My sensei has been talking about the benefits of running and, specifically, sprinting, for conditioning and to build leg strength. On the Memorial Day weekend, after doing some sprints following a warmup run on Saturday, my hamstrings were very tight. On Monday, instead of sprinting, I went for a somewhat leisurely run, with the idea that this would loosen the muscles and be better for my legs.
Man, are my legs sore today.
Blogger Black Belt Mama has a funny set of guidelines for how you know you've overdone it at the gym on leg exercises: It is completely appropriate for me today.
The leg pain (muscular--my knee is okay) is a surprise to me because, at various times in recent years, I've gone to gyms and done elliptical work for an equivalent distance without my legs being so sore. It may be that the sprinting is what did it.
I can't for now figure out how I could do a couple of sprinting sessions each week; my only time available is Sunday (I'm not sprinting on Saturday, when I have two martial arts classes). But I still figure--rightly?--that it's good cross training even if I do it once a week. With time, I hope, my legs will adapt.
2 comments:
I feel you buddy. I'm STILL sore, over a week later. Last night I had a muscle spasm and it wasn't even my bad leg. Ugh.
I'm nursing a very sore set of trapezoids from doing a ton of staff form work--on Tuesday!
Keep at the running; I always find any new activity tends to use new muscles, or use existing ones in a different way, leaving me sore.
Give it a good, regular 2 weeks and the soreness should subside.
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