Hi, I’m only 19 but never exercised in my life! I’ve just finished week 1 and on the third run my knees were killing me! It’s the next day and they’re really painful, even to walk. Is it that I’m doing something wrong or is this a common thing?
Thanks!!
I’m not an expert and can only speak from my own experience. I don’t think you’ll be doing anything wrong, it’s just that they’re not used to it. Be sure to stretch out properly before and after each run; I have a very bad knee but running improves it. I do yoga exercises to stretch it inc baby pose and downward dog. These help me enormously. Also, make sure you are wearing the correct type of shoes for you. And of course, don’t train to strain. Take more rest if you need to. Good luck and don’t give up. It will get better. 👍👍
Thank you! I’m definitely going to take a couple days to rest this time!
Hi I’ve just done Wk1 R2 and my shins were killing me during the second minute of running, so much so I almost stopped. But I didn’t and it eased a bit. I’ve been told by a fitness instructor friend that this is normal & maybe I’m jogging too fast. Aim for more of a light shuffle jog to begin with until our bodies get used to the exercise. Hope the knees feel better!
Thank you, that puts my mind at ease! The problem with the app is it doesn’t give much instruction on how to run (which is self explanatory I guess) so I was worrying maybe I wasn’t running “correctly”!
Awesome that you're here with us for c25k!
I had some knee issues (mine is a pre-existing issue so I knew exactly what it was), and needed to strengthen up - running will strengthen your knees, but there is also a greater risk of injury between now and then, so some strengthening exercises and a break from running might be best. Definitely let your knees calm down and feel normal before you head out again - a bit of ache is ok, but pain is not, especially if you can't do regular things without feeling it. And if you can get into a running shop to get help finding the right shoes with a gait analysis, that can make a big difference . 
Here is a link to some exercises you could try at home:
nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/...
Thank you! Yes I’ve got proper trainers so should be okay on that front. I’m definitely not going to be able to do week 2 tomorrow so might leave it until Thursday.
As the others have said, aching is ok, pain is not! Let your knees recover, then try again with very gentle jogging in the ‘running’ sections. It’s really not about speed, it’s about sustaining a running movement for the relevant time. And yes, focused exercises to strengthen all the bits that hold knees together, make them work, and support them!
Awesome thank you for the advice!
You say you have "proper trainers" but if your running shoes are not fitted after a gait analysis done at a specialist running shop, then they may be contributing to the problems.
Slow down, make sure footfall is under your body, not out in front, avoid heelstriking and run on grass to reduce impact.
The guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
Enjoy your journey.
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