First run knee pain - please advise!

[Sally290165]

I did my Wk 1, Day 1 run yesterday!👍 I felt OK except for my knees - I'm 51 & found that my knees felt like they weren't bending enough😱 It was more of a painful shuffle than a jog/run - is this normal for a true couch potato & will it get easier?

Apart from that, I felt soooo proud that I'd completed my first step - I actually cried when I got home, isn't that rather strange? 🤓

Thanks to you all on here, so glad I found this group😁

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Well done for starting on the fantastic journey. you'll meet some super folks on your journey on here...!

The first steps definitely are the hardest As for the knees, maybe a bit more of a warm up? I found for the first few weeks, that the five minute warm up walk was not really enough for my old joints...( I am 65) It took me a bit longer to really get warmed up...

I know that because of that, I incorporated the Strength and Flex exercises into my in- between day..that helped enormously with muscles and joints I found. Maybe give it a try.

The crying....well why not, and just wait until the day when you hear Laura say... you can call yourself a runner! Go for it

[Sally290165 in reply to Oldfloss]

Thank you Oldfloss! I'll give that a go - I have to say it hasn't put me off day 2 tomorrow, just painful as I go!😱

[davelinks Graduate]

Well done Sally, you will get some niggles as you start the programme, which should fade away, see how they are on your next due workout day, and if they still hurt take more time for rest, if only slight, try a run but very slowly, and the pain may go away with careful use, make sure you have a stretch, just a limberup before your warmup walk and some stretching after your cool down walk.

I had knee pain some years ago with just general use before c25k, tried some Glucosamine tablets and in about 3 months pain was gone, I stopped taking them a few years ago and been good, just the odd twinge if I rotate my knee awkwardly, but I do now take Omega3 fish oil capsules, which seem to keep joints supple...

[Sally290165 in reply to davelinks]

Thanks Davelinks - I'll certainly try the glucosamine & omega 3 & incorporate a few stretches - watch this space, I'm raring to go!👍

[harveyemm Graduate]

Congratulations on joining the couch to 5k and well done for completing the first run.

I am 59 and had plenty of leg aches in the first few weeks. They do go---the trick is to take it slowly---take as many rest days as you need---repeat a week if you found it tough as many times as you need.

Every session you do is an excellent workout so go at your own pace.

When I first started I found a walk on the off days helped to keep my legs from getting too stiff---in fact I still do this.

I hope you enjoy the program---Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[Sally290165 in reply to harveyemm]

Thanks Harveyemm, great advice which I'll be using!

[Sandraj39 Graduate]

I agree with the other comments, it is early days and a few niggles are to be expected. You may find that you need to take more rest days between runs initially, and again as others have said, need a longer warm up. Many of us on here are not as young as we once were(😮). I will be 51 in April and if you had told me this time last year I would be running 7k now (further than I have ever run in my life!) and be planning a 10k race in April, well, I would have laughed and called you mad!! It is a fab programme, made all the better for this amazing forum. We are all here...young and old, new and experienced. The one thing we all have in common is our enthusiasm. If you've got that then this is the beginning of a very special journey. And finally, yes, it's ok to cry! I have done it quite a few times myself when I've reached goals, and getting out there for that first run is a special moment. Well done😀.

[Sally290165 in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you Sandra, that made me cry....again! This program is a BIG step for me & I felt so determined & enthusiastic before going out yesterday - I think the knee pain made me wonder if it's really possible to attain this goal. I'm not beaten yet & will try all of the advice given here in order to get there! Thanks everyone!👍

[mfamilias Graduate]

Check out what Washington Irving said about tears - they're a sign of humanity, not weakness, girl. There's nothing wrong with being proud of yourself!

I will wave my pompoms for you tomorrow. You can be well proud of yourself taking on this challenge Niggles and pains can be expected when awakening joints and muscles that have been left to their own devices for a while, so don't worry. Just take it easy, and if it gets very painful, listen to your body and give it a break for a day or two; warm up properly too.

[Sally290165 in reply to mfamilias]

Thanks for your kind words, I will do my best👍

[Coddfish Graduate]

Well done on making a start. I found it quite tough on my knees at first - this wasn't fully resolved until I went to get my gait assessed and got new shoes that stopped me from over pronating. I think you need to stick with the programme a bit before making that sort of financial commitment! There are some knee exercises for runners elsewhere on the NHS site, which I found useful. Here is a link.

nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/...

[Sally290165 in reply to Coddfish]

Great, thanks Coddfish👍

[Nik0lai]

I would opt fora gait analysis - free at assics stores ( you don't need to buy anything).

If you are like me over pronating then it's worth it. Knee pain stopped me . ( non running injury kept me away for even longer).

I'm returning to the c25k; tommorow will see me back on the road to c25k goodness!

Ok so I have procrastinated over a few mince pies, it looked cold and wet - need to sort out some mojo for tommorow 😬

Nik

[Sally290165 in reply to Nik0lai]

Thanks Nic, that sounds like a plan - w1d2 today so I'll see how it goes! Good luck on your return to c25k!👍