.
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    I wish I had a better answer- I suspect you have a mental block against running that is producing the symptoms you're describing. I'm not saying that the symptoms are made up at all- but that the mental block is truly causing the symptoms. If you don't experience the same symptoms from similar effort in other activities, and its not joint pain, then I think you don't believe that you can run. I'm not sure the best way to overcome this except to go just a little bit father each time, and prove to yourself that you can on fact run, little by little!
    I will definately try this! Maybe you´re rigt. I don´t believe much in myself, that I can actually run. I tend to focus on "I can run that far" and "I´m to slow". Maybe I should just kick my own butt and get into gear! Thank you.

    Believe me it's not a "mental block" it's basic physiology.
  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
    Do you mean that you pronate with your right foot, or that you have rectified that? It sounds like you had shin splints as a result of pronation. Do you still get the shin pain when you run? Or is it just muscle tiredness?
    I don´t get the shin pain after I got the pronation. Maybe I put it wrong, I was having the pain before I had the right pronation in my shoes, not before. (My english in´t that good, I appologize.)

    It´s not a cramp, more like if all the muscles are pulling together and causing my legs to get very heavy hard to move and sore. I find it diffucult to move the feets.
  • BenDyer
    BenDyer Posts: 13
    I think it's where you are not used to this activity and your body needs time to adjust. set yourself reachable goals and slowly increase your goal by small increments each few sessions and your body will adapt over time. I love to go paintballing, but it wreaks my legs because i spend so much time crouching and i'm not used to that kind of stress on my legs, even tho i spend all day on my feet for my job, but i know for a fact that if i went paintballing every weekend that after say two months it would get a lot easier on my legs. Good luck :)
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    This link explains the lactate process in the simplest terms I could find:
    http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_factsheets/constant/lactic.htm

    Hope this helps.
  • wgn4166
    wgn4166 Posts: 771 Member
    I have to walk/run also. Make sure that you do some stretching first. That was my problem.
  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
    It's lactic.

    Because you're quite unfit you very quickly start to run at a heart rate that gets your body to work anaerobicly rather than aerobicly. That results in lactic acid build up in your legs.

    Read this:
    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-does-lactic-acid-buil

    Get a HRM, work out where you're lactic threshold is and start running at a pace that heeps your HR below that threashold. Your fitness will improve, your legs won't feel heavy and your lactic threshold will increase as you get fitter so you can run faster without your legs feeling like bricks.
    I will definately read the article! And see where to find a HRM. Thank you very much.

    And thanks to everybody to take the time to read and answer. It means a lot to me!!
  • larosita57
    larosita57 Posts: 60 Member
    Hey - I know this post was a written a while ago, but I wanted to throw in my 10 cents :) I run a lot - races, marathons, etc - and I get leg pain when I'm increasing mileage or trying to get back into shape after a reduced exercise winter. I think it's a pretty standard reaction to increased stress on your body. It's always a gradual, sometimes painful, process when it comes to getting back into shape. Also - do you have good running shoes? I used to get a lot of injuries until I found the right type of shoes for me. Good running shoes are obscenely expensive, so I recommend you shop around a bit before you make the investment.

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