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Is the penguin shuffle in the morning normal? (Read 298 times)

npaden


    Those first 10 - 20 steps in the morning I pretty much feel like a penguin.  Just shuffling along taking baby steps.

     

    My feet don't especially hurt, but they are a little bit tender for sure.  My calves are a little tight and it takes a little bit to get going.

     

    After an easy day, it's not that bad, but after a long run or a quality workout, sometimes it might not be until I get to the kitchen when my feet and legs start feeling good.

     

    Just curious.  I don't recall when I first started doing it, but it seems like as I've been ramping up my mileage lately, it's pretty much an every morning occurence for me.

     

    Is this normal?  As I get used to the higher volume will it go away?  It's not really painful or anything, I just feel like an old man those first few steps in the morning.

     

    Thanks, Nathan

    Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

    Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

    L Train


      At our age, running more comes with a price tag.  Yes, I'd say it's pretty normal, and my experience is no, it won't go away.  Aren't I a ray of sunshine.

       


      A Saucy Wench

        yup.

         

        First thing in the morning I look like I have advanced arthritis.

        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

          I'm only 25 and this happens to me, usually the morning after a long run or hard hill workout. I think it's fairly normal.

           

          Although, I stretched last night, hours after a long, hilly trail run, and I felt amazing this AM. It's amazing what a few minutes of stretching & foam rolling will do!

            Yeah.

             

            It's not so bad in a period of easy base running but during a block of hard training, the first few minutes of every morning I feel about 100 years old. I find it helps if I do some eccentric calf raises while still laying in bed just to get some circulation to my feet and lower legs before my feet hit the hardwood floor. And the first mile of every early a.m. run is by far the slowest--the first quarter mile is at granny pace and then I gradually accelerate from there.

            Runners run

              Completely normal.  I had that at age 15 and have it at 37.  I have it if I take 3 days off sleeping 10 hours a night before the morning I'm trying to run or if I ran 3 hard workouts in a row.  My body just hates mornings.

               

              I envy those who can jump out of bed, into their shoes, and be up to full speed while still on their front lawns.

              L Train


                Back to this.  Recently I've been sort of evaluating what I really want out of running.  One thing that has struck me as I've been recovering from a minor injury lately is that as my running has decreased to basically zero, my overall mobility has actually increased and overall general level of soreness has decreased.  I've been doing some other stuff too while I recover from running, but I've been pretty lazy.  I've also enjoyed the mental break from the daily grind.

                 

                I've been thinking that just running as I get older is what will make me a better runner (or at least slow the decline), but it makes me less functional in other areas because I'm sore all the damn time.  It also makes me weak in other areas that aren't related to running (which then makes me susceptible to injury).  For overall health, I think I need to run less and do other stuff more.  It will make me a worse runner, but maybe that's OK.  Of course the best answer would be to still run 70+ mpw and do the other stuff on top of it.  Right.

                 

                Sort of a hijack, but it's related to how running makes us stiff and creaky as we age.

                 

                  Back to this.  Recently I've been sort of evaluating what I really want out of running.  One thing that has struck me as I've been recovering from a minor injury lately is that as my running has decreased to basically zero, my overall mobility has actually increased and overall general level of soreness has decreased.  I've been doing some other stuff too while I recover from running, but I've been pretty lazy.  I've also enjoyed the mental break from the daily grind.

                   

                  I've been thinking that just running as I get older is what will make me a better runner (or at least slow the decline), but it makes me less functional in other areas because I'm sore all the damn time.  It also makes me weak in other areas that aren't related to running (which then makes me susceptible to injury).  For overall health, I think I need to run less and do other stuff more.  It will make me a worse runner, but maybe that's OK.  Of course the best answer would be to still run 70+ mpw and do the other stuff on top of it.  Right.

                   

                  Sort of a hijack, but it's related to how running makes us stiff and creaky as we age.

                   

                  You shouldn't be sore and stiff all the time--if you are you are doing something wrong. 90% of the time I would suspect I am less sore and have more mobility than 90% of the guys my age. There is a happy medium. As you age, you DO need to pay more attention to the general fitness things besides running that prevent injury, and there is such a thing as too much running at the expense of all else.

                   

                  Being a little stiff for the first few minutes when your feet hit the floor is not the same as being sore all the time or walking around like a cripple all day long. If that was life as a 40+ year old runner, I'd quit the sport.

