Hi just a comment, I see you posted the same thing on the main forum. I think typically the moderators prefer you post in only one place.
Thanks.
BrokenSpoke

Hey nad,

As long as you've ruled out a strain, I wonder if you might be better served by doing some recovery runs rather than taking full days off. Have you tried this? If so, how'd it go?

Is your marathon coming up on a hilly course? I find that it is the downhill section of hilly courses that really thrashes my quads. If your course is going to be hilly, perhaps you can take it a little easy on the down hills of your long runs leading up to the race. I have found when I focus on not striding out and pushing the pace downhill (which is so freakin tempting to do), my quads are in better shape the next day.

What kind of stretching do you do post run? Do you ever do any post run massage, foam roller, "stick", etc? How about hydrotherapy?

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Trying to fight gravity on a planet that insists

I've never seen this written anywhere, such as forum rules. Please inform me of where you found this and enlighten all of us.

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DFL > DNF > DNS

My initial guess would be along the lines of yours - nearing on overuse & compensation. I'd say some easy, fairly short running & spinning might help, along with just taking it easy & not pushing too hard since you have the race coming up. Don't continue to beat yourself up on the long runs if they're hurting you. And some rolling/stick/hydrotherapy, lots of stretching & some body-weight strengthening might help as well. Be careful not to overdo the strengthening though, or you'll just injure yourself further.

Were there any conditions that have changed in the running you've been doing that might be contributing though? More/less hills, outside vs treadmill, drastically colder/warmer? Those things can have a huge impact & might be worth considering.

Hang in there, just don't try to push through it too much!!

And brokenspoke - the title of this room is the "Womens"....that doesn't apply to you. We have moderators that can do their job just fine & we allow them to. I'm sure the main forum needs your input on a post somewhere.....

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AW

thanks! I think that's it. Down hills killed me this last weekend. I'll try to run flat courses, and slower. I am rolling, and I get a massage minimally once a month, usually 2-3 x.

This is why I absolutely LOVE the womens forum. We take care of our own. We don't post mean stuff at each other. Thanks everyone. You've made my day. Let's continue to help and support eachother. Well done!

It's a special place :) Give us an update on those quads if you think of it, and good luck on that race, sista.

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Trying to fight gravity on a planet that insists

I second the comments about running downhills. I tend to run (and ride) hills. When running hills, if you are not embracing the flow with that slight lean forward, you may be braking with your legs. This is so hard on the quads and knees - especially on the steeper hills. Stick with flat, soft surfaces and hills with only a slight grade until those quads feel good again.

The other thing that comes to mind since these symptoms cropped up when you got back on the bike - did you change anything on your bike position? Is it possible that your seat height has dropped? I had a friend work on my bike and he removed the seat post. He did not get the seat height right and it was only a half a cm or so off but my quads were killing me on hills with the lower seat height. Check that nothing has changed with your position.

Hope the quads respond to some tlc soon!

Thank you. I knew about the hills for running, but I really do think it's the bike that is the problem. My seat has been moving around, and I was wondering if it was too low. I really need to get a proper fit, so this will get me to make that appt. I think this is probably the problem.
I'll let you know.

I think you were spot on!

I had a fitting yesterday, the guy raised my seat by 2 inches (not cm). Also, I got new bike shoes, and the cleats forced my feet into odd position. I got straightened out, and hopefully it'll help.

Thank you!

Holy hell! 2 inches is a lot!

Super cool that you were able to get a fit. Please keep us posted on how the quads respond. This has been an informative thread, thanks.

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Trying to fight gravity on a planet that insists

I was thinking of you this morning....I bit off more than I could chew with a trail run yesterday & my quads are TRASHED today (along with my shins & my glute medius' too). Walking down the stairs in my house was comical itself, so ABSOLUTELY let's do some block starts during swim practice and OF COURSE I chose to wear heels today.

I think by the end of today my hair will hurt.

I can't imagine a 2inch rise. Your whole body will feel better when you ride now!!

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AW

Haha. Yeah - 2 inches is a lot. I was stunned. But it felt so much better. Go figure.
Thanks for your help. I'll let you know if they behave.