Anyone run a marathon? / wondering about recovery

[Bob]

It wasn't a marathon but I ran a lot today.   Muscles are starting to get sore.

Any ideas or advice for recovery? 

I'm thinking stretching again is wise.  I just stood up and realized my leg muscles were stiffening up. 

[visitor]

Full range of motion basic moderate weight low volume strength training.  Mobility drills and dynamic stretches,
. Foam rolling, hot tub soak...

generally works for me depending how beat up i am.

[pjjslp]

Yes, I've done several half marathons and one full. Rest, stretching, foam roller, hot bath, and ibuprofen if needed. After a couple of days, a short (1-2 miles) slow recovery run or even a brisk walk and then stretch, foam roll, etc. A good soak in Epsom salts feels great on feet that feel like they've been beaten with a hammer.

Don't stretch cold muscles, though. Stretch after a bath, or roll them instead. You can even use a rolling pin on tight muscles to loosen them up. It does get better.  In my experience, the discomfort peaks on day 2 or 3 and then gets steadily better.

[thalbergmad]

Don't forget to get some protein in you Bob. Them muscles need to come back stronger. A couple of pints of whey mix with milk is my usual after 100 miles on me bike.

Thal

[Bob]

Thanks.  So far, so good.  Just "dead blood" thighs and my left kneecap top hurts.  I'm pretty sure the kneecap thing is muscles pulling on it.  I just need to figure out which ones.  I've had them hurt like that before and discovered it can go away pretty much right away if I stretch the right leg muscle out.

[ryankmfdm]

 I'm not big into extended bouts of cardiovascular activity, but I surely do occasionally get sore the day after a vigorous Thai boxing or weightlifting workout. Generally speaking, exercising while sore isn't the best idea, but I find that some very light exercise (say, doing some mobility drills, walking the treadmill, calisthenics, etc.) really helps. Follow that up with some stretching for a cool down, and you'll be feeling like a new man in no time.

[Bob]

Fudruckers... I've got pain on my upper kneecap on the left leg.

I think there's inflammation so that screws things up for working with it.

From previous times, I'm pretty sure it's just tension.  I can't figure out where though.  It's either upper or lower leg though.  Tension pulling on the kneecap, moving just a little out of line.

And it might be too loose somewhere.  If it's tight on one side and I stretch out and loosen up the other side, that can make it worse.

Although... Three muscles connecting on top, just a ligament on the bottom.  It's probably a safe bet that muscles on the top leg part are pulling up.

It's just going to be like two weeks to two months to get rid of this.  Grr...

[pjjslp]

Sorry to hear that! Do you have access to a physical therapist? Sounds like a possible patellofemoral issue, but hard to know for sure. If it is the top outside of your kneecap, that can also be caused by a tight IT band. A PT should be able to diagnose and give some ideas for stretching and strengthening the right muscles. Once upon a time I stumbled across a pretty neat knee pain diagnosis tool on the interwebs, but I didn't bookmark it. Knee pain stinks. Hope you heal quickly!

[visitor]

Bob you likely also have some gnarly  myofacial adhesions in addition to residual tension/contracted muscles there and surrounding the area, which  minor foam rolling helps to correct for however the extent of issues may be that you need to see a trigger point therapy trained practitioner and/or an Airosti provider
https://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/06/13/trigger-point-release/
https://www.airrosti.com/

[rachmaninoff_forever]

After a while you don't get sore anymore

Eat and sleep a lot

[thalbergmad]

After a while you don't get sore anymore

You do when you get to my age old chap.

Thal

[Bob]

I just iced my knee a couple times today, stretch, and massaged it.  That makes pain go away temporarily.  Then the muscles adjust and the pain is back.  The pain started on one side and has worked all the way around.  Based on the past, I'd consider that a good side.

That and then some strength to pull everything back in should take care of it eventually.

And I can tell something on the outer right knee now too, although that might just be sympathetic.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

You do when you get to my age old chap.

Thal

come on you guys aren't THAT old

None of you guys are past like 35 right?

[thalbergmad]

come on you guys aren't THAT old

None of you guys are past like 35 right

I is 51 and i cycle 200 miles a week.

Thal

[Bob]

I don't think pain is necessarily bad.  It's communication from the body, a way to monitoring things, and measuring things.  I can tell how the healing's going from this knee pain.  (Even then I wonder about "pain" here.  I'm thinking it's just stretching too much at that one point, and then it's getting inflamed which isn't helping things move normally.)

If you push things enough, you can always get delayed muscle soreness from what I've read.  Although if you keep doing activities I've also read you can dampened that effect.  This isn't DOMS though.  It's overuse, but the muscles (probably in the thigh vs. lower leg but there's still tension there too) are tightening up, which pulls on the kneecap a bit. 

What I'd like to do is get more info this time around and speed up recovery with stretching/massaing/etc. and get rid of any inflammation as much as possible I think.

[swagmaster420x]

Omg, athletic asfck!

[Bob]

Just healthy.  Lower cholesterol asfck.  Which has got to be true by now I would think.  Plus a better brain.

I've discovered walking doesn't irritate things.  Substitute walking in for the time spent running while things heal up from running.  That's what I'm going with now.  Calorie-wise, it's something, and it's still some type of exercise.  Although it makes me wonder how much jogging/running is worth it if walking gets a lot done too.  Running has to be better for pushing things though.

[pjjslp]

Just healthy.  Lower cholesterol asfck.  Which has got to be true by now I would think.  Plus a better brain.

I've discovered walking doesn't irritate things.  Substitute walking in for the time spent running while things heal up from running.  That's what I'm going with now.  Calorie-wise, it's something, and it's still some type of exercise.  Although it makes me wonder how much jogging/running is worth it if walking gets a lot done too.  Running has to be better for pushing things though.

Walking definitely doesn't burn as many calories mile for mile. Have you ever heard of Jeff Galloway? Former US Olympic marathoner who has developed a run-walk-run program. I started using his methods for long distances two years ago and haven't had a running injury since. It's great for those of us at, ahem, a certain age. Glad to hear you are starting to heal!