Getting back into the swing of things

[Lizzog]

I graduated from C25k then attempted to start on trying to get to my next goal of 10k.

Unfortunately I had to abandon ship due to what I thought was an injury, but according to my physio is tightness in my quads and hamstring which is causing pain when I run/go up/downstairs/hills.

I've done a very gentle 3k today and so far so good. I've done some foam rolling on my quads and IT band areas and am going to do the exercises she has given me - bridges, squats, etc., I already do yoga and pilates and am hoping to add in a gym session once a week too, and keep doing gentle runs until (hopefully) I see some changes.

I'm hypermobile which I'm sure isn't helping matters!

Any more advice at all from anyone who's had similar?

[UpTheStanley Graduate10]

No advice but a couple of queries - did you graduate from C25K without encountering this problem at all? And if so, how far did you go in your graduation run? If the answers are "yes" and "5k", then it seems really strange problems should arise as soon as you try to go a bit further, if you didn't actually injure yourself.

[Lizzog in reply to UpTheStanley]

Hi. I’ve been trying to get from 5-10k. I was managing about 6.5 and then gave up as I think I’d pushed myself too far. I’ve often had a niggle which often went off after first ten minutes- then it didn’t and became more of a pain. I think a lot of my issues are that the surrounding muscles from my knee aren’t very strong. This is a combination of Hypermobility, age, and years of a sedentary job.

I’m taking it steady and going back to 3k walk/runs. It’s frustrating but hopefully with the combination of exercises and pacing myself I’ll get there!

[grumpyoldgirl]

I agree with UTS, sounds strange. But what you are doing sounds like all the right stuff. Rest then strengthening, then easing back in. However. If it were me, if there is any sign of the pain returning, I'd see a doctor. You don't want to run on an injury. And you might need a scan to be sure.

[Lizzog in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

Thanks Grumpyoldgirl - love the name! The physio is pretty sure there’s no injury but I would go if I thought there was any sign. I’m going to stick to two runs a week and add it a gym session for strengthening too. Hopefully I’ll then try to reach my goal of 10k. If not, I’ll be satisfied with 5/6k as I never even imagined I’d get that far!!

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to Lizzog]

Best of luck then Liz, I'm naturally wary because I had a foot injury that really held me back just after I finished c25k. But, like you, I took it really carefully and slowly, and now I'm making progress again. Hopefully it will be the same for you 😊

[Lizzog in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

That’s good to hear. I’m being very cautious 😊