Apr 8, 2013

Update: A Little Sore

So, an update to go with my run from Saturday, which left me a little sore. There's still a little today, but not like yesterday. I do believe the soreness was from two components at its core. The first being stretching and the second the impact.

What Hurts

Hippo
Sore like a hippo dancing
on coconuts in a hail storm.
I had / have soreness in the lower portions of my legs. The parts I feel the most are the muscle / ligaments / body stuff going down through my shins into and around my ankles and feet. It seems to be more on my right then left. Specifically,  when I flex up my right foot, about half way up my shin it feels like there's a knot just off to the outside of my shin. The ligaments around my ankles are all just generally sore and across the top of my right foot as well.

The Stretching

To quickly state, yes, I did stretch. However it wasn't anything specifically geared or even the slightest bit thought ahead. I simply stepped outside and started stretching my legs a bit. I have no real knowledge basis when it comes to stretching, only what I've done before and what seems to feel good. I also know I didn't stretch nearly long enough, in my impatience to get started running [with a weird little bit of excitement thrown in, who knew?].

The Impact

To put it as simply as possible,  I'm not a tiny guy. There's a good bit of weight on this frame. So, I know when I run, it's going to put some impact on my joints. I know some if my soreness is simply that. Over time, as I lose weight and my body adjusts, I know this will get better. It's just something I need to deal with in the meantime and try and minimize.

What To Do About It

First and foremost I need to get a better stretching routine. I need to get a specific routine, designed for running, and stick to it.  I'll do research on this but am, as always, welcome to suggestions. If you have one thats worked well for you, please pass it along. Once I have a set plan, I can add it to my routine and be sure to add the appropriate amount of time for it.

For the impact,  I'm not sure of too much I can do for it. I know the shoes can make a difference. Maybe mine are a part of the problem. I was fixing them, trying to get the lacing right,  so maybe early on caused the problem or maybe my "fix" was not a helpful change. In addition, I believe my shoes may need broken in more. I've had then for a while. Maybe 2 years. But... they haven't exactly gotten a ton of use in that time frame. I bought them specifically as "gym shoes". When I first bought them, they did get a fair bit of use. However, that use consisted most of the one block walk to the gym in the clubhouse, running on an elliptical, then one block back to the apartment. So, they weren't really getting the kind of activity that would "break them in".  And then, they had a nice home in the closet for a year [or so]. Now that I'm using them to actually run and putting them to shoe use, they may finally be getting worn the way they should. That could also play a part in the right hurting more than the left. That, or just my technique sucks. My plod may need some work. Haha.

They should be decent enough though. They're a pair of Nikes and I bought a running model, so they should be good enough for what I'm doing now. I know to actually run the half marathon, I'm going to want to invest in one or two really good pairs of shoes, but I'm nowhere near the distances where that matters yet. Let me work up to that first before purchasing shoes beyond my current need.

Gym tomorrow am. Going to do some elliptical running. No plan, just to see how far I get in a half hour or so. Need to do some cardio building, which the elliptical will help with that with less impact on me.

278 day until do or die!

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