W4R1 advice: Hi everyone, tonight I have... - Couch to 5K

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W4R1 advice

Monica1969 profile image
25 Replies

Hi everyone, tonight I have completed W4R1 BUT I suffered with a real tightness in the muscle in my lower leg at the front (not calf muscle) it became that tight it made me walk flat footed on the affected leg. It was tight when I was running but worse when I walked in between.

Am I doing something wrong? I’m loving this so much and I don’t want this to set me back in any way, my breathing was great, only thing holding me back was this muscle

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Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969
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25 Replies
UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate

Good job on the run.

I’m sat here thinking I don’t have that muscle... then I think about it and I must have or my foot wouldn’t work! 😂

Are you doing post run stretches? They help with all muscles, ligaments and tendons. Hydration is essential too. Beyond that ice and rest and see a doctor/physio if it persists.

No way you’re doing anything wrong though.

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply toUnfitNoMore

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 that made me laugh. I’m not doing the stretches which I guess I should and to be honest, I’ve not had water today either, plenty of coffee but not water.

It’s strange as I went for a walk at lunchtime and that muscle tightened then, I’m not sure what to put it down to but I’m sure the two pointers you mentioned will be contributors

It’s a muscle I used to use a lot when horse riding so it’s started coming back to life I think lol

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toMonica1969

It’s a muscle I need to find 😂.

Maybe it’s decided to grumble that you’re making it work again and thought it would let the others shut up whining first. I always think of my leg muscles as a worker with a useless boss, they get used to getting paid for nothing and then a new boss comes in and demands that they actually earn their pay... I’d moan too if I was them!

Anyways, I hope it’s nothing much and it’s fine for your next run.

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply toUnfitNoMore

If you flex your right foot towards you, you’ll see and feel that muscle to the right side of your leg below the knee lol

Oh I’d definitely be wanting paying for all this hard work 🤣🤣🤣🤣

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toMonica1969

Ahhh! Got it... thanks, I’m saying hi now... poor bugger has been neglected all these years!

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply toUnfitNoMore

Certainly has, just think of all that assistance it’s given you and you’ve not even acknowledged it 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Well now you’ve discovered it, hopefully you can feel my pain lol

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toMonica1969

I don’t want it to hurt now I’ve just met it that’s for sure! Now with the position of it, I’m wondering if this is under the umbrella of runners knee? I’ll be honest I was looking for it at the other end, net the ankle... can you believe I was top of my class in biology??!!

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply toUnfitNoMore

Well if you were the top of the class, I feel for the others, they didn’t stand a chance lol

Runners knee?? I guess my question would be, will it go? I’m only on W4, I don’t want to stop, I’m really enjoying it

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toMonica1969

runnersworld.com/runners-knee/

Strangely I moved away and eventually moved to a place 5 miles away from where I started... registered with the doctors had to go for a medical... my doctor was second in my class 😂. Don’t worry though, he was a big step up from my childhood GP, even with less knowledge than me back then his patients survived home visits 😂

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply toUnfitNoMore

Who’d have thought eh?! Hope it wasn’t a complete MOT could have been a tad awkward 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toMonica1969

I had Shipman and then him... he was ok!

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply toUnfitNoMore

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toMonica1969

I had a succession of characters as GPs... Dr Bills was my first, with that name he needed to go private, then Dr Carroll, he used to ask me if I thought he should give me antibiotics... then he retired and I got Shipman, which was great everyone wanted him he was brilliant. Then I moved away and it must have been 10 years on... I’m in the works social club after a long day and the football has just finished... TV is turned down and the news comes on... there he is Dr Shipman while the headlines were being announced... I shout across the bar to turn it up... that’s my brilliant doctor, he’s probably cured cancer or something.... the room goes quiet, the volume comes up... ok... no... my bad... he’s been on a killing spree... and I really want to disappear at that moment more than ever before in my life.

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply toUnfitNoMore

Omg you weren’t joking?! That’s shocking 😱

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toMonica1969

Aha... I was raised in the murder capital of England... most notorious killers ✅ most prolific killer ✅. Don’t worry though, I’m assured it wasn’t something in the water!

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply toUnfitNoMore

Thank the lord for the quiet north west of England 🤣🤣🤣

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toMonica1969

Now I live a few miles away in Glossop... all I gotta do here to make the front page is fart twice over dinner 😂

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply toUnfitNoMore

Oh beautiful part of the world, not many miles from me

If you’re gonna make front page, you gotta fart properly, in public, maybe whilst running past a bunch of orienteers on a Sunday afternoon lol

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toMonica1969

😂. Beautiful part of the world yes, and nothing happens here... year there’s a huge traffic queue all day trying to get here... I have shouted out of my window at lights wile waiting to go out of town over to the queue advising that they turn around cos there’s nowt there, but they don’t listen.

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate in reply toUnfitNoMore

THEEE Harald Shipman, Dr Harold Shipman, my goodness me I was just reading about him the mass serial killer of 15 patients, wow, at least he didn't kill you UNM, at least your lucky to be alive.

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate in reply toAlMorr

15? 218 proven, a world record, and about the same suspected. I’m only here because I wasn’t an old lady at the time... with a couple of exceptions. The thing that struck me was the old joke that he was a great doctor and would sort you out, if he didn’t kill you first... that would have been early 80s.

Brilliant GP though, I kinda stand by that.

Wow, now that’s a saga to give you pause for thought !

It sounds like your muscle issue might be shin splints from what you describe. You should get it checked out to be sure as I believe you can do some harm in severe cases. Basically the blood vessels constrict during exercise and so restrict the flow of blood to the muscle, hence the pain. There are exercises you can do to help if it is but the doctor should be able to point you in the right direction.

PS that’s the medical doctor of course not Dr Who 😉

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply to

I used to have this issue when I walked lots years ago

I was thinking maybe get some compression socks to see if that helps, I’m not in any pain today. I went to the physio this morning (car accident issue for shoulder) she said it sounds like the muscle is under worked and I need to stretch it more, she gave me exercises and a stretchy thing

in reply toMonica1969

That’s good. Fingers crossed it solves the problem.

Monica1969 profile image
Monica1969 in reply to

I’ve just ordered the socks, got great reviews so let’s keep everything crossed as I’ll be gutted it I have to stop 😢

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