Hi all, as you can probably tell I'm feeling a bit bummed at the moment. I managed the 20min run in Wk5 just fine - even managed to keep going after a fairly steep climb! I tried the first run of week 6 two days later and got a really bad stitch after three minutes of running which wouldn't go down with slowing down and breathing deeply - I concluded I ate too much as I was out with family and ran too soon and because it was getting dark I decided to pack up and go home. I tried again yesterday. I'm currently staying in Scotland for the week (originally from the Midlands) and am staying by a loch which means a good flat stretch to run on. This time I felt a bad pain in my legs (shin splints?) and got to seven minutes in the second run before I couldn't bare the pain and had to stop again. I was limping all the way back to the hotel and had a dull ache in my legs for the rest of the evening, even with some strong painkillers. The pain seems to be gone this morning but I don't think I'll risk it again until maybe Friday. I had it before during week 2 and recovered in a few days, but it wasn't quite as painful then so I guess I'll just have to play it by ear.
It's just a bit disheartening after getting so far through. I don't want to stop running but know if I continue too soon I'll only make it worse. Maybe it's something in my running technique? I'm flat footed too so that might not be helping - I did buy some insoles to put into my running shoes but forgot to bring them with me. I managed fine without them up to now though. Fingers crossed it's not too bad and I'll be able to try again at the end of the week.
Sorry to hear you feeling a bit discouraged. I am a very inexperienced runner and there is lots of really good advice and links to hints about running techniques on this forum. I understand from reading some that overextending your stride can cause shin splints so maybe reign it in a bit. You mentioned stitch which did not go even if you slowed down. This may indicates you are going too fast. Try going as slow as you can. My pace is just above walking. Better to succeed slowly than fail quickly said the tortoise to the hare 😂😂. Keep at it!
True. I did slow down as much as I could but I think it was more likely I ran too soon after eating with family (and I did eat... quite a lot 😳) which caused the stitch. I'm on another trip where they just try and constantly feed you so I'm gonna have to control myself a bit better before I try again. 😂