How to Run When You're Sore
If you have just started running again or just are not used to it, chances are you may experience some soreness in your legs and even your arms. According to Web MD, delayed onset muscle soreness -- or DOMS -- happens one to two days after initial activity. This type of discomfort stresses the muscle fibers and causes microscopic tears. These factors may lead to an achy muscle soreness after a bout of running.
Instructions
-
-
1
Stretch your muscles before you go for a run. Stretch out your calves, hamstrings and quadriceps. Stretch your arms too, including your biceps and triceps. Hold each stretch for about 10 to 15 seconds to loosen each muscle before you begin your run. Loosen your joints including your ankle, shoulder, knee and neck joints.
-
2
Walk about five to 10 minutes before you begin running to warm up the muscles.
-
-
3
Go for a light run if your muscles are really sore. The important thing to remember is to keep running, even if it's a shorter distance or less time, even when your muscles are sore. This will help build and strengthen your muscles, resulting in less soreness down the road.
-
4
Walk for about 10 minutes after each run to help your body cool down. This will help your muscles recover from the workout.
-
5
Stretch your muscles after your run in the same manner you did before the run.
-
6
Use heat therapy to relieve sore muscles. This will increase blood flow to the area which, according to Everyday Health, helps get rid of lactic acid that may have built up during your run. Try taking a hot bath or shower or applying heat pads or wraps to the sore muscle areas.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Always give yourself and your body at least one to two days of rest a week. This allows your body to recover and helps prevent injury.
If you have severe soreness that affects everyday tasks, just stretch out your muscles, rest for a day and apply heat therapy. Take a light walk to alleviate and stretch out your muscles.
If you feel sharp pains that are not associated with mild muscle soreness, see a doctor. You may have pinched a nerve or pulled a muscle.
References
- Photo Credit Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images
