Discussion: Quads

How did you return from Canberra? Did you have a long period of sitting in a more or less fixed position?
And Tuesday could be worse!

Good effort for the run, by the way.

I flew home so I can't blame that. I do partially blame Jase because I spent too long leaning on the fence waiting for him to finish when I should have been moving around (having seen him at 32k, I was expecting him to do 3.15 or thereabouts, but 5 minutes turned into 25).

It was better on Sunday afternoon/evening than it was a couple of hours after the run, and is gradually improving.

hmmm I'm not sure I'm willing to wear that blame!

it sounds like Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This is that soreness that rugby/football players get the day after the first contact sessian or game of the season, when you can hardly get out of bed the next day. it usually settles down in 2-4 days. i used get it a lot, and found it was usually gone by the second game.
one way that can help is to have a very good stretch and massage after the event, and continue to stretch for a few days after. it'll settle in any case.

I think doing long fast runs on tarmac are crucial in helping your legs stand up to the pounding they are subject to a marathon. If you do most of your running on trails and uneven terrain your legs won't cope with the repetetive pounding and you will get really sore.

Just doing long runs on tarmac or short fast runs probably isn't enough, 10 mile tempo efforts and maybe one or two half mara's in preparation will probably help your body cope with it better.

"... Just doing long runs on tarmac or short fast runs probably isn't enough, 10 mile tempo efforts and maybe one or two half mara's in preparation will probably help your body cope with it better... "

or help you break down before you get to the start line :), but for most people candyman is probably right... nothing like specificity in your training

I do a higher proportion of my long runs on tarmac than I suspect most orienteers do, but candyman's point is a good one.

Nothing delayed about it either - they were pretty cactus during the race and certainly were within 20 minutes after finishing, before easing very slowly over the succeeding days.

Unfortunately there i no magic cure for this. You will need to rest to recover. However you can increase your carbohydrate intake as well as maintain an above average water intake over the next few days. When you feel that you can jog lightly do just that. Try not to go for a hard run for at least one more week. Swimming will be a great way to ease back into training.To reduce the chance of this happening in the future try and increase your salt intake in the lead up to the race (about two days), this will maintain the salt levels in your muscles for longer and reduce the chance of damaging the fibers.