Last Sunday, I set out on what was supposed to be a modest hike. Almost 3.5 hours later, and a ton of climbing and descending, I was back at home. Tired, sore, miserable and with crippling blisters rising on my feet. Ugh, I had gotten out of shape.
After rehydrating, and a fitful sleep (you know, where you are too tired to actually rest and sleep), the lactic acid monster set in. AKA Delayed onset muscle soreness. Bad. Really really bad. Climbing the stairs at work was about 5 minutes of agony. Getting in and out of my car was an ordeal. My blisters on my little toes made putting shoes on agonizing.
Even 3 ibuprofen, 4x a day barely took the edge off.
Today, Thursday, I finally feel human again. The blisters are less tender. The muscles have some residual soreness, but it is tolerable, and I did the first walk around the campus at lunch (2.4 miles, two loops).
Just in time to bicycle this coming weekend. Woo hoo!