W2R3 FAIL

[Maxi80]

Left shin/foot/leg or whatever it is was just too painful. I was wearing my old ASICS so don’t know if that was the issue. My running career might already be over and I’m gutted. Might try again with new trainers but not hopeful.

[Tasha99 Graduate]

ASICS gave me shin pain. Swapped back to my old shoes and it went straight away. You don’t need to stop running. You might need a physio to help. And proper fitting shoes.

[Maxi80 in reply to Tasha99]

My Mizuno gave me shin pain too. But the ASICS made it even worse.

[PhoenixRise Graduate]

Chin up Maxi80! This journey is a learning curve for us all. Try to get a physio appointment - they will be able to assess you properly and suggest some exercises that may help. Remember - an attempted run is better than no run at all! 🏃‍♂️

[Maxi80 in reply to PhoenixRise]

Cheers, but how can I attempt it again when it hurts so much that you grimace after most strides? Maybe I’m just not meant to run. I’ll have to find some other way to get endorphins. Gutted.

[Tasha99 Graduate in reply to Maxi80]

People with worse problems overcome them. Don’t give up when you’ve just started. See a physio. Have you had a gait analysis?

[PhoenixRise Graduate in reply to Maxi80]

Of course, if the pain is a shooting pain then don’t push it. Do see a physio if you can though. It may be something simple - like an alignment issue .... think of an incident on a motorway miles ahead creating a traffic jam .... you can’t see the issue but it’s causing you to sit in a traffic jam. Your pain could be any number of reasons and might be the result of another issue as opposed to the shins being the direct cause of your pain. Seek advice! 🤗

[Maxi80 in reply to PhoenixRise]

Good analogy 👍 I think it might be an issue from before whereby it would hurt even when walking. But it went away whilst walking so I thought no more of it 🤔

[PhoenixRise Graduate in reply to Maxi80]

I am rather proud of that analogy if I’m being modestly honest lol 🤣

[Tinytears60 Graduate in reply to Maxi80]

You need to be kind to yourself Mister ... I’ve read you struggling for a few runs now and fair push to you for trying! 👏👏👏

But

You need rest & RICE & a gait analysis

Don’t get disheartened 💙

But if you have shin splints then rest it is ...

[Maxi80 in reply to Tinytears60]

Rice? Oh and thanks 👍

[PhoenixRise Graduate in reply to Maxi80]

Rest

Ice

Compression

Elevation

RICE 😉

[Tinytears60 Graduate in reply to Maxi80]

Rest

Ice

Compression

Elevation

Won’t take long and you will be back there with us 👍👏👏

[chunkypie Graduate]

If you have never run b4 your asking your body to do a lot its never done b4. I'd look at your overall posture. Some people and ii'll include myself in this when i started start to stare at the floor and slouch when they run especially when tiredness sets in.

Try and keep your body upright, Like they say in the forces "Stomach in chest out" and transfer some of the energy from your legs to your torso. If you look at most professional fast runners they have a washboard stomach and strong upper torso and thats were they run from.

Stick with it, everyone on here has prob been through the same at the beginning and then you get one week and it all falls into place 👌

[Maxi80 in reply to chunkypie]

Cheers mate. I definitely do slouch! I remember a few years back that my left leg used to hurt when I walked. It could be my posture.

It’s just a sense of failure that you have to stop through pain after a minute when people are gliding psst you.

It was a somber walk home.

[Instructor57 Graduate]

Don't give up on it yet !

As advised , try and get a physio appointment .

I injured myself after week 8 run 1 and was out for 16 days ,

I was absolutely gutted and I also thought that's it ! No more Running for me .

I had 2 Osteopath appointments and then an appointment with a sports physio who is an extreme marathon runner.

He gave me some excersises to do .

I was running again after 16 days and my first run was week 8 run 2 , yes, I was very nervous and took it really slowly,

I since then finished C25k, have now run about 6x 5k and one 7.25k and although I am not 100 % I would say back to around 95-98% fitness

It has taken time , but it has been worth it !

Give yourself some time to heal and see a physio would certainly be my advice 👍

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

Go to your GP and ask for a referral to a recommended Sports Physio.

You're writing yourself off far too quickly.

I was a casual once-a-week runner in my mid/late teens, no issues. Took it up again after a break of only 3-4 years - ran a few miles, couple of times a week. Knees hated it and one in particular hurt a lot. GP said 'chronic cartilage, maybe'. So I gave up.

