Training with Muscle Soreness

Eventually almost every runner learns about the complications and inconvenience of training with muscle soreness. If you are lucky and take good care of yourself right away, soreness is the worst of it.

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Here are some tips to help you treat and decrease muscle soreness. Starting with probably the easiest and most common treatment that is probably used TOO often.

Pain Killers

I used to take Excedrin every time I ran, actually pretty much all the time. I was so addicted to the caffeine in the Excedrin, that if I went off it, I would come down with a terrible headache (not quite a migraine...I had my first one of those the other day and there is nothing like it).

After having a baby, I didn't want him to have any caffeine whatsoever so I stopped taking the Excedrin (actually stopped taking it when I decided to get pregnant), and just endured the headaches until I came down with a terrible toothache (a side affect of child-birth apparently) and then my doctor told me Motrin was ok.

But the problem with Motrin (ibuprofen) for runners is that I have heard it is very bad for your kidneys. Apparently our kidneys are already working too hard when we are running, so taking a pain killer like ibuprofen which Motrin is made out of can be really hazardous on the kidneys.

So what to take if you're training with muscle soreness and need something to help you cope? First, you should make sure you don't have an injury, because if you train through an injury, you could end up hurting yourself unnecessarily and putting a serious damper on your future running. You will find some tips at the end of this article on when to train through the pain and when to take a break.

But what if you are in really bad pain from something else, like a toothache and you are running a marathon? The toothache I had while running the NYC marathon was so unbearable I could feel it in every step.

Well, I'm no doctor or anything, but I'll tell you what they handed out at the NYC marathon: Tylenol. However they enforced a 2 Tylenol rule for the entire marathon. Yeah, they put a big red X on my bib so I couldn't come back for more. Anyway, I assume if they were handing it out at the NYC marathon, it's probably your safest bet, but no more than the minimum.

When it comes to training with muscle soreness, here is some additional remedies that won't ruin your stomach and kidneys. The unfortunate thing is that they won't work 'till afterward.

Heat

You can usually find this at the pharmacy. You apply it to the skin wherever you are in pain and it is absorbed by your muscle and the next day you will feel noticeably better. But I must warn you: this stuff burns. The burn actually feels good on the sore muscles, like a really deep massage.

But the first time I used this I made the mistake of putting it on and then going to bed. Well I got it all over my sheets and as a result my entire body was on fire all night.

So now I recommend putting it on and laying on a towel or something, and then washing it off before you go to bed.

Ice Pack

Nothing like a good old ice pack to put on your injured joints after you come home from training with muscle soreness. I came home from many a long training and sat for ten-twenty minutes with an icepack on my knee. Yeah it felt a little uncomfortable but the pain went away almost instantly.

Warm Bath with Epsom Salt

You may have tried the warm bath in Epsom salt which works wonders for a sore body. However, there is one thing you should take note of. If you're pregnant, you're going to want to try alternate ways of healing, as you don't want to overheat you and your baby.

But otherwise, if you come home from training with muscle soreness, this is the ultimate soothing, relaxation and pain reliever. Sitting in a bath of warm water and Epsom salt for thirty minutes will do wonders for your sore muscles.

Stretching

Stretching is very important for avoiding, preventing and fixing running injuries and soreness. If you notice that one particular area tends to be sore a lot, it is good to pay special attention in stretching that area, but be careful.

Weight Training

When I was training for my first marathon, I often had pain in my shins and calves. When I complained to my coach, he offered that it was because my upper legs weren't strong enough so they were putting too much of the work on my lower legs (ever heard the saying, only as strong as the weakest link?). Well sure enough I went to the gym and did some of the dreaded weight training and within a couple weeks, my training with muscle soreness began to decrease.

There are many additional benefits and reasons why you should get some weight training in. For some weight training recommendations, click here.

In case I didn't mention this yet, make sure you have a good pair of running shoes.

If there is one thing I have stated over and over again and will continue to reiterate, it is GET A GOOD PAIR OF RUNNING SHOES. If you notice you are having a lot of pain in one particular area like your knees or shins, take a look at your running shoes. If you haven't had a running shoe specialist help pick out your running shoes, or if your running shoes are more than six months old, the problem very well may be your running shoes.

But after all this advice, if you still feel like there is something wrong, trust your instinct. Don't continue training with muscle soreness if you think you have or are getting an injury. Instead get professional advice.