Anyone else with tired/aching legs?

RobertT

 

This is probably one for the older peeps

Is it normal to feel like your muscles ache most of the time during the OS?

I'm hitting all my intervals / paces and nothing hurts so I'm not worried or anything, I'm just interested in other peoples experiences

dhalligan

Robert,

My legs ache after workouts throughout the day and night depending on when I do the workout.  I manage it with ice baths, cold showers, stretching, rolling, and epsom salt baths.  The epsom salt baths are like a wonder drug for me.  Sucks all the junk out and my legs feel 100% better.

Dave

Kitboo

During my first OS last year, my legs would feel okay walking around at work. I'd feel invincible, thinking,"Eh...just 6 hours of training a week...how hard can this be?" Then I'd get to a flight of stairs and my quads/calves/hips would start protesting. As the OS wore on, I considered hijacking wheelchair scooters from my patients, taking the elevator, and parking in the handicap spots. I called it "EN Legs."
Now that I'm halfway through my second OS, I still have those EN Legs. I'm considering having one of the hospital volunteers push me around in wheelchair this season...

Larry Gilbert

x3....but it feels good right? 

Linda Patch

Count me in, although my legs feel the best this OS (third one) than in the past two years. Compression garments for recovery likely helping. I do wonder, however, if that feeling is a good thing long term. Happens in season too, believe me.

Al Truscott

Different people use different words for physical sensations. If Sore = it hurts when you press on tendon or muscle, and Ache = a sore feeling just when sitting around, then I don't have that. What I do notice more as I get older is a feeling of "tiredness" in my legs, distinct from the total body exhaustion I get during my biggest training weeks. Tiredness like, I'd rather not go quickly up the stairs, 'cause there just doesn't seem to be enough "oopmh" there. I used to routinely bound up stairs and run down them in the house - 20 years ago. Not now. And that feeling is more apparent while doing mutliple days of intense bike/run work per week. And yeah, I ascribe that to being older. But like most of you say, it doesn't prevent me from hitting the intervals.

RobertT

Thanks guys, I'm glad it's not just me

@Dave - I was trying to avoid the ice baths

, this winter, did them most weeks last year but I was running all the time. The Espom Salts sounds like something worth trying.

@Linda - I'm wearing the compression compression socks most of the time, I think or is that hope they work, I'm also using the compression tights.

@Kitma - I sit at the computer most of the day, movement feels better, but maybe not the stairs.

Linda Patch

Posted By Al Truscott on 21 Jan 2010 09:15 AM

Different people use different words for physical sensations. If Sore = it hurts when you press on tendon or muscle, and Ache = a sore feeling just when sitting around, then I don't have that. What I do notice more as I get older is a feeling of "tiredness" in my legs, distinct from the total body exhaustion I get during my biggest training weeks. Tiredness like, I'd rather not go quickly up the stairs, 'cause there just doesn't seem to be enough "oopmh" there. I used to routinely bound up stairs and run down them in the house - 20 years ago. Not now. And that feeling is more apparent while doing mutliple days of intense bike/run work per week. And yeah, I ascribe that to being older. But like most of you say, it doesn't prevent me from hitting the inter

 

That's just how I feel. "Heavy" legged.

Based on what I've read in EN through the years, the 30-somethiings complain too. Maybe for us it just starts sooner and lasts longer.

Not sure how to phrase this question, but is it an precursor to over-reaching? Is it "OK" to feel that way on an ongoing basis? With EN it becomes a way of life that gets annoying after a time. Like the rest of you, I soldier on and do just fine, but I do get tired of having no pop in the legs.

Al Truscott

Linda - I assume that if I don't feel that way at certain times during my training cycles, I'm not working hard enough. Over the last 4 years at least, I have timed my peak (aka taper) properly, and pulled out of it for a good IM.

gina

This is a bit of a tangent here, but I will throw it in anyway. Since IMAZ, I simply can't seem to get my legs back. Both on the bike and the run. My RPE just seems over the top, with what were normal efforts during training. Hard, hard, hard to get warmed up. Now, IMAZ was almost 2 months ago. I SHOULD be well recovered and back in the game. Any thoughts??

