does it get less painful?

[i.love.stitch]

I did my first half 2 weeks ago (wine and dine half marathon) and after/during the run (probably around mile 8 or 9) it was becoming really painful. During the run, it was mostly my feet, and it got to the point where it was more painful to walk than run. After the marathon, it hurt really bad to move for about 3 to 4 days- it was just my legs that hurt-especially going down stairs. I was miserable because we were only in disney for 4 days and 3 out of those 4 it hurt to move and i constantly had to stop to sit down so i could let me feet/legs recover. Does it get any better? For instance, the next time I do a half marathon, should it be less painful or should i be able to recover faster?

thanks!

 

[rubato]

It did for me. But, I changed some things. After my first half, I didn't do anything special. After my next, I took an ice bath which helped tremendously. Or, I just could have been in better running shape, I don't know. When I started training for a full, a 13 mile run was short, so I was definitely able to recover quickly. This January, I ran the Goofy challenge (half on Saturday, full on Sunday) and was only a little bit sore.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Assuming that you were just "under trained" and do not have any injuries, then I would say yes, it will get less painful. And under trained means lots of things. It could mean you didn't have a big enough mileage base for a half. It could mean your speed during the race was too fast for your mileage base. It doesn't necessarily mean you didn't work hard to get ready for the race.

The w&d is a tough race. It's at the end of what for many people is a long day at disney. It's warm. It's hard to figure out what to eat for a night race. And I know for us, it was hard to "take it easy" before the race. We figure we walked 10 miles on Thursday, 10 miles on Friday and 4-5 miles on the day of the race before running 13 miles! So taking all that into consideration if this is your first 1/2 and you haven't been running long, that is a lot of miles!

For your feet issues I would look closely at your shoes. Go back to your running store and have them evaluate how you run and make sure you are in the right shoes. How many miles were on your shoes? For the rest of the overall achiness--did you stretch after the run? Did you plop or did you keep moving around? I have to stretch or foam roller after every run. Period, or I pay for it. But the only pain I had after the race was from a recurring injury. I made sure after the race to stretch, and ice what needed to be iced and use my foam roller.

It's a process to figure out what works. I would just spend some time really looking at your training plan and see if you need to tweak things before your next race. Good luck!

 

[crewmatt]

What hurts when going down stairs? Is it your knee, if so that could be your ITB. if it is, then you should probably rest it and maybe see a sports doc.

As far as running, try taking more shorter steps rather than longer ones. That will reduce the impact load on your feet and joints. Think light on your feet

 

[ChimneysweepGeorge]

Yes.
Honestly, this sounds like the classic symptoms of an undertrained runner. More mileage, more time is the cure to this.
Wear the pain as a badge of honor. You bit off more than you could chew...AND YOU CHEWED IT!

 

[cobbler]

Yes it does get better. My first I was quite sore afterward and started to get sore during. The more I trained and got my legs used to going the distance, the easier it became.

I did a half marathon recently in Boulder and I was only stiff feeling the next day and only had a mild pain / discomfort during the 1/2 and this was at mile 12. It does get better and easier the more you train and the more your body becomes used to going that distance.

 

[FireDancer]

It sounds like under training to me too. At first I would be a little sore after half marathons but now I am pretty much fine. I take a couple of days off from running after but it is rare I feel any pain or even soreness after unless it was a really hard course.

Now, that doesn't mean that that will be the case for everyone. Some people just don't have the skeletal structure for long distance running but it would take a bit more trial/error than one race.