Week 7 / Run 3 Don’t ignore injury (that’s different!), but don’t let aches and pains stop you.

[Sibennett]

So... (I hate it when people start their sentences with ‘so’ too!) I’ve just completed Week 7 / Run 3 and I’m genuinely amazed that I’ve got this far and even more amazed that I consider myself a ‘runner’. I genuinely never thought I’d see the day.

But!!... at Week 4, I nearly quit as I was thinking my knees just weren’t up to it. I had pains in both knees (never both at the same time for some reason). My symptoms pointed to ‘injuries’ but I never felt like I’d actually injured myself on any of my runs. It was always more like my tendons/ligaments were just getting stuff post run and creating identical symptoms.

After a week off, my knees still felt stiff and weak but I thought I’d just try a light run, so went back to Week 1 temporarily. Magic! My knees seemed to ‘free up’ and I’ve never looked back since.

En route to the end of Week 7, I have experienced post run knee pain, but I’ve stretched well prior to my runs and just got on with it, and my knees seemed to have strengthened to the point where I feel like I’m running really well and my knees are strong.

So, I don’t want to pass on this learning so that anyone ignores injury BUT I know if I’d read similar at my point of nearly quitting, it would have spurred me on.

Can’t believe I only have 2 weeks left of Couch to 5k. Such an amazing programme!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Good stuff... sometimes hard to tell the difference straight away, I would always slow and stop on sudden/stabbing pain. I did injure my knee between runs early on, and then the other went, ended up running in knee braces for a short while and completely pain free since. So, hopefully that will continue, and for you as well.

Great job now into week 8... a lot of strengthening going on in these latter weeks, enjoy the runs.

[Dazeydog Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

I use knee braces. Pleased to hear you did too. Did you stop needing them eventually, and how did you know? I wonder if me needing them is more a confidence thing, just so I'm doing my best to protect them, or would it hurt without them? I'm a bit scared to find out!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Dazeydog]

I walked on my rest days without them and I did some mini runs during these... literally 20 yards. Once they were pain free I did the same up and down hills and I was good to go. My knee braces live in my car just in case, but I wanted to get out of them and let my muscles develop naturally. I was, I think, in them for 4 weeks in total, including the 2 weeks without running when I wore them all day every day. When I started running that was the only time I had the braces on.

[Dazeydog Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Thank you .

[misswobble Graduate]

I commented on this new trend to my husband yesterday. Maybe it's just on the telly. Annoying anyway! Still, there's far more important things to worry about. Not your knees though, thankfully.

It's amazing how our bodies adapt to new exertions.

[Pgl10car]

I am on Wk7R3 today and am going through a very similar experience. One minute I am totally pain free the next I have a twinge here and then a twinge there, never in the same place. Thought it was just me so thanks for the encouragemnet. Here is to week 8

[Mrun1 Graduate]

I'm doing W7R2 and my left knee started clicking and now feels achey/sore when i go from sitting or laying to standing (never sore when I'm running only sore when I'm not active) Not extreme pain but just a bit or an irritating niggle. Feels like it needs a good stretch.

I've decided to do knee strengthning exercises for the next week, while still running.

I think it's good to be mindful of things but not to let it stop you completely.

Well done for getting this far! I myself can't believe I've managed to stick at it, such a great feeling!