Al Truscott

Gina -
I've got no advice, just empathy. I've done 15 of the buggers, and the time it took to return to "normal" after each one varied from 10 days to three months. There seemed to be no relation to how hard I'd raced (or trained), except that the longest recovery was after IM WI in 2005, when it was 95F + with high humidity, and I'm sure I had significant muscle breakdown which needed repair. I suspect that the primary issue is brain recovery, and that without a giant goal coming up soon, my neuro endocrine system takes a vacation to regroup. IMO, if you don't really have a big race until Sept, then you've probably got at least six more weeks to get your mojo back.

Spokane_Al

I have not experienced achy legs, although like many others, I can feel the tiredness when I go up stairs. Overall, however, I have been very happy with how I have felt through the entire OS and into the second week of the Power Clinic.



I am excited about how my legs feel during the brick runs and other standalone runs. While I can tell that my legs are toasted I am pleasantly surprised by how strong they feel during the latter parts of my runs. I am definitely beating them up during these OS efforts, but I can feel the additional strength in my legs.



Somewhere in the past couple of weeks R or P talked about ensuring there were 24 hours of recovery between workouts, which means if one bikes on Tuesday afternoon, he/she should wait until Wednesday afternoon before heading out for the run. I have followed that thought to the letter and believe it has helped me.

gina

Posted By Al Truscott on 21 Jan 2010 04:59 PM

Gina -

I've got no advice, just empathy. I've done 15 of the buggers, and the time it took to return to "normal" after each one varied from 10 days to three months. There seemed to be no relation to how hard I'd raced (or trained), except that the longest recovery was after IM WI in 2005, when it was 95F + with high humidity, and I'm sure I had significant muscle breakdown which needed repair. I suspect that the primary issue is brain recovery, and that without a giant goal coming up soon, my neuro endocrine system takes a vacation to regroup. IMO, if you don't really have a big race until Sept, then you've probably got at least six more weeks to get your mojo back.

Al, thanks for the input. I would love to know if there is anything in the literature regarding the neuro-endocrine response to endurance events.

Shrink

Thank goodness I found this, Yes, my legs have been aching a lot, tired tired tired legs. I got a new indoor cyclopse with a power meter (first timer power meter) and after watching so many DVD's with interval training and reading so much about it as a newbie EN member I finally did my first intervals on it and I "sucked". I thought I was really buiilding some power (of course in the OS) and I really felt discouraged.

So yesterday I did a small sprint TRI in a local reverse TRI and OMG, i was improved but I have a loong loong ways to go for my A race (1/2 IM Kona, June). So I guess I am maneuviring out of my OS and into my IS but I struggle with that and go back and forth. Should I be one of those 10-12 weekers (and just take it a little easier), or jump into my 20 week schedule (which I am well in)? Not sure if this makes sense. BUT, I woke up this morning after this mini tri and I mean mini (5k, 12 mile bike and 200 meter swim) and my legs are so achy and tired. nevertheless, here is So Ca we had  terrential rain ( it felt like hale) and 35 MPH gusts throughout 2/3rds of the bike, but I went my all out (an embarressing 23 MPH, lowest of 11 MPH). I did the race to get my juices flowing but woke up juiced out!

Just thought I would share, ( I am 56 year old female) and YES achy shakey legs

PS I am hitting as many intervals as I can throughout the week, but ugh

RobertT

@Linda H. - I think Al is right when he says if he doesn't feel like this then he knows he's not working hard enough / improving his fitness, achy may just be the signal that your on the fine line between over and under training

As fir the mini-sprint those tend to be all out @ or about FTP / run equivalent, so I think what your feeling is probably totally normal.

Spokane_Al

My legs are usually worn down from the OS and the Power Clinic really took its toll. A while back R or P talked about maintaining 24 hours between workouts and I find that helps me a great deal. I tend to get my work outs down in the afternoon and the next morning my legs are still tired. However, by that afternoon I find myself ready to go again, and while there may be some lingering muscle soreness I can get my prescribed workout done.