After IMAZ, i felt fine until about 18 hours after the race. Then, i felt like i’d just come out of anesthesia from a major surgery…
I expected the same delay after IMFL, but it hit me about 3 hours post-race. I was sick all night after the race. Couldn’t even drink water without getting sick. Chills. Hot flashes. Running/shuffling to the toilet. No appetite. Sore all over.
So, what determines when the post-race ickiness hits?
Probably when the endorphins wear out. I would guess how dehydrated you get/got would also factor in, as that will affect cramping, etc.
There was something in my Advanced Marathoning book that explained it. I can’t remember off the top of my head, but it takes on average 18 - 24 hours for the “soreness” to really kick in after an intense workout. This is why you can do two hard days of workouts in a row without a lot of ill affects. You “trick” your body into thinking it’s okay and sneak another workout in before the soreness hits.
DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Tyically after exercise peak soreness is about 24-48 hours after the activity. I can’t remember the specific reason why the delay but I think it has a couple parts:
1-Your body has some pretty good defense mechanisms (chemicals/endorphins) that help keep the pain at bay while you are exercising.
2-The muscle damage from strenuous activity is exasserbated by inflamation that occurs after you’re done. Thus the damage can actually get worse after you’ve completed the activity. This is why ice baths, etc. can be an effective part of recovery.
I did an ice bath the day after IMFL and I’m going to do another one today or at least go soak in a cold water cool here. I’m really a fan of cold water baths for recovery. I’ve also had one massage and I’ll be getting another on Friday. Tomorrow, I have to spin for about 30 minutes and that really helps out get rid of the soreness as well.
I know DOMS is typically 18-24 hours later, but what would make it hit in 3 hours post-race??
You were fighting some icky yuck yuck before and during the race, so it probably just went into high gear with your lowered immune system.
I know DOMS is typically 18-24 hours later, but what would make it hit in 3 hours post-race??
I’m not so sure of the why, although I would agree that dehydration might be a big factor, but this happened to me as well at IMWI this year - I had the chills all night, and had to get up to pee about every hour. No fun.
Dehydration would be my #1 guess. Next thing to look at would be how fast you went. Faster you race, usually the faster it hits, especially as it relates to your run split. A fast run split will cause a lot of muscle tears, which is why, for most people I know, a hard running race is usually hurts more than doing the same run distance in a triathlon. So the more damage you did to your legs (especially on the run), likely the faster it would set in, especially when coupled with dehydration.