If ever there was an appropriate name for a novice ANYthing, then this is it!
Started running 3 weeks ago and have been careful to do everything properly before getting serious. First 2 weeks just a ‘tester ’ phase , 2 short run/walks on a treadmill a week in my normal gym shoes as part of my normal workout..... No ill effects. Phew - so I decided to go for it and invest! Gait analysis (neutral), invested in proper running shoes (Brooks Ravenna), took care to checked with a physio (more about that another time - but you’d have thought I was telling him about plans to take up freestyle granny smothering!), very smug at sailing through week one of c25k on the treadmill with no CV issues at all and no trouble with knees - which I always thought were going to be a danger area - but then....oh my feet! Apart from increasing tenderness in heel and side of arch there are little shooting pains - incl. a tiny one which shot straight through a nerve on the skin to my stomach. Weird! Also small sharp pains in my ankles.
I thought proper, carefully chosen, supportive, cushioned - and not cheap! - shoes were insurance against this kind of thing? I am careful about running technique and avoiding heelstrike and it’s not as though I’m already in heavy duty training. I have followed all podcast instructions to the letter, rest days etc... plus doing proper stretches afterwards.
Help needed....!!! I enjoy running and desperate for an exercise ‘regime’ which is not gym dependent as I’m about to move home - to where affordable, well-equipped gyms are in short supply. Apart from stunning scenery to run through - and a picturesque public park behind the new house for ‘lazy days’ - I already have friends there who are keen runners and the social side is all ages, backgrounds and lively interesting people. Exactly what I’m seeing in this forum.... with a least one rather good artist.... (Hello Floss)
So please - anyone been through this and survived? How did you do it without further damage? I have bought Scholl gel heel inserts so far and will not start week 2 or go out on real pavements/parks until I’m properly pain free and have the right advice. But really, truly - I don’t want to give up before I’ve even really started
For the record, am 59, female, finished work last Christmas and keen to avoid any (more) pounds creeping on.
To Whom it may concern - gym and garden alone do not replace the energy output of a full day’s work and commute - even without the morning muffins, business lunches and energy boost snacks before tackling the train home.... be warned!!!!! Stop the weight gain before it starts - don’t wait until there are inches to lose before putting a plan in place. For one thing, I rather like the clothes I have - and won’t have money to spend on any more! Vanity - and the need to pay for a damp course and new roof - more key incentives to stay slim....... Whatever works!!!!!
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SillySeabird
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Hi SillySeabird, you seem really motivated to do this - which is half the battle! I’m no medic so can’t offer any specific health advice but I can recount a little of my own experience as a recently retired and ‘relocated to the country’ formerly overweight 58 year old bloke. My previous attempts at coming back to running had all failed due to injury & pain from overdoing it. The C25k programme has some sorcery to it as it seems to build and strengthen the right bits & pieces to keep you on track without doing any lasting harm. That said, in the first few weeks my old legs felt many a twinge and I had the odd bit of back pain. As the weeks progressed these all seemed to subside to what is now just a little joint stiffness now & again. I’m not suggesting you ignore anything your body’s telling you - it may be serious - but running through those initial pains took me to a happy place on the other side 😊 As a bonus, now I’m running 5k three times a week the pounds are falling off all over the place! 😄 Good luck sorting out these niggles and I hope you’re out there enjoying the scenery & social life soon.
I really appreciate that reply, thanks so much. Particularly encouraging re the weight loss - and ah - memories of beer..... I will allow myself such things again when I’m back to m’fightin’ weight. And motivated I surely am! There’s a lot riding on this move North.....
Been thinking I’ve maybe pushed legs/feet etc too hard in the first week- just because I found the breathing/physical effort relatively easy. Because it’s the treadmill, I can see that I was covering 3k in each 28 min session.... am wondering if that is a normal distance to cover on such early runs?
Thanks for your kind comments! I can only speak for me (again!) but 3k sounds way too far for the early runs, you may be overdoing it. The programme is all about time - honestly, distance is really not relevant at first. Most people, including me, don’t get to 5k in 30 mins by week 9, that comes later as you consolidate. It’s probably trickier on a treadmill but if you stick religiously to the timings for each run and take it slowly - no, even slower than that, just a light jog - you’ll reap the rewards later on, I promise. I actually did a few weeks of walks to tone up a bit before I even thought about running. Look at it as a long-term project with small wins and the whole thing becomes more sustainable and injury free A lot of posts here say (and I agree) that the weight loss doesn’t really kick in until you’re doing regular long runs. Most of mine has been in the last week of the course & its been dropping nicely in the weeks since.
When you say you’ve moved North, I’ll see your North and raise you Midlands to Scotland where we moved in March 😄 Loving it! It’s amazing scenery to run in ❤️ Good luck!
Well, I could be flippant and say it's stones in your shoes and brambles round your ankles but that would be describing my runs, maybe not yours.
Some folk have described symptoms like some of yours resulting from overtight lacing - your feet will swell a bit.
The one element of this programme that virtually everyone disagrees with is the instruction to hit the ground heel first rather than mid-foot or the ball of the foot. I'd suggest checking for and changing heel striking. I'd also keep off hard surfaces like pavements and tarmac if that's an option which it may not be, and many people do the programme and indeed always run on such surfaces - but many of us do tend to thud down rather in the early weeks as if we're Mo Farah powering past the opposition on the last lap...
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A lot of posts here say (and I agree) that the weight loss doesn’t really kick in until you’re doing regular long runs. Most of mine has been in the last week of the course & its been dropping nicely in the weeks since.
Hello all - 71 years old and hoping to run!
FAQ Post C25K COMPLETED…….WHAT NEXT?
Roseabi’s Bridge to 5K plan!
