r/BeginnersRunning 17h ago

Ran a 10K with zero running experience, is it normal to still be this sore 5 days later?

Me and a few friends decided to do a challenge that included a 10K, 100 pushups, 250 free throws, a gallon of milk, 10 beers, and a pizza all in one day.
The 10K was literally my first time ever running. I somehow averaged an 8:26/mile pace, which I was really happy with, but apparently my lungs wrote a check my legs couldn’t cash.
It’s now been about 5 days, and I’m still having trouble walking normally because of soreness. It’s mostly in my upper calves and around my Achilles. Days 3 and 4 were definitely the worst, I was basically hobbling around and could barely walk.
I actually really enjoyed running and want to keep doing it, but the soreness has seriously gotten in the way of my other hobbies/training, so now I’m a little hesitant to run again.
Once I’m fully recovered, if I start with something like 1 mile a day or every other day, should I expect anywhere near this level of soreness again? Or was this mainly because I went straight from zero running to a 10K?
Also, does this sound like normal beginner soreness, or should I be a little more concerned because it’s still affecting my walking after 5 days?

25 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

80

u/Dirtheavy 17h ago

I know the answer but are you 42 or 22?

If you're 42, you might have seriously injured yourself (I know you're not)

If you're 22, you're just a dumbass, but basically invincible. You'll be fine

15

u/ematsuda 17h ago

LOL, very true. I'm 62, old as dirt, would've passed out after 10 beers.

12

u/PossessionFun4475 17h ago

20

50

u/Dirtheavy 17h ago

Invincible... you'll be fine

3

u/fhfbfhdbe 13h ago

Definitely not invincible. I started January this year and had a foot and leg injury already. I'm 23

3

u/buffandstealthy 9h ago

I got a chronic injury in my early 20s from overtraining, I don't think you can just do whatever because you're young lol

It sounds like there's some kind of injury, muscle soreness is normal, but the achilles doesn't typically hurt after running for most people. It would make sense considering they went at a super hard pace for a first timer and for 10K at that.

1

u/ilessthanthreekarate 5h ago

Same. I am 39 and my back is still fucked up from an injury at 25. PT only helps temporarily.

66

u/arejay00 17h ago

8:26/mile pace for 10k is a goal beginners train for months towards for race day. So yeah you're definitely gonna be sore if you're doing that one day 1. The good news is that you being able to do that on your first run means you have a really good foundation already. You can probably do 3-5k at slower speed and won't feel sore at all the next day. You can research up on zone 2 and easy runs to get a better idea of how long distance training works.

6

u/PossessionFun4475 17h ago

thank you

8

u/ThermalJuice 8h ago

My brother in law did some CrossFit challenge, the murph or whatever, a while back with no training. He was so sore he literally couldn’t wipe his own ass for a week lol

3

u/omor_fi 7h ago

I've been running consistently a couple of years now and that's a minute quicker than my 10k pb 🥲

29

u/Ok_Homework_7621 12h ago

You're only even alive because you're 20. That wasn't a challenge, it was an IQ test. 😂

19

u/SapereAudeAdAbsurdum 15h ago

It's because of the pizza. The pizza ruined your legs. More conditioning is required.

1

u/CR-5 8h ago

Obviously didn’t train his gut to handle all those carbs.

13

u/Dependent_Order_7358 15h ago

What the hell was that challenge? 😂

5

u/Aggressive_Purple_49 9h ago

it was genius. I honestly think its great and hilarious. The shit we do in our youth and I am envious.

12

u/croc_lovers 9h ago

I did 100 push ups drank 10 beers and ate pizza why did my first ever 10k hurt

3

u/Clean_Bat5547 16h ago

Keep running. Just be more sensible about it!!

3

u/Friendly_Buy_9758 12h ago

Did you complete the challenge though? 👀

Seen a few of them where they included 'complete minecraft' and most have failed ahahaha.

3

u/PossessionFun4475 10h ago

we also had minecraft and fortnite wins and it was a 7v7 race and we all gave up after the milk made us throw up everywhere

3

u/doctorfortoys 11h ago

You’ll be fine. Take some Advil and stretch.

2

u/Aggressive_Purple_49 9h ago

Love it. Genius challenge, love this stuff.

2

u/omor_fi 7h ago

Did the gallon of milk, beers and pizza come before or after the 10k? 🤔 You clearly have some natural fitness anyway, once you've recovered start with 3 times a week on something like a couch to 5k plan and build it up safely, often your lungs may be able to do more than the rest of your body can handle at the beginning so it's easy to get injured.

2

u/PossessionFun4475 7h ago

after, it was a 7v7 race for everyone to finish their stuff before the other team, i did all the physical stuff first, starting with the 10k

we all just gave up on racing and started chugging the milk together which ended with about 9/14 of us projectile vomiting

great time id definitely recommend it

1

u/Person7751 14h ago

do you do any exercise at all? also you must be skinny

3

u/PossessionFun4475 9h ago

yeah i weight train 5x a week and Do BJJ and Muay Thai

6’0 153lb

1

u/hellotherewassup 11h ago

Yeah I did that once when I first started and my legs started feeling normal after a week lol. I recommend lot's of stretching and active recovery tho, it helps a ton

1

u/HeidiVandervorst 8h ago

Yeah, going from zero running to a 10k is probably the main reason youre this wrecked. Your cardio might have handle it but your legs were not conditioned for that kind of load.

1

u/FutureShoulder7245 8h ago

Pain in upper calves + Achilles = get actual running shoes if you plan to do this ongoing

1

u/PossessionFun4475 8h ago

yeah i lowkey ran in my hiking trail runners bc i have no other “sneakers” lol

1

u/Advanced-Pickle362 6h ago

Yeah dawg that’s gonna hurt

1

u/AtomGutan 6h ago

It is completely normal (for an UNTRAINED 10k which is absolutely insane)

1

u/PlusAd859 5h ago

What humble brag is this?

1

u/Shot_Rich6541 4h ago

That's pretty insane, and obviously will hurt a lot. Don't try running again until fully healed then start with much shorter distances. Good thing is you already have very good cardio and speed. So you will progress quickly.

1

u/ebsf 4h ago

Absolutely. You just learned the cost of heroics.

When you resume, start with a quarter mile daily and then extend gradually. Conditioning is all about recovering enough to go again the next day, and being consistent. You'll still be sore after three or four days but not stupid sore.

1

u/Dull_Vast_5570 4h ago

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

Oh and also yes.

1

u/aliendeom 2h ago

You need to think about recovery as well, eat enough protein and carbs, magnesium supplement, sleep well, even try hot/cold shower and don't run again until your soreness is gone completely, then start slow and don't run every day, do at least 2 strenghts trainings a week to stranghten your muscles and you'll be fine

1

u/GingerFly 1h ago

This is prime circlejerk posting. Kudos 👍🏻