Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Today I can hardly walk. Perhaps that's not surprising; I did run over 17 km yesterday after sitting in a chair all day. But it's not the furthest I've run, and although I've been wobbly after running before, not to this degree for a very long time.

Various factors may be contributing to this. I didn't really warm down yesterday: I ran 17.7 km, then stopped, and went into a room that had been air conditioned to polar temperatures.

I ran late at night, when I'm used to running early in the morning. That probably doesn't make a difference by itself, but it was enough of a disruption to my routine that I couldn't sleep until close to 1 am, and uncomfortably then. If you don't sleep, your body will struggle to heal as well as when it's properly rested.

I didn't eat properly when it got home: some soup and bread, rather than a high quality meal.

I was running lots of short sprints, as well as a lot of distance last night, so my legs had an interesting variety of challenges. Perhaps I was just over ambitious.

Usually, DOMS comes on about 24 hours after exercise: hence the "Delayed" in "Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness". My thighs have been painful since I got up this morning, complaining particularly when I stand up or sit down and bend my knees. Because it's come on so quickly I'm worried it's something more serious.

I couldn't do anything much at work today (and I had another horrid Starbucks meal for lunch). This evening we had a perfectly nice work dinner, but the seats in the restaurant were that little bit too low to be comfortable, and it's only now at 11pm that I'm back home, a warmed cushion wrapped round my thighs, hoping for recovery. Doesn't feel like I'll be doing 35 km tomorrow morning though.