Shivers after long run

XFR Bear

Hi!

I've noticed that quite often after a long run I can get cold and shivery, even if it isn't too cold and I've got dry clothes on, and plenty of them!

Anyone know why this is, and if it is normal or not? I do seem to flake out more after the long run then a lot of clubmates - I'm usually pretty useless for the rest of the day.

Thanks, Iain

Guy

I have not had this after long runs, but have experienced severe temperature fluctuations after marathons. After one I felt as though I had flu - teeth chattering, shivering, couldn't talk, and had to climb into bed for half an hour to warm up. After another, some time after the finish (I had been to my hotel, had a shower, and was out at dinner) I felt incredibly hot and started sweating profusely - it passed after a frightening 10 minutes, by which time I was completely soaked as though I had a fever.

I expect you are getting the same effects from your long runs, but slightly milder. It has never had any long-term effects on me.

XFR Bear

It doesn't sound as bad as your post marathon symtoms Guy, I guess I was worried that maybe it was worse than it should be for the distance I was running, and if it might be something to do with blood sugar levels.

Good to hear your experiences though too.

Helegant

Same thing happens to me Iain. Cold and sleepy tells me I've worked hard. Mind you I could sleep for England anyway, but deprive me of sleep and I shiver a lot more.

Most extreme was at the end of an endurance event, completely exhausted, shakes, chilled bones, brain not working, couldn't even stay awake on the journey home. Crashed when I got home, and the kidlets appeared mightily relieved next morning because I had 'turned pink' again. Apparently the night before I was a worrying shade of blue/grey.

I hope, as I get a bit fitter, that recovery will be faster, and effects milder.

Helegant

Guy, while it must have been disconcerting for you to have a hot flush after the marathon, I take it you didn't suffer any permanent side effects? Did you ever find out what casued it?

[Deleted User]

Iain,

Feeling cold after a long run is completely normal, and stands to reason if you think about it: you've just depleted your body's energy reserves, and you don't have enough fuel to keep warm easily. I find that eating something fairly quickly after finishing the run usually helps.

Hilly

Like Guy I had a similar experience after my second marathon with the shivering, feeling like I had flu etc and luckily in the massage tent they had a heat lamp that I was put under with a blanket wrapped around me. After about 1/2 hr I was fine, went for a shower and drove back to where I was staying.

I suspect as dunutto says it's to do with depleting the bodies energy reserves.

Try taking a few sweets on your long runs. I find it hard to eat solid food straight after a long run so I have a 250mls carbo/protein milk drink as soon as I get in-I swear my these!

XFR Bear

Thanks guys!

That is reassuring to some extent, I guess my remaining concern is that I get this after 16 miles whereas for others it doesn't happen until they get up to marathons etc. I take all the carb drinks, plus have one ready for afterwards. I also do a honey and banana smoothie these days!

I obviously need to do more than a lot of people to repenish reserves, so I'll give the sweets a try next time - thanks again folks :-)

XFR Bear

Suddenly notices just as I hit submit that Hilly had mentioned protein drinks afterwards as well. I wonder if this is a factor - I didn't think this was lost much during long runs, have I missed something?

[Deleted User]

Once I get home after a long one, I get some orange juice and water inside me asap and then take a mug of tea up to a warm - not hot - bath and soak in that for at least half an hour. I've never ran further than a HM but I didn't manage to get to the bathroom until 2 hours after one HM and I got the Iains symptoms exactly.

XFR Bear

Actually one thing different about the last few runs were the time it took me to warm up - one was in Richmond Park so we had to drive home afterwards, whereupon I di dhave a hot bath, and the other night I had an ice cold bath a la Paula Radcliffe. The legs feel great but I got bad shivers!

I remember meeting up with my clubmates at the end of last year's FLM - nearly all of them had turned a funny shade og grey/blue which Helen mentioned.

Hilly

Iain, the use of carbohydrate/protein drinks after a hard/long workout actually helps to refuel the muscles much better than a straight carb/isotonic drink. I started using these when training for my last marathon and it certainly makes a difference.

Helegant

Iain, I've seen the 'cold bath' treatment mentioned by a few people, and in terms of reducing the impact of all those micro tears in muscles that we read about I can see the sense in it.

