Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)?

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Barefooters
Sep 3, 2011
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I've been doing short sprints up some fairly steep inclines lately, but a few days later my glutes and to some extent my calves get quite sore.
I'm not a 'no pain, no gain' type of guy but I do like to challenge myself from time to time to keep things interesting. Is DOMS anything to worry about? I don't want to injure myself, so just thought i'd check before I do something dum, which i'm usually really, really good at ;)
I never run with soreness, but if you have to wait three days between sessions it kind of sucks.

Thanks
 
I think that if you carry on with the sprints you'll soon find you'll strengthen and need to delay less between runs. I've just moved and am now enjoying getting to know the bigger hills around here. My excuse for running less right now is that I've got a house to set up but in reality I'm needing a little more recovery time at the moment (and I'm not trying to sprint the hills).

Have fun and keep smiling!
 
I think that if you carry on with the sprints you'll soon find you'll strengthen and need to delay less between runs. I've just moved and am now enjoying getting to know the bigger hills around here. My excuse for running less right now is that I've got a house to set up but in reality I'm needing a little more recovery time at the moment (and I'm not trying to sprint the hills).

Have fun and keep smiling!

Thanks Chris.
This one hill is my nemesis, it's the only one i've not conquered in my area without faltering, usually just 20 or so meters from the top. Each year I say i'll bag it and each year I get sore trying and back off. I'm a tenacious little bug*er, one day it will be mine!

Hope your move went well! It must be exciting working out all the new trails and hills to explore, once you've got over the stress of moving that is.
Rest up well my friend, the call of the wild will soon be coursing through your veins again and you'll have no option but to hit the trails.:)
 
DOMS? I got thru this issue every week and dealing with it as we speak. I do stairs once a week and sure enough the DOMS shows up for two/ three days but it doesn't stop me from my activities.
I found that once I start running it doesn't bother me at all, it's sore when I am standing still(I hardly seat btw). So what I am saying is that give running a try(but no hills) and see how it goes for you.
 
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DOMS? I got thru this issue every week and dealing with it as we speak. I do stairs once a week and sure enough the DOMS shows up for two/ three days but it doesn't stop me from my activities.
I found that once I start running it doesn't bother me at all, it's sore when I am standing still(I hardly seat btw). So what I am saying is that give running a try(but no hills) and see how it goes for you.

Thanks for the conformation Dama, i've read conflicting reports, so i was just checking. No hills might be a problem though, they are my running candy shop and i start climbing as soon as i step out of the door ;)
I shall stick to jogging up them instead of running, at least not the really steep ones.
 
Thanks for the conformation Dama, i've read conflicting reports, so i was just checking. No hills might be a problem though, they are my running candy shop and i start climbing as soon as i step out of the door ;)
I shall stick to jogging up them instead of running, at least not the really steep ones.

Well, if you love them go for it! I do love the hills/stairs challenge also even if they kick my hinney.
Just be mindful of massaging those sore calves...daily.
 
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Well, if you love them go for it! I do love the hills/stairs challenge also even if they kick my hinney.
Just be mindful of massaging those sore calves...daily.

Thanks Dama, I do massage daily with some hot ginger muscle rub. I also purchased a foam roller recently, but so far its acted as a door stop as I soon discovered that foam isn't as soft as I thought it was ;)
 
Thanks Dama, I do massage daily with some hot ginger muscle rub. I also purchased a foam roller recently, but so far its acted as a door stop as I soon discovered that foam isn't as soft as I thought it was ;)

Does the ginger rub helps?
Have you considered a compression sleeve for the sorest(is that a word?) days? I used them myself from time to time if I want to have a good night sleep.:nurse:
 
Does the ginger rub helps?
Have you considered a compression sleeve for the sorest(is that a word?) days? I used them myself from time to time if I want to have a good night sleep.:nurse:

I think the massage putting the rub on helps more than the hot ginger rub itself, but it is soothing for a while.
I'm wondering if it's because i'm not hydrating properly in the winter as I don't tend to get sore in the hotter months, when I always carry water.
Also a lot of it is the steepness of the hill i've been attempting, it's more of a scramble than a run, you have to use your hands in parts.
 
