Long runs and injuries: can someone explain this? (Read 572 times)

I've been dealing with various minor injuries over the past year, and I keep noticing this same counter-intuitive pattern: During the week I'll gradually see an increase in pain. Saturday I have an easy 4-mile run and the pain is still present. Saturday night I make the tough decision of whether to do my long run on Sunday morning. I always decide to set out on my long run, but stop as soon as the pain increases. Sunday I start off the long run with a little pain, but by mile 3 or 4 it's gone. I finish my goal distance with no problem. I would expect that after this I would be in great pain Sunday night or Monday, or at least in the same pain as on Saturday. But this is never the case. Usually I feel awesome on Monday, and can't even remember the pain. By Thursday (after 3 more days of running), sometimes the pain will be back in a milder form, sometimes not. Often it is during my low-mileage week that the injuries return. Like on a recent easy 4-mile, flat run on a Thursday I developed ankle pain so great I could hardly walk that night. Only once have I ever stopped a long run because the pain was increasing. And if it's more than just a minor injury, I'm not running at all. What is going on here? Why would I feel great after running 10+ miles on an injury, but feel lousy after a 4-mile run? And I'm not talking about an isolated incident. This pattern has repeated itself probably a dozen times over the last year, with a variety of minor injuries including achilles tendonitis, runners knee and shin splints. Has anyone experienced something similar?

I noticed back in December and January that you usually took the day off following your long run. I've read, and experienced for myself, that if you're gonna take a day off, don't do it the day immediately following the hard effort, but do it one day later. Getting out and slogging through a real easy run the day after you long run (which even done at easy pace will be fairly taxing on your legs) will help loosen then up and speed recovery. It's even recommended to do a real easy 3~4 miler the day after a marathon to hasten recovery. So maybe your problem is DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from the long run that's exacerbated by the subsequent off day. Just a guess. BTW, similar thing goes for leading up to a race. If you plan on taking a day off, don't take the day before off -- take the day off two days before the race. You legs will be less sluggish on race day.

Could it be related to something going on during a short run? ie, if it's happening after speed work, maybe that's the culprit (altered body mechanics or something like that)? Anyway, just a thought...