Recovering

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by SchwinnFan
My legs hurt the moment I start riding(withuot even riding hard.
what can I do???😕

If you ask most runners, they'll tell you "...the 1st mile sucks really bad!" I have the same opinnion about cycling. I do take either Aleve or Advil before a ride, though (1-because I am new to cycling and still getting my "legs" under me; and 2-because I am 37 yrs old and not able to recover as quickly as I did in my 20's! Aging sucks!)

I think everyone struggles with this. But, if you're young and there should be no reason for the pain, maybe you've pulled a muscle or something and need to give it time to heal. Continually working thru pain is not always the greatest idea. Have you injurred yourself recently?

Coldness makes muscles ache, too. Try putting a heating ointment on your legs before a ride if it's cold where you ride.

Trekchic,

It can be extremely dangerous to take non-steroidal anti inflammortary's (such as the drugs you mentioned) prior to or during exercise, especially in hot weather (or where you maybe dehdrated), as it can in *certain* circumstances cause acute renal failure and/or death.

If you need these medicines prior to most (all?) training sessions, then you're doing something wrong. This could include, but not limited to:
too much training
not enough recovery
poor bike set up
using the wrong gears (i.e., much too low cadence)
etc

Do you have recovery days, easy days and days off?

Ric

I've seen and heard of people taking large doses of NSAIDs before races. These were not pros before big events but rather sport class riders before Sea Otter, etc. Presumably, they think that painkillers will help them when riding hard because that's when their legs are painful.

Similarly, when riders are having trouble climbing or are dropped they have a sensation of not having the strength to turn the pedals over so they go to the gym because the sensation of muscle failure is the same.

But in both cases it feels the same but physiologically it is not. These are cases of too much listening to your body and not enough foresight.