Not to take hostage of the thread or anything but for those of you that have run multiple half and full marathons, have any of you taken Motrin before the race to maybe help get a head start on the soreness? Or as it always been afterward?
Can't relate to a full, but when I did my first half the princess in March --- It was a cold start with the ending temps in the 50's .............. at the end of the half they have food, and to be honest I had a half of a begal and gatorade I think. I could not think of eating anything, honestly.
I did take the food with me and had to force down a bananna about an hour later and coffee with motrin.
My flight was at 9:45pm that night so I went back took a shower and walked around as everyone on the boards said to keep walking - I have to say it was the best advise because when we did eat a meal it was at 4:30pm and when I got up I was stiff and sore.
By the time I got on the plane and landed I could barely walk ---------- and the next few days I was a sore mess ---- MOTRIN became my best friend for the next few days
Bottom line - just wing it - dont stress over food when you are hungry you will find food!
I've never had to take anything for soreness. I've been sore but nothing bad enough to warrant any medication. I personally don't like to take anything that isn't necessary so I wouldn't take any Motrin as a precaution.
I would also be careful about taking any NSAID during a run. I have read a lot of articles that suggested taking Tylenol and not an NSAID when you are participating in any endurance sports. I am not a doctor and am going only on what I have read in magazines like Runner's World but I would only take Tylenol if I needed a pain killer before an event, not Motrin or any other NDAID.
This is a good hijack about a subject that needs discussed. I am sure we will hit it again once or twice pre-WDWM.
First, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) must be used with caution in and around a marathon or any endurance event (including the training leading up to the event). It is a little less important during a shorter event but that is not always the case and even less the case when the temps go up. Commercial and trade names of NSAIDs include; aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen brands names Motrin, Advil, Aleve, etc.
NSAIDs are linked to possible kidney issues, essentially causing the kidney to not function properly. Couple this with the normal stresses of dehydration created by working for extended periods of time and you can create an issue where the kidney is damaged.
The common response from some of my old school running buddies has been along the lines of I take XX number of Ibuprofen before every long run and nothing has ever happened. Yes that is the case and not being a doctor I can only relay what I read and understand. I do not think any study has ever laid odds on the likelihood of damage, but I am not taking that chance.
Besides, lets look at the logic. Many runners load up pre-race or at a certain point in the race just to keep the pain levels down. Are we kidding ourselves that masking pain is essential to participating in a hobby? In all seriousness, if one needs a pain killer regularly to mask the pain of a run then one needs to understand why the pain exists ESPECIALLY if joint related.
These same studies note that the kidney need time post race to recover prior to dosing with a NSAID. Most point to 12 or 24 hours. Again I am not a doctor but I would suggest that waiting until you need to hit the head 2-3 times in short order is a great sign that the organs have recovered or at least started to recover. If in a hurry to dose at least wait til then.
I used to run with a prescription version of a NSAID. I talked with my doctor at length about using the drug. He was confident that I would be fine with the NSAID I was taking but gave me a laundry list of issues to look for in a run. If any of them were to ever present themselves I was to stop immediately.
The safe play is to take Tylenol instead of a NSAID (but I read of a new study linking Tylenol to issues, also). I would not even take it pre-race but wait until post race and only if required. One really needs to keep moving the afternoon of a marathon. You really will not feel like moving but you really will regret not keeping the muscle as limber as possible before bedtime. Take frequent walks and stretch. Like Frank, other than the period of the Rx, I have not taken a pain reliever post run. I would rather feel what is hurting and then work on loosening the muscle over the couple days post race. Generally, I will only feel a race on Monday and only feel twinges of the race on Tuesday and be running on Wednesday.
I felt too yucky to lay down, to yucky to walk, to yucky to sit. So I took a shower, sat around for a while and then walked around a bit. Then I was FAMISHED for dinner. The day after I felt sore but much better.
If you want to delete my post or have me delete it let me know and I would be glad to!
