Stop playing with your balls!

In the midst of our recovery run, my friend and teammate Bridgit turned to men and quipped, "Other sports just play with balls; running takes balls." None but a runner can understand how true this is. Notnonly arenthe workouts literally a pain, but recovery days aren't a walk in the park, either. I woke up today with sore inner thighs, knowing that I would have to run through any discomfort. The chorus of complaints about aching body parts picked up when I got to the locker room: everything from tight hamstrings to tired calves and even cramping biceps. Yes, all of these pains nag a runner day in and day out, especially in the height of training. Muscle soreness stems from muscles adapting to stress. It used to be believed that lactic acid buildup caused soreness, but in reality this has little to do with the actual process that creates soreness. When they are worked beyond their normal load, muscles break and rebuild themselves stronger than before. The process is actually on a very small scale within sarcomeres, or tiny units of muscle, multiplied thousands of times throughout the muscle. This usually takes at least eight hours to occur, thus morning-after soreness is common. I've even read that muscles reach their most tender stage two days after a workout, so it's better to take two hard days and then two easy days to maximize benefits. I haven't tried this, so I'm skeptical, but at some time I'll try being the guinea pig and report on how it goes. Though sore muscles go with running like peanut butter with jelly, there are a couple ways to recuperate. I take ice baths frequently, which seem to help. They also do a lot to prevent injuries. Compression also helps. If you don't have compression sleeves, wearing snug knee highs to bed os an alternative! Pure rest also helps, obviously, but it's often not a viable option when training. Foam rollers feel very good, even painfully good, on tired and tight muscles as well. Muscle recovery is natural, however, so don't fret about a bit of pain. Personally, I love the feeling because it reminds me that I pushed myself. And remember, contrary to popular belief, running takes more balls than any other sport... So don't let a little soreness stop you!