New Runner

Welcome!

Yes, it does hurt that much until you get used to it. I think that more than anything, you have to
get used to the muscle mass itself bouncing up and down as well as working for a living.

That's my theory, and weighting in at just under 200lbs has nothing whatsoever to do with it (:

Steve

MSA said:

Hi, quick question if anyone can help.

I'm a competitive cyclist, currently clocking up around 400km per week + time trials. I have
recently taken up running in order to start triathlons. I have only been running for a week but
wanted to make sure that the muscle pain I am experiencing in my legs is 'normal'. Tonight was my
4th run (I am completely new to this remember) and was 1 hour 10 minutes in length. I came in,
stretched and then took a shower. When I came to go down the stairs I could hardly walk! the muscle
pain in the front of my thighs is excruciating! I felt something not as bad after my previous runs
(shorter length) but nothing this bad before.

Now I know that cycling uses different muscle groups, but I didn't expect to suffer like this!

Is this normal..am I being a wuss?

Mark, sitting at his computer, dreading going down the stairs again :-)

Quadriceps soreness is *very* typical in new runners, even more so if you run downhill. Prepare for
shin splints next. Then it's all smooth sailing. ;-)

Quoted message said:

currently clocking up around 400km per week + time trials.

This really *does* seem to prove it's all different muscles....I always tell people this to
encourage them to try tri but never was quite sure it was true about quads. Interesting!

I've been told that cycling does more to improve your running than vice versa, so you should be in
good shape shortly!

Susan in LA

If you walk down the stairs backwards it doesn't hurt quite as much. Walking down a stairway
forwards was the litmus test for being recovered from my first marathon. 😉

MSA said:

Hi, quick question if anyone can help.

I'm a competitive cyclist, currently clocking up around 400km per week + time trials. I have
recently taken up running in order to start triathlons. I have only been running for a week but
wanted to make sure that the muscle pain I am experiencing in my legs is 'normal'. Tonight was my
4th run (I am completely new to this remember) and was 1 hour 10 minutes in length. I came in,
stretched and then took a shower. When I came to go down the stairs I could hardly walk! the muscle
pain in the front of my thighs is excruciating! I felt something not as bad after my previous runs
(shorter length) but nothing this bad before.

Now I know that cycling uses different muscle groups, but I didn't expect to suffer like this!

Is this normal..am I being a wuss?

Mark, sitting at his computer, dreading going down the stairs again :-)

MSA said:

Hi, quick question if anyone can help.

I'm a competitive cyclist, currently clocking up around 400km per week + time trials. I have
recently taken up running in order to start triathlons. I have only been running for a week but
wanted to make sure that the muscle pain I am experiencing in my legs is 'normal'. Tonight was my
4th run (I am completely new to this remember) and was 1 hour 10 minutes in length. I came in,
stretched and then took a shower. When I came to go down the stairs I could hardly walk! the muscle
pain in the front of my thighs is excruciating! I felt something not as bad after my previous runs
(shorter length) but nothing this bad before.

Now I know that cycling uses different muscle groups, but I didn't expect to suffer like this!

Is this normal..am I being a wuss?

Mark, sitting at his computer, dreading going down the stairs again :-)

You need to take it way easier on the running at first. The 400 k per week of cycling has done
wonders to prepare your heart, lungs, and _some_ muscles for running, but absolutely nothing to
prepare others. You must now train the weak links - muscles used in running, but not cycling. If you
do this right, your running workouts will seem childishly easy at first, but you should still be
able to improve much more quickly than someone who was previously a couch potato.

"Radioactive Man" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

MSA said:

Hi, quick question if anyone can help.

I'm a competitive cyclist, currently clocking up around 400km per week + time trials. I have
recently taken up running in order to start

triathlons.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have only been running for a week but wanted to make sure that the

muscle

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

pain I am experiencing in my legs is 'normal'. Tonight was my 4th run (I am completely new to
this remember) and was 1

hour

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

10 minutes in length. I came in, stretched and then took a shower. When

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

came to go down the stairs I could hardly walk! the muscle pain in the front of my thighs is
excruciating! I felt something not as bad after my previous runs (shorter length) but nothing
this bad before.

Now I know that cycling uses different muscle groups, but I didn't expect

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

suffer like this!

Is this normal..am I being a wuss?

Mark, sitting at his computer, dreading going down the stairs again :-)

You need to take it way easier on the running at first. The 400 k per week of cycling has done
wonders to prepare your heart, lungs, and _some_ muscles for running, but absolutely nothing to
prepare others. You must now train the weak links - muscles used in running, but not cycling. If
you do this right, your running workouts will seem childishly easy at first, but you should still
be able to improve much more quickly than someone who was previously a couch potato.

Hi again!

Thanks for the replies. Like most things in life I have gone into this full steam instead of
building up. I guess I thought "hey I'm fit, this ain't gonna be a problem"!. Legs are better today
but I've cancelled out my training ride tonight...and I don't do that very often!

I'll take another day off and then ease back into it, maybe 30 minutes for a week or so and then
build up. Does that sound better?

--
Mark

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak"

There is a simple exercise you can do to help out with that, while you are sitting. Sit in your
chair, with legs mimicking the chair position, and both feet start flat on the floor. At the same
time raise both of your toes, while you keep your heals on the floor.

You sitting -----| Knees
|
|_ (toes flat on floor)

-----|
|
|/ (toes up)

Do this after every time you run, right away. And do it when ever you think about during the day.
Alternate between 10 fast raises and 10 slow. This should help in a few weeks, so that you don't get
this problem at all. Also, it greatly reduces the pain that you already have, if you do it right
away after your run.