Fast forward 20+ years to my mid 40s... I'd had knee pain (and a sore foot) on/off for 10 years and hadn't been 'active' for 15 years. The idea that I could ever run again was laughable. GP referred me to a Sports Physio who spotted my problem in a few moments. I had no idea that my body was so wonky ... she taped up 1 leg (to straighten it) and I immediately felt the difference. 1 pair of custom-made orthoses later and I was good-to-go.

I did C25K a few months later and have since run 3500 miles in the last 5 years including the London Marathon and several half marathons.

I've seen your recent posts ... I suggest you stop trying to self-diagnose - you're clearly not getting very far with that method - and get yourself to a professional who can help fix you.

If you really want to run, you'll find a way.

DON'T.

GIVE.

UP.

Never, never, never give up.

[Sandraj39 Graduate in reply to John_W]

Inspiring response John ...and great advice.🙂👍💪

[Maxi80 in reply to John_W]

Wow, such a brilliant response. Sheesh. Nearly made me cry 😂

[John_W Graduate Ambassador in reply to Maxi80]

I hope you act on it. Good luck.

[StuartMcIntyre]

Crossing my fingers for you.

I hope you can safely get back to running. If you are not able to continue, don't give up on exercise - maybe something lower impact like cycling or gym might work out if running doesn't.

[TopCat22]

Hi Maxi80,

I’m having trouble too. I started months ago but keep having problems. Kept pulling my right calf badly. I’ve rested it for a good few weeks and started again on week 1 and now I’m getting shin pains! I don’t know! It’s very frustrating. I can sympathise with you. I’ve decided to keep trying and keep repeating a week until it doesn’t hurt anymore. Left leg is fine.

Keep at it as I’d like to follow you to see how you get on! Nice to know I’m not alone with having difficulties

[Maxi80 in reply to TopCat22]

Hey,

Yeah it’s very disheartening. I started feeling sorry for myself because I was looking to accomplish something as well as improve mental health.

I’m not sure my legs will ever get up to 5K. For now I’m just happy doing short intervals!

[TopCat22]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Tbh, I’m not sure I will either. It seems my legs just don’t like running. At the moment, I keep repeating W2R3. I’m hoping one day it won’t hurt and I can move on. But I’ve decided to just keep doing W2R3 for now. I think, because it is so new to me, I need to build up my muscles by repeating it regularly but not pushing it too far that it gets a full-blown injury. I’m hoping after a month or so, I might feel it can take W3. Not sure why it’s only my right leg. Must be something funny with my gait. Still, I reckon it’s doing me a world of good to get out there three times a week and do W2R3. Even doing just that is an achievement for me, I feel, as 1) I’m finding the discipline to stick with something active like this and 2) it’s a lot more than I was doing before, and 3) I’ve never run before, so doing even W2R3 is fantastic! If I still have pain after a couple of months, I might possibly go to a gait analysis place that I’ve found near me that has a qualified physio doing it. But I’m hoping it won’t come to that because I can’t really afford it! 😂

[Maxi80 in reply to TopCat22]

Your thoughts sound very similar to mine. I think the pressure of having to run 5K in 9 weeks can be overwhelming. My left lame leg needs a good talking to first! I felt really good after doing the week 2 intervals so do you know what, that’s enough for now! Everybody seems to graduate pretty easily. But that’s them. And this is me!

[Roxdog Graduate]

I wonder if seeing a physio at this point might be the best way forward for you? It may also be worth doing some other strengthening exercises to support your running? Apologies, you might already be doing other forms of exercise though?

Not sure if you have a heel strike? The link to the post about shin splints mentions heel strike as a contributory factor. That's why the Japanese Slow running technique is good because it minimises impact.

Sorry you're having these issues - it's pretty normal to experience aches and pains early in the programme and I found my previous shoes which were Asics, made my shins hurt. But I suppose there's a difference if you can't run because of the pain. That said, you've finished the runs so far, which is great. The programme is not 'easy and is supposed to challenge you, but if you're in pain a lot, I would get some advice. It might help even for non running activities.

Good luck.

[Maxi80 in reply to Roxdog]

Cheers for the insight. I’m not looking to break records so I’m happy just completing week 2 for now 👍

[TopCat22]

I’m sticking with week 2 as well; finding that quite challenging enough! 🤣