                  Runners run

                    Back to this.  Recently I've been sort of evaluating what I really want out of running.  One thing that has struck me as I've been recovering from a minor injury lately is that as my running has decreased to basically zero, my overall mobility has actually increased and overall general level of soreness has decreased.  I've been doing some other stuff too while I recover from running, but I've been pretty lazy.  I've also enjoyed the mental break from the daily grind.

                     

                    I've been thinking that just running as I get older is what will make me a better runner (or at least slow the decline), but it makes me less functional in other areas because I'm sore all the damn time.  It also makes me weak in other areas that aren't related to running (which then makes me susceptible to injury).  For overall health, I think I need to run less and do other stuff more.  It will make me a worse runner, but maybe that's OK.  Of course the best answer would be to still run 70+ mpw and do the other stuff on top of it.  Right.

                     

                    Sort of a hijack, but it's related to how running makes us stiff and creaky as we age.

                    I ran into this same realization in early 2009.

                    And this is how I found triathlon.  I embraced the challenge, and I haven't looked back.

                    I haven't been injured since before 2009.  I haven't been fatigued, and I recover quicker than I ever remember before.

                    Life Goals:

                    #1: Do what I can do

                    #2: Enjoy life

                     

                     

                      Do you stretch on a regular basis?

                       

                      Those first 10 - 20 steps in the morning I pretty much feel like a penguin.  Just shuffling along taking baby steps.

                      Live the Adventure. Enjoy the Journey. Be Kind. Have Faith!


                      A Saucy Wench

                        Really?  I took some time off running and got more shuffly.  So there is that.

                        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

                        npaden


                          Do you stretch on a regular basis?

                           

                           

                          Not really.  I know I should, but I very rarely do.

                           

                          I did buy one of the stick roller things "The original" and that has helped quite a bit.  I didn't realize how tight my calves were getting until I started using it, running it over my legs before bedtime is starting to become a routine now.  I was getting a tightness in my left knee and that is pretty much gone now that I've been using the stick.

                           

                          I don't ice either and from what I understand that would help as well.

                          Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                          Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)


                          Feeling the growl again

                            Look at your weekly and monthly graphs; what you are experiencing is no surprise.  January was by FAR the most you've ever run.  Your last 6 weeks have been a big increase.  Until you acclimate to that increas (a weeks weeks to a couple months) you are going to feel like hell a decent amount -- especially first thing in the morning when your body is not awake yet.

                             

                            If it bothers you, take a rest week and cut your mileage by a third.  It's an art finding that line between challenging yourself and adapting, versus breaking down.

                            "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                             

                            I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                             

                              What Spaniel said.

                               

                              Also, make a point to start stretching.  I didn't stretch for years, and I didn't realize how much it helps to do so until I started doing it regularly.  I used to feel like my legs were tight rubber bands.  I now stretch usually daily... more when I increase my running and my legs feel tight.  It only takes 5 to 10 minutes, and it makes walking around and bending over a heck of a lot easier. You don't have to stretch in order to be a runner, but it sure makes your body feel a lot better.

                              Live the Adventure. Enjoy the Journey. Be Kind. Have Faith!

                              npaden


                                Look at your weekly and monthly graphs; what you are experiencing is no surprise.  January was by FAR the most you've ever run.  Your last 6 weeks have been a big increase.  Until you acclimate to that increas (a weeks weeks to a couple months) you are going to feel like hell a decent amount -- especially first thing in the morning when your body is not awake yet.

                                 

                                If it bothers you, take a rest week and cut your mileage by a third.  It's an art finding that line between challenging yourself and adapting, versus breaking down.

                                 

                                Yeah, I'm bumping my mileage quite a bit and into uncharted territory for me and that's the big reason why I'm asking this.

                                 

                                It doesn't bother me to the point I feel that I need to back off my plan, but I didn't know if this was a warning sign that I just wasn't smart enough to notice.  I'm actually going to continue to increase my mileage over the next couple months so I'm thinking I'll be dealing with the penguin shuffle in the mornings for a bit longer.  My plan does have a few cut back weeks, but not anything dramatic.

                                 

                                I do think I need to start streching and icing though, just need to start doing it.

                                Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                                Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

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