Endurance racing is very challenging on my body. It is not unusual for me to feel somewhat sore, for a day or two afterwards.  Three days since completing Ironman Chattanooga however, I can honestly say, that I haven’t been this sore after a race in years.

On the Monday after the race, my quads and hamstrings were very tender.  On Tuesday, my feet started to hurt more, particularly in the areas around the base of my big toes.  This morning, my quads and hamstrings were feeling better, but I now have knee pain.

I am pretty sure that the knee pain is a follow-on effect from my damaged muscles.  As they are healing, the muscles have become very tight.  It is likely this tightness, that is affecting my knees.

To relieve the pain, I have spent a good deal of time, lightly stretching and massaging my legs muscles.  Immediately after doing this, the pain in my knees diminishes somewhat.  Not long later however, the pain is back.

The good news is that I don’t believe I am injured.  My body just needs time to recover from the race. It needs time to recover, every time I am sore after a race.

The question is… why am I so sore after this particular race.  The good news here, is that I am also pretty sure I know why.  Some things happened during the race, that can explain my soreness today.  I will reveal those details, when I publish my race report in a day or two’s time.