Lead legs

I didn't want to run yesterday, I've been really sluggish lately but didn't go the day before so knew I had to go yesterday. (I'm 7 for 11 days in April!) I wanted to take FurBaby first a) because he was sitting at my feet whining and b) when I go first without him I have to listen to him HOOOWWWLLLL because he is SO SAD I left without him and my heart cannot take that. So, I took Fern for a quick mile and kind of felt a little bit better so thought I'd take off on my own for a couple. I brought Fernie back to the house and changed direction. Since we moved in January, I hadn't really done any of my old routes, which is pretty ridiculous considering we moved 5 blocks. I took off like a shot, or so it felt but when I checked my watch, I'd run a 7:50. It felt way faster but I was exerting a ton of effort. I got to a spot I felt must have been about 3 miles, 1.79. Every time I looked it was like, .14 further than the last time. It felt like the worlds longest run, and that's coming from someone who's run a 4:50 marathon. I was in the home stretch before my legs finally started to feel ok. I hadn't run the day before and the run the day before that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. So I'm not sure why my legs were so fatigued.

HOWEVER, if your legs are fatigued ask yourself a couple of questions.

Do my legs just feel tired or do they actually hurt? If they hurt, how old are your shoes? What types of surfaces were you running on? Did you do a hard workout the day before?

All of these things can lead to leg fatigue. I've found more this year since I'm running more often that my body feels fatigued from the run the day before. Remember to give yourself plenty of rest! The more intense your workout, the more lactic acid builds up in your muscles, making them sore and tired.

Always make sure your shoes are holding up for the amount of miles you're running. Rule of thumb is 300-500 miles or every six months. Obviously every person is different but by keeping an accurate running log you'll be able to gauge just about when to get those new sneaks!

Leg heaviness can also develop if you do frequent hill work or sprint often. Trauma and damage to the muscles in the legs, such as sprains or strains, can also trigger leg heaviness while running. It can also develop due to medical conditions such as shin splints, tendinitis and compartment syndrome.

Take a thorough eval of you how you really feel. If it's something you've never felt before, it's usually worth a co-pay just to check with a doc to make sure you're not really hurt which could leave you with a more permanent injury.

If you can't determine what it is and just feel lethargic, make sure you're eating enough good foods to help fuel your run. Protein and carbs are great for giving you the energy you need to power through.

A great site if you have questions is Runners World they have blogs, forums, articles, and coaches who are dedicated to helping people love the sport



Broke out the ol' underdeskexerbike today.