I remember one of my first trail runs, a 10K that started going up a canyon, then about a mile in, turned up the side of the canyon. There were all these youngsters trying to show off by sprinting up the hills past me. I walked passed them about half-way up, as they were off to the side of the trail gasping for air (and possibly vomiting)...

I like to take it easy on the uphills, then I can use gravity to help me speed down the other side - just remember not to use your brakes!
 
I remember one of my first trail runs, a 10K that started going up a canyon, then about a mile in, turned up the side of the canyon. There were all these youngsters trying to show off by sprinting up the hills past me. I walked passed them about half-way up, as they were off to the side of the trail gasping for air (and possibly vomiting)...

I like to take it easy on the uphills, then I can use gravity to help me speed down the other side - just remember not to use your brakes!

You're right Ken, I do have 'hare and tortoise' syndrome sometimes. I never really found my barefoot brakes, i'm pretty sure someone pinched them when i wasn't looking ;)
 
You're right Ken, I do have 'hare and tortoise' syndrome sometimes. I never really found my barefoot brakes, i'm pretty sure someone pinched them when i wasn't looking ;)
Not so much about "brakes" as those waste energy (unless your goal is to stop). It's more about not pushing so hard on the accelerator. Just a matter of less forward "lean"... I don't like to use the word lean, without explanation, since then people try to run around bent over forward, instead of with an upright torso. It's more a matter of simply leading with the torso (rather than the feet). Now, to run less fast, simply lead slightly less with the torso.
how.barefootrunning.com
 
Not so much about "brakes" as those waste energy (unless your goal is to stop). It's more about not pushing so hard on the accelerator. Just a matter of less forward "lean"... I don't like to use the word lean, without explanation, since then people try to run around bent over forward, instead of with an upright torso. It's more a matter of simply leading with the torso (rather than the feet). Now, to run less fast, simply lead slightly less with the torso.
how.barefootrunning.com

Thanks Ken :)

I'm pretty sure i've got my form down, much thanks to you and other teachers who are able to nurture so well when a pair of new feet arrive on the scene with toes all revved up and twitching to go!

Sometimes I just have to leave everything on the hill, or conquer something that eludes me. Give it everything I have in that moment in time, it's my way of offloading and i'd gladly trade a bit of soreness for that as long as it wasn't harmful. I now see the balance has shifted too far one way as it's effecting other aspects of my running, so i'll reign it in a little. There are many other trails I can follow, sometimes i just lose sight of the neon markers dancing before my eyes marking the routs.
Thanks again for your help
 
lift heavy.

Thank's Mike
Dodgy shoulder means I can't lift heavy weights, have to rely on bodyweight and balance exercises for core stuff.
What would lifting heavy do? By my layman's reckoning that would cause more micro trauma, but I have zero experience in that area.
Are we talking about adaption here? If so I can stick with the really steep hill as that's what's causing the issue.
 
My rule with DOMS is if you can exercise the next day and it makes the DOMS go away you are good. If you can't then you overdid it. Usually for me its trial and error to determine that cut off.

Thanks for the links Abide, i've never seen that site, looks full of useful information.

The problem with me is that i can't lift anything above my head, at least not in a balanced way. An old white water canoeing injury in my left shoulder that just never recovered well.
I tend to use a medicine ball and wobble boards for my core strength, and I can get away with planks for a while, and to some extent push ups, but even then it gets sore.

I definitely over did the hill climb, I could hardly sit down two days later. Your rule looks sound, it really is a balancing act finding out how to train efficiently at any given time without the crash and burn syndrome. I think I do best with LSD runs, but sometimes hills are like a red flag to a bull for me, and in my exuberance forget about Newtons law.
 
My rule with DOMS is if you can exercise the next day and it makes the DOMS go away you are good. If you can't then you overdid it. Usually for me its trial and error to determine that cut off.

That's my rule also...like they say, great minds think alike:)
 
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if you can't lift over your head then get some professional help first.

first move well, then move often. - Gray Cook