When I'm running, about half way through it seems like my quads have 50 pound weights strapped on them.  I feel ok cardio wise.  My legs just give out.  Any suggestions?  Btw, yall are awesome.  So glad I found this site!!

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Hi there hockeymom!! I am very new at running this year, but already I feel my legs are run down with a cement brick! So what has been suggested to me is a little extra stretching, to keep the quads loose, and take a look at your shoes, ensure they are not wearing off to either side abnormally, as this will throw off your stride, and in turn affect your legs. And as with everything if there isnt a great amount of pain, you can and will break through this. Good luck and keep running!! Posted by: stargazor101 on Jul 21, 2010 at 07:11 AM

Oooh yeah - it sounds like that could be it. I am a lot like you in that I find it very difficult to drink water before I run in the morning. I have found that I solved it by leaving a bottle of water by my bed at night, when I wake up, I swig it down - then go about my business. I usually end up hitting the road within 45 minutes and by that time I am through "sloshing." Posted by: bmoore on Jul 17, 2010 at 05:12 PM

I am on week 3 of C25K. Just completed it actually. So I am gradually increasing my duration each week. I suspect it is hydration as I have never been one to drink alot. I only consume about 20-40oz of water a day. It makes me feel uncomfortable to drink anymore than that. If I am going to run in the morning, I don't drink anything until I get out there and then I drink about 8 - 12 oz. If I run in the evening, I don't drink anything the 2 hours prior because I will have to pee the whole time. I hadn't thought of hydration as being the culprit but it makes sense. I will do better. Blehhh :) Posted by: hockeymom3229 on Jul 17, 2010 at 04:37 PM

What I know about the cause of heavy quads is that it can be caused by a couple of things that include insufficient ingestion of electrolytes / and or hydration and also excessive stress on the quads (as when you have done a lot of downhill work). When its not nutritional, most runners have found relief by doing strength training focusing specifically on the quads and doing pre-run stretches focusing on that area. A lot of the literature also focuses on over-training as a cause - are you in a period of increasing your mileage or adding speed training to your weekly schedule? Posted by: bmoore on Jul 17, 2010 at 12:30 PM