Pulled quads

[Pacman89]

Yea vitamins proteins and amino acid supplementation goes a lomg way for muscle recovery after workouts and sporting activities

[Irving]

Bananas can help you with fighting soreness.

If you are just doing running, you shouldn't actually need to stretch at all. Your body is designed to run, and running should not take any parts of your body out of it's natural range of motion; as opposed to something like doing round house kicks over your head. Many "runners" actually avoid stretching, as they feel that it loosens them up too much and removes some of the springiness of their movements. Also, studies show that groups of runners who stretch before exercise (running) and groups who do not, regularly sustain the same amount of injuries, and stretch does nothing to prevent said injuries.

EDIT: Just because you don't have to stretch to run, doesn't mean that you shouldn't warm up though. A great way to quickly warm your body up is to do 100 jumping jacks in a row. This is also a great method to see if you're going to have to find out the hard way that you needed to take a huge dump after you've been physically active for at least 15 minutes.

[El Caballo Loco]

For a newer experiencing soreness, stretching is ideal until your body catches up with your intent and your muscles get used the specific use and can process the lactic acid better.

Taking a long shower and constantly switching between hot and cold water will help expand and contract the muscles, flushing the lactic acid out. I usually switch to the other extreme temperature when I feel comfortable with the one I'm on, which usually ends up being about 1 minute scorching hot and 1.5ish minutes ice cold.

Like Irving said, Bananas help, as do Apples.

If you can get your hands on some ORS (oral rehydration salts) packets, those are TITS. I repeat, those are just the bees knees. Or tits, whichever you prefer.

http://www.amazon.com/Oral-Rehydrati.../dp/B000FLV0CG
http://rehydrate.org/solutions/packaged.htm

I used to slam an ORS pack in the morning and one at night and could go like a champ. If not, sports drinks and fruit.

Basically, it comes down to:

Hydration
Stretching
Good food
Keep moving

In the future, looking at supplements like whey isolate, creatine monohydrate, and a legit multi-vitamin are ideal if you're going to keep up the strenuous activities. When I say legit multi-vitamins, most everything you find is just trash and stuff the body cannot promise. Even GNC Mega Mens are crap, as well as a lot of others which have huge followings.

[islandermyk]

Simple rules "before" and "after" physical activities:

STRETCH OUT!
Drink a lot of water.
STRETCH OUT!



.. but this should help you out in the future... without the need for supplements

[Not_A_Llama]

Seconded on avoiding stretching, especially significant stretching. Natural tension is the basis of power.

There are some therapeutic reasons for stretching, but it generally indicates an imbalance in muscle strength. Ideally, you'd strengthen the opposing muscle, but as a quick fix, you can also weaken the stronger muscle by stretching.

Offhand example: Shin splints. It's popular to stretch the calves, but the actual cure is strengthening the shins. Doing a series of toe lifts throughout the day to exhaustion will cure the problem in a week.

As for your quads.. Lunges, squats, and eat. Not much finesse to it.

[El Caballo Loco]

To add to what I said earlier, stretching to assist in overcoming soreness is one thing while stretching pre and post workout is another.

It is bad to do it pre and post but to do it before you go to bed or when you wake up, or after you've sat for a while or if you wake up in the middle of the night, then it's completely alright and healthy.

I think it should be made clear that there's two different intents behind common stretches, one ending up in a positive form of stretchering and the other ending in a damaging form.

[Irving]

I wanted to clarify that when I was speaking about people specifically avoiding stretching, they were straight up runners, and were not interested in other activities. Personally, I'd like to stretch more in off times as El Caballo Loco has suggested, so I would be overall more flexible.

If your running pretty much only exists in running the bases, I would suggest doing some light jogging with lots of speed play to help make you faster in short sprints.

[El Caballo Loco]

I'm starting to have flashbacks. I had been running daily 8 milers and cut down to start working on my 4 mile time when I was deployed, running on a dirt road past trash and sewage and skeeters and Iraqis and diesel trucks, etc. etc.

Five fingers were all the rage then so I ordered a pair of the KSOs. The first time they even touched my feet, I started out on my daily 4 miler with a belly full of jack3d and man oh man did I just feel froggy with those on my feet.

Less than an hour and a half and 12 miles later I rolled back in to the toc. On the instep, stitches had worn into my meat about a 1/8th of an inch and blood and sweat was oozing out of the top of the monkey shoes with every step.

I stunk of ammonia and pain and triumph.

For the next six days I also walked like I had just gotten railed by a mammoth with a vendetta against lube.

Definitely worth it though.

[TriggerHappy]

Bananas can help you with fighting soreness.

If you are just doing running, you shouldn't actually need to stretch at all. Your body is designed to run, and running should not take any parts of your body out of it's natural range of motion; as opposed to something like doing round house kicks over your head. Many "runners" actually avoid stretching, as they feel that it loosens them up too much and removes some of the springiness of their movements. Also, studies show that groups of runners who stretch before exercise (running) and groups who do not, regularly sustain the same amount of injuries, and stretch does nothing to prevent said injuries.

EDIT: Just because you don't have to stretch to run, doesn't mean that you shouldn't warm up though. A great way to quickly warm your body up is to do 100 jumping jacks in a row. This is also a great method to see if you're going to have to find out the hard way that you needed to take a huge dump after you've been physically active for at least 15 minutes.

I think it was the sprinting. I probably needed to warm up more last week, but I have been stretching all week and no help. Or so it seemed.

[TriggerHappy]

I'm starting to have flashbacks. I had been running daily 8 milers and cut down to start working on my 4 mile time when I was deployed, running on a dirt road past trash and sewage and skeeters and Iraqis and diesel trucks, etc. etc.

Five fingers were all the rage then so I ordered a pair of the KSOs. The first time they even touched my feet, I started out on my daily 4 miler with a belly full of jack3d and man oh man did I just feel froggy with those on my feet.

Less than an hour and a half and 12 miles later I rolled back in to the toc. On the instep, stitches had worn into my meat about a 1/8th of an inch and blood and sweat was oozing out of the top of the monkey shoes with every step.

I stunk of ammonia and pain and triumph.

For the next six days I also walked like I had just gotten railed by a mammoth with a vendetta against lube.

Definitely worth it though.

Five fingers are great, but you should really work into them.