Wk7

[Surfingjojo76]

Upto 25mins running now (never thought I would be) but suffering with lower leg pain whilst running - would like to go a bit faster because I never really get out of breath & run really slow - but hurty legs are stopping me trying. I am doing a 7-8 min dynamic stretching warm up & warm down afterwards which is helping somewhat with recovery but I suspect it's more to do with being 4st overweight & my little legs are just not designed for it 😂 (I am also calorie counting & losing 2lb