just bit the bullet and completed W1 R1 at 11am , not sure that my resting walk was too brisk but back in one piece anyway.
Did the warm up exercises plus knee strengthening ones before hand, as i antcipated my knees would be a problem and yes they are now giving me some pain when climbing stairs.
I am considering some kind on knee support ….. any thoughts , or do i just battle on with the exercises and runs.
Hi, I haven't personally had knee problems but my husband (not a runner, but had a bad leg break years ago) does and a knee support helps him hugely. Another thought might be to make sure your shoes are supportive enough, gait analysis might be a good idea.
I'm sure there are plenty of others who could advise on dealing with knee pain, but I would just say that you can expect to get aches and pains whenever you start asking your poor body to do new stuff. The difficulty is distinguishing between the usual aches that you push on through, and serious pain which may be an indicator of some injury.
I think the suggestion of gait analysis and good shoes is essential as it may be your gait which sets up strain in your knees. Also, as well as exercising beforehand, make sure you stretch out well after each run - take extra rest days too if your body seems to need it.
The running will strengthen muscles you probably don't even know you have at present! Well worth sticking at it.
Good luck
I think it's probably new running knee as well and that it will be ok once you have had your day's rest
I think you can expect to ache if you have not exercised for a while
I hope you will carry on and see it through as you won't regret it
You could consider NOT doing the exercises beforehand - all you need at this stage is built into the podcast, and there's quite a substantial body of opinion that doing 'exercises' like this immediately *before* your run is actively unhelpful.
If you have delicate knees, it could be well worth considering the surface you run on and avoiding slamming yourself down on tarmac etc if possible.
I'm with GoogleMe, at this stage the 5min warm up walk will sort you out. The only warm up I do is belly-dance type wiggling (it loosens my hips) and 10 ankle rotations.
Do the warm down exercises when you get in though, I was threatening shin splints on W2/W3 and it was spending a decent time doing anti shin splint stretches plus all the other ones the NHS choices site tells you to do. It's so worth it. Good luck x
Some level of aches and pains in the knees and legs is normal if you're just starting out. I run with a knee strap but I think it's more psychological now than actually doing any good (or harm). Around week 4 I really struggled walking up and down stairs as my knees really hurt... Ice, rest days (extras if you need them) and making sure you get a proper gait analysis is important as shoes can make all the difference. I have some extra support insoles in my trainers as well and (touch wood) the only aches now are in my thighs after a long run... the knees seem to have strengthened up...
Slow and steady in the early stages and expect some level of muscle ache as you're using muscles now you haven't used for a while. Try to avoid running too hard on concrete as this is really hard on the knees, but importantly take it slow... any sudden pain while running and you need to stop and get it looked at... aching knees and muscles post-running at this stage is probably quite normal - you know your body better than we do though! Take care of the knees!
Good luck!
Update: Get gait analysis and shoes to suit your style. I still run with the strap (it's clearly NOT a mental thing as it helps me) and the new shoes are amazing! I posted the above before I hit the wall and couldn't walk! 
I am back on form now though in the new shoes and did a 7K non-stop run this morning!
Happy running!
If you have iffy knees, I suggest you do the knee strengthening exercises after your run. As others have said, good supportive shoes are a must. Also if you suspect an actual medical problem, get it checked (I have moderate osteo-arthritis in both knees, a referral to a podiatrist and some made to measure insoles sorted me out).
thanks for all your replies, did R1W2 yesterday , knees if anything are getting better , i intend to sort out the shoes / gait next ……. thanks again Neil
Just carrying on can cause if you have jumpers knee which is called tendonitis or tendonpathy can make things much worse as if small holes have set in on the tissue this will just get worse so yes a knee support is a good idea... I started wearing a knee support after getting pain when putting any weight on my knees... looked up my symptoms and looked as if I had tendonitis ... it could also be Runner’s Knee (this link might be helpful inthenameofsport.com/blog/r... ) caused by overuse... a doctor also confirmed what I found out later and recommended a knee support... but all that being said knee pain can be caused by different things.
just an update ,,,,,,w8 knees are not really a problem significantly better than w1/2 occasional twinges managed by an extra days rest and ibrobrufen
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