Female w/ arms getting tired at the end of long runs

I would keep the pushups, but try to balance that with strengthening your back muscles as well. Agonist, antagonist. That'll also help maintain tall posture as you get fatigued near the end of long runs.

Mad props, btw, for 75 pushups. If you're doing them with good form, that's damn impressive. Good luck with your marathon.

I would suggest relaxing your shoulders and arms more. I mean, what else is going to stop your arms from getting sore?

give it a whirl, girl wrote:

I would keep the pushups, but try to balance that with strengthening your back muscles as well. Agonist, antagonist. That'll also help maintain tall posture as you get fatigued near the end of long runs.

Mad props, btw, for 75 pushups. If you're doing them with good form, that's damn impressive. Good luck with your marathon.

+1 for back exercises. In particular, a really good exercise is horizontal pull-ups.

i wonder if shoulder flexibility is also part of the problem. if it's difficult for the shoulders to be in the running position for that long, then they would get tired.

I have been told I carry my arms awkwardly. I have tried to correct it but it doesn't feel natural and feels more rigid and uncomfortable than what I already do.

Same as pushups, earlier in the year I was doing lengthy corework sessions, but realized I was doing too much and cut back significantly each month. Started with a 6 minute plank, followed by 15+ minutes of other core work. Cut it down to a 3 minute plank and then 5 minute core routine which I don't have my legs/feet touch the ground until complete. Now I'm only doing a 3 min core session which is still rigorous.

Part of the problem is that you are a female with arms.

tom waits wrote:

Part of the problem is that you are a female with arms.

You may be on to something. I know a female w/o arms who never seems to get tired at the end of long runs.

well... Flagpole has way overreacted on this safety thing for women runners. Leave the weapons at home, but be smart.

Push-ups

Your arms probably aren't getting tired. Your body is accumulating more lactic acid than you can clear, and you are experiencing a mild rig up at the end of your runs.

I'm guessing you are either running the whole LR in what you think is the fast end of "easy" range, but its actually closer to your "actual" marathon pace fitness (

Tension

Shake out all the arms you still have every few minutes and they won't get near as tired. Save the goofy pushups and resistence exercises for when you are old and can't run as much.

Well, my first thought was that you could cut them off. (You'd probably need help for the second arm.) That would directly solve the problem.

If someone has told you that you run awkwardly, that's the problem right there - you know it. Video yourself. (Share if you are comfortable doing so.) Figure out what is wrong, and fix it to your own visual satisfaction.

Also, tell us which part of the "arm" is tired: shoulder? Biceps? Wrist/hand? Both sides equally?

Have you had a massage? A good sports massage therapist should be able to tell you what your upper-body imbalances are.

Why would a female have arms? Nothing makes sense anymore...

Yes I am a male with arms and I am getting tired at the end of long runs, too. Any advice would be appreciated.

tissue box wrote:

Yes I am a male with arms and I am getting tired at the end of long runs, too. Any advice would be appreciated.

You should do your long runs backwards and then you will be well rested when you finish.

At the end of each marathon, my forearms would be sore. I switched to zero drop shoes, leaned a little more and that gave me less room for my crazy lateral whipping movements. No more pain in the arms.

Your arm movements can definitely create a strain. But, if this is really your case, fixing it will probably be very difficult. Actually, arm movements are most likely very much tied to your whole running style. I don't know if it is possible to change the arm movements without changing your gait/footstrike.