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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)for Runners}}DOMS is common in of critical importance for runners. Unlike many other types of exercise, runningrequires your muscles to extend under load, absorbing your weight as you land. This extension under load, called eccentric, is a prime cause of DOMS, and while the soreness is delayed, the accompanying weakness is immediate. A This eccentric stress is why marathon runners are often hobbling around the day after a race. The good news is that a bout of DOMS inducing exercise provides protection against future DOMS, and so it's a critical part of training. By This "Repeated Bout Effect" (RBE) is a core aspect of training, and by intentionally inducing DOMS you can prevent the soreness that occurs after long distance races. The less obvious, but more important benefit is that you also prevent some of the weakness that occurs towards the end of longer races. This is a key benefit to [[Downhill Running]] and especially the [[Treadmill Descent]]. I believe that incorporating Treadmill Descents into my training is the reason I've completed 100 -mile races with little muscle soreness.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is a familiar experience to most people who exercise. It affects people who weight train and run particularly, and DOMS can produce anything from mild [[Muscle| muscle]] soreness to debilitating pain and weakness. DOMS is caused by eccentric stress, where the muscles working to resist lengthening, such as lowering a weight or absorbing the landing forces of running. [[Downhill Running]] is a particular source of eccentric stress. DOMS not only produces delayed soreness, but immediate weakness that generally lasts a similar length of time. DOMS also produces swelling, tense muscles, reduced coordination and a limited range of motion. A key benefit of DOMS inducing exercise is that a bout of DOMS can give protection against similar future exercise, and the protection lasts for months. This Repeated Bout Effect (RBE) is a critical part of endurance training. Running with the correct [[Cadence]] can help prevent DOMS, and [[Nutrient Timing| taking protein]]after DOMS inducing exercise ]] is one of the best treatments, though[[Why compression clothes| compression clothing]], [[Caffeine| caffeine]]and [[Massage| massage]]can also help. It seems that [[Vitamin C]] may be critical to the RBE.

The soreness of DOMS generally peaks between 24 and 72 hours after unusual or severe exercise, though soreness may occur sooner after running<ref name="Vickers2001"/>. DOMS is particularly related to eccentric exercise, which is where the muscle works to resist becoming longer, rather than working to contract. When you your muscles absorb the impact of running, this is eccentric exercise, and [[Downhill Running]] is more eccentric than flat or uphill running. The images below show the damage that occurs from eccentric exercise<ref name="FeassonStockholm2002"/> and marathon running<ref name="Warhol-1985"/>:

I found a single study that looked at how the repeated bout effect changes with [[Vitamin C]]<ref name="HeHockemeyer2015"/>. As described below, most studies have found a small reduction in DOMS with Vitamin C. This 2014 study found that for the first bout, Vitamin C reduced the muscle soreness for the hamstrings, Quads, and Tibialis Anterior (shin), but the soreness of the glutes and calves were similar. However, for the second bout, not only was the soreness was reduced for the placebo, but it was further reduced with the Vitamin C. While this is just one study, it is intriguing with some profound implications. If the protective benefits of the repeated bout effect are dependent on nutritional (or other) factors, some runners may not get the benefit from their training. Personally, I've been taking ~1g/day of Vitamin C for many years due to [[Epidermolysis Bullosa| skin condition]]. However, the evidence that Vitamin C impairs the adaptation to exercise caused me to take a break for about 15 months. During that break from Vitamin C, I found my ability to perform downhill running was quite impaired, and I didn't seem to be able to build up resistance from the repeated bout effect.