MSA said:

Hi, quick question if anyone can help.

I'm a competitive cyclist, currently clocking up around 400km per week + time trials. I have
recently taken up running in order to start triathlons. I have only been running for a week but
wanted to make sure that the muscle pain I am experiencing in my legs is 'normal'. Tonight was my
4th run (I am completely new to this remember) and was 1 hour 10 minutes in length. I came in,
stretched and then took a shower. When I came to go down the stairs I could hardly walk! the
muscle pain in the front of my thighs is excruciating! I felt something not as bad after my
previous runs (shorter length) but nothing this bad before.

Now I know that cycling uses different muscle groups, but I didn't expect to suffer like this!

Is this normal..am I being a wuss?

Mark, sitting at his computer, dreading going down the stairs again :-)

I would humbly suggest that you run some shorter runs and ease into the running a bit more. I would
run no more than 3 times a week @ about 30 min. and then try to build up about 10% increases each
week. Do a fair amount of stretching. It's very easy to injure yourself by starting too hard. Most
new runners do injure themselves at the beginning, but I would think that you are in a high-risk
category since your fitness level is so high (i.e., most new runners don't have that level of
aerobic fitness, so they konk out before they do any *real* damage). Take it slow - slower than you
would like. You can always build, but if you injure yourself (e.g., shin splints) you'll ruin your
entire season. Better safe than sorry.

Tom "MSA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, quick question if anyone can help.

I'm a competitive cyclist, currently clocking up around 400km per week + time trials. I have
recently taken up running in order to start

triathlons.

Quoted message said:

I have only been running for a week but wanted to make sure that the

muscle

Quoted message said:

pain I am experiencing in my legs is 'normal'. Tonight was my 4th run (I am completely new to this
remember) and was 1

hour

Quoted message said:

10 minutes in length. I came in, stretched and then took a shower. When

I

Quoted message said:

came to go down the stairs I could hardly walk! the muscle pain in the front of my thighs is
excruciating! I felt something not as bad after my previous runs (shorter length) but nothing this
bad before.

Now I know that cycling uses different muscle groups, but I didn't expect

to

Quoted message said:

suffer like this!

Is this normal..am I being a wuss?

Mark, sitting at his computer, dreading going down the stairs again :-)

.. Tonight was my 4th run (I am completely new to this remember) and was 1 hour .. 10 minutes
in length.

<record needle noise>

Is pain normal? I'm thinking a stress fracture or blown knee would be normal. If you got away with
some pain and soreness, I'm thinking that's a pretty good sign that you are going to be darn good at
this - assuming you go easy, build up slowly, and don't injure yourself along the way.

"salmoneous" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

.. Tonight was my 4th run (I am completely new to this remember) and was 1 hour .. 10 minutes
in length.

<record needle noise>

Is pain normal? I'm thinking a stress fracture or blown knee would be normal. If you got away with
some pain and soreness, I'm thinking that's a pretty good sign that you are going to be darn good
at this - assuming you go easy, build up slowly, and don't injure yourself along the way.

LOL, here's hoping!

I'll report back in a few months. Thanks for all the advice everyone. Look like I've stumbled across
a decent group here.

Regards,

Mark (UK)

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

LOL, here's hoping!

I'll report back in a few months. Thanks for all the advice everyone. Look like I've stumbled
across a decent group here.

Regards,

Mark (UK)

PS: I'm 90% recovered!

Mark

MSA said:

"Radioactive Man" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

MSA said:

Hi, quick question if anyone can help.

I'm a competitive cyclist, currently clocking up around 400km per week + time trials. I have
recently taken up running in order to start

triathlons.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have only been running for a week but wanted to make sure that the

muscle

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

pain I am experiencing in my legs is 'normal'. Tonight was my 4th run (I am completely new to
this remember) and was 1

hour

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

10 minutes in length. I came in, stretched and then took a shower. When

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

came to go down the stairs I could hardly walk! the muscle pain in the front of my thighs is
excruciating! I felt something not as bad after my previous runs (shorter length) but nothing
this bad before.

Now I know that cycling uses different muscle groups, but I didn't expect

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

suffer like this!

Is this normal..am I being a wuss?

Mark, sitting at his computer, dreading going down the stairs again :-)

You need to take it way easier on the running at first. The 400 k per week of cycling has done
wonders to prepare your heart, lungs, and _some_ muscles for running, but absolutely nothing to
prepare others. You must now train the weak links - muscles used in running, but not cycling. If
you do this right, your running workouts will seem childishly easy at first, but you should still
be able to improve much more quickly than someone who was previously a couch potato.

Hi again!

Thanks for the replies. Like most things in life I have gone into this full steam instead of
building up. I guess I thought "hey I'm fit, this ain't gonna be a problem"!. Legs are better today
but I've cancelled out my training ride tonight...and I don't do that very often!

I'll take another day off and then ease back into it, maybe 30 minutes for a week or so and then
build up. Does that sound better?

When I first took up running again, doing 2 or 3 days per week, I did something like warm up with a
little walking, run 1/2 a mile at an easy pace (such as 8 or 9 min per mile), then walk a bit more
to cool down. I then added 1/4 mile to the workouts every week or two, eventually progressing to
speed work and some longer and shorter runs. I was not starting out as a couch potato, but was in
fairly decent shape from regular weight training, but still the impact took a while to get used to.
As a cyclist, you are probably at a better starting point that I was. If you don't want these
initially run training sessions to bore you, you might try doing them after a bike ride, but just be
careful to start the run easy and don't overdo the distance.