However... one of my great needs after a long run is to get warm again asap, and a hot-ish bath does the job really well for me. I'm sure I've read stories of people suffering from exposure being soaked in hot water - although it sounds counter-intuitive.

It looks as if we each need to experiment to find what suits us best.

XFR Bear

Indeed Helen - I think I for one may be more sensitive to the effects than others, and if I'm getting this at 15 miles, I need to find a way round it if I'm doing 26!

I think I'll experiement with the combined carbs/protein drinks. Any brands you can that have worked well for you Hilly (or anyone else for that matter!)?

For the FLM I think I'll carry a protein drink in my drinks bottle - the carb stuff is readily available!

Helegant

This is outside my knowledge area, but won't protein be treated as food by your body?

Helegant

To explain my previous comment. Somewhere else there is a comment about isotonic drinks having to be below a certain concentration, otherwise your body treats it as food - diverts blood from your legs to your stomach for digestion. (Or not, and I guess having a stomach full of food that is not being digested would lead to nausea at least.)

Do you want to do that *during* the race?

XFR Bear

Good point Helen. Bananas too I guess, or perhaps a watered down protein drink.

Helegant

I ate so many bananas on that blue/grey day that I couldn't touch the things for months afterwards, and they've never been a real treat since then. Anyway, bananas are carb, which we need, not protein.

XFR Bear

Yes - of course they are, I was thinking along the concetration being too high and them being treated as food.

Helegant

Although I'm interested in the above comment, "the use of carbohydrate/protein drinks after a hard/long workout actually helps to refuel the muscles much better than a straight carb/isotonic drink".

What products are we talking about here? Complan? <-- lack of imagination

XFR Bear

I'm intrigued too - I can't recall seeing any apart from the meal replacement thingees. Unless some of the bodybuilding drinks have both?

Helegant

As in 'Slimfast'?

Guy

Helen,

Belatedly replying to your post of a couple of pages back, I think what probably caused the hot flushes is that I had to walk for about half an hour after the marathon back to my hotel, and got fairly cold on the way, so had a long hot shower afterwards. It may have caused my body to think, mistakenly, that I was overheating, and that I needed to sweat to get rid of the heat. It doesn't seem to have caused any long-term effects (I have done plenty of 20 mile runs since then, without ill-effects).

Helegant

Glad to hear it Guy, you don't look like candidate for HRT just yet. :-)

XFR Bear

Yes, I was thinking of things like Slimfast, but also Complan which you mentioned. I know this is also used when people are having trouble keeping solid foods down as well as a dietary aid. Both are quite milky, I guess I'd be looking for something lighter if I was going to drink it either during or shortly after a long run.

Hilly

Iain and Helen-yes you're right I've used both those drinks. I started off using a sports one, HIGH5 I think and then a friend suggested the likes of complan or slimfast so I tried both and both work. I use the slimfast one because it has the lesser fat content.

I know there are quite a few other runners on the forum who use sports ones as there was a thread on it a while back.

It's important that you choose one that as a much higher carbohydrate percentage than protein. Something like 70:30.

I wouldn't suggest using them to run with Helen, they are used to feed the muscles after hard exercise in that period that is the best time to restore glycogen and when you least feel like eating a full meal. I then eat as normal a few hours later.

Helegant

Thanks Hilly, hopefully Iain (who was the person thinking of running with them) will also find that useful.

XFR Bear

Yes, that does help a lot. I've had the carbs angle covered (this is the glycogen bit right?), but never really thought about the protein.

Slimfast it is then! Might lose a few pounds at the same time :-)

Hilly

It makes sense really when you think about it, carbohydrate as you rightly say is the glycogen bit(energy)and the protein aids the muscles to repair any little muscle damage, which we all know long runs cause.

I recommend the strawberry flavour-yum!

[Deleted User]

I feel cold all the time since I've stepped up my running to 4 times a week, Not an experienced runner like most of you but I am bitter cold and shivery after an hours run approx 6 miles!
Am I eating completely wrong?Haven't lost weight so thought I was doing o.k but maybe my body has no energy for warmth most of the time,not to my extremities anyhow!!
Any advice please?

Helegant

So am I Debs, hence the hot baths and lots of sleep. I'm hoping that getting fitter will extend my endurance so that I can run for longer before feeling these effects.