Looking after my legs!

[JoolieB1]

I have been running now for a year. My legs ached so much when I did C25K that I had to treat them by lying in bed with my electric blanket on full. I can't imagine using ice, I like warmth! I rested them on rest days too just to recover and I am so thankful they carried me through to graduation. Now I run three times a week still but I find they can cope with two 5k plus a 10k and still happy to move on rest days. I have tried step aerobics with Jenny Ford and Indoor walking with Leslie Sansome and even cycling - and of course taking my little friend Max the Jack Russell for a walk. Despite the warnings that running will ruin my knees and even "the man who invented jogging died young" I think the discovery of running has been the best thing and if I die running, it will be with a smile on my face!

[boptillyoudrop49 Graduate]

Ooh yes warmth! I did the C25K last winter and had a soak in a hot bath , then lay down with a hot water bottle. Bliss. Don't think I'll ever get in an ice bath!

[davelinks Graduate]

Jim Fixx died of a heart attack while jogging at 52 years of age; his father Calvin Fixx had died even younger of the same. His genetic predisposition for heart problems and other previous lifestyle factors may have caused his heart attack.

The people who gave out those warnings probably haven't got a clue about the benefits of running!

You’ve probably heard it said that exercise is medicine. Well, it’s not just a saying; it’s the truth. There’s a raft of scientific evidence that proves that regular exercise (150 minutes per week, which is about 30 minutes five times per week)—and running in particular—has health benefits that extend well beyond any pill a doctor could prescribe. Studies have shown that running can help prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, some cancers, and a host of other unpleasant conditions. What’s more, scientists have shown that running also vastly improves the quality of your emotional and mental life, and even helps you live longer.

There are always naysayers, but in the case of running damaging your knees, quite the opposite appears to be true, so enjoy your running! Recent research on running and its effects on knees seems to indicate that the benefits of running outweigh the risks. In fact, continuous exercise actually appears to protect the knee joint, rather than contribute to its destruction. Studies have discovered that "no major new internal damage" to the knee joint was found even after following runners for 10 to 20 years

[JoolieB1 Graduate in reply to davelinks]

Totally agree, you are preaching to the converted! Mind you, I take extra care of my legs by resting and doing strength and flex exercises, want to prove them wrong!

[davelinks Graduate]

Not preaching! But trying to dispel scaremongering remarks that could put off any newbies on a site like this!😊

[melly4012 Graduate]

Great post! That smile says it all!