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Soccer is killing my running (Read 1295 times)

jeffdonahue


    I started playing in an over 40 soccer league this Fall, and it is really hurting my running.  We play on Sundays and I find that for the next few days after each game, my runs feel like crap.  My hips, ankles and knees hurt (or at least ache) and I have developed a pretty severe pain on the top of my left foot, which I can only imagine comes from all the stopping and turning associated with playing soccer in cleats.

     

    Anyone else have similar problems and how did you get through it.  I've played in 4 games so far and it has gotten slightly better after this weeks game, but I had hoped by now I would be used to soccer and back to normal running.

      I used to play in an intramural league over a decade ago, around the time when I started running somewhat seriously.  The aches and pains are normal because you're using many of the stabilization muscles that you don't use for running.  They will go away after a few games.

       

      Since you're a streaker, you may be impacted by the on field injuries such as sprained and twisted ankles (especially if you play on artificial turf which can catch your shoe in an unexpected way).  I taped/bandaged up my ankles to give them extra support and reduce excess movement.  That reduced ankle related injuries.  I've collided knees with an opponent once that I could barely walk for days. There was nothing I could do to prevent that

        I don't think you'll like this response, but I played for years in over 30 and over 40 man lacrosse leagues and it didn't really help my running.  Sure you rev your heart and lungs up doing 40-60 yard sprints, but it takes a toll on the legs.  It also cuts into time you could otherwise run.  The last year I did it, I saw my 5k times rise from sub 20 to 21 plus over the course of the season with the same basic weekly mileage. My legs were just beat all the time.  There were some other contributing factors but playing lax twice a week I believe was the primary reason.  One of my team mates was (or was trying to be) an ultra guy and he had the same complaint. 

         

        On the flip side, it was a lot of fun, beer, camaraderie, etc.


        ultramarathon/triathlete

          All of my "older" friends who play soccer (or pick up bball, volley ball, etc) hurt themselves.  I think after a certain age, sports that require sudden changes in direction, and quick bursts of speed, do not bode well to our older, under trained joints.  Stick with sports that require running in a constant motion, in one direction.  Everything else hurts and will lead to a blown out ACL.  

          HTFU?  Why not!

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          lagwagon


            I retired from soccer a couple of years back, as it was hurting my knees and intefering with my other activities, including sporadic running. Just last night a neighbor was trying to talk me into playing a pickup game, but this thread is reinforcing my reluctance. I do miss the game and the social aspect, so who knows. I'm not surprised the soreness hangs in there for a few days, I think it's just part of this middle age we've reached. Good for you getting out there, maybe you just need to decide the running is secondary to the soccer for a month or two...it may be a nice break if you need it.

              I played soccer pretty much my whole life from 2nd grade on.  I was playing 5 days/week before I ran my first marathon (around 30 years old).  The good news was, I could easily go from playing soccer for 90 minutes a day to running 6 miles per day.  The bad news was the frequent changes in direction, horrible cushioning of soccer shoes, and the usual contact wasn't very compatible with running 5 days per week.  Indoor soccer was even worse because of the much faster pace/cuts.  

               

              That said, I also think you use a lot more muscles playing soccer and maintain more flexibility.  If you can make both work and aren't getting injured constantly it's probably okay, but 50 mpw was about where I started having issues, so YMMV.

              Julia1971


                For years, I ran and played field hockey both days of the weekend.  It definitely didn't help my running and I've stopped now that I'm marathon training because it really does a number on my legs.

                 

                From what I remember, my core-workouts were a long run on Sunday morning (hockey practice was Sunday afternoon, scrimmages were Saturday mornings), speedwork consisting of short intervals on Tuesday, and a tempo run on Thursday.  All other days were off or easy.   If I played a tournament, I just ran whenever I felt like it that week but tried to get back on schedule by the next week.  I got through it but I wasn't exactly setting the running world on fire.  My hockey playing was fine, though.  And, I'm sure the bench loved me because they knew I'd be asking for a sub after about 5 minutes.

                 

                And, it usually did take a good week or 2 at the beginning of the season for all the neglected muscles to stop hurting.

                L Train


                  Soccer's killing my running too, only it's my kids' soccer I'm talking about. 

                   


                  Best Present Ever

                    Soccer's killing my running too, only it's my kids' soccer I'm talking about. 

                     

                    i know, right?  field hockey too.  

                    xhristopher


                      A former co-worker of mine played in an adult soccer league. We used to chat about it a lot. It seemed to be filled with a lot of overachiever type A personalities who made up for skill with brute force. In doing so they racked up a lot of injuries. My co-worker injured himself twice before he retired. The first go round he had to have painful shoulder surgery and the second time he was relying heavily on PT to avoid the same surgery on the other side. Last I heard he started jogging.

                       

                      If I were an orthopedic surgeon I'd probably sponsor an adult soccer team in the suburbs.


                      A Saucy Wench

                        yeah, softball killed my running.  It's the damn cleats and the direction changes. 

                        I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

                         

                        "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

                          A former co-worker of mine played in an adult soccer league. We used to chat about it a lot. It seemed to be filled with a lot of overachiever type A personalities who made up for skill with brute force. In doing so they racked up a lot of injuries. My co-worker injured himself twice before he retired. The first go round he had to have painful shoulder surgery and the second time he was relying heavily on PT to avoid the same surgery on the other side. Last I heard he started jogging.

                           

                          If I were an orthopedic surgeon I'd probably sponsor an adult soccer team in the suburbs.

                           This is dead-on. I have a co-worker too that played in an adult league. Big-time type A personalities. She was a runner too. Until she tore her ACL and destroyed her miniscus. She's just back to hiking and jog walking. 

                           

                          I played adult hockey for years but skipped the last two seasons because I thought it was getting rough and ice times were so late at night. But the roughness and injury potential is nothing compared to soccer. 

                           

                          stadjak


                          Interval Junkie --Nobby

                            A former co-worker of mine played in an adult soccer league. We used to chat about it a lot. It seemed to be filled with a lot of overachiever type A personalities who made up for skill with brute force. 

                             

                            Guilty as charged.

                            2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

                               This is dead-on. I have a co-worker too that played in an adult league. Big-time type A personalities. She was a runner too. Until she tore her ACL and destroyed her miniscus. She's just back to hiking and jog walking. 

                               

                              I played adult hockey for years but skipped the last two seasons because I thought it was getting rough and ice times were so late at night. But the roughness and injury potential is nothing compared to soccer. 

                               

                              Yep. Broke my ankle in adult hockey in 2004. Stayed with it through grad school - talk about type A's - then hung it up when the beer league back home got too rough.

                               

                              Quit softball when some 23 year old twit screamed at me "HIT THE F'IN CUTOFF MAN!!!!" in a D-league (i.e. there are 3 "better" leagues in this town of 40,000) game. Same game, our catcher (that kid's brother) broke his leg.

                               

                              With running, so far, the worst I've had is an "owie" in my foot last year, and some poison ivy. No one's thrown an elbow at me...yet.

                              Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and rogues
                              We're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
                              jeffdonahue


                                We have had quite a few injuries this year too - one guy fractured his femur, a dislocated shoulder last week, and a couple achilles injuries.  We have never ended a game with the same number of subs that we started with.

                                 

                                There are definitely a lot of Type A personalities out there.  This weekend we were down 5-3 with about 6 minutes left and the other team went ballistic with every call, every bump, every collision like it was the World Cup instead of a division 3 Old Man's league.  We told them they needed to relax a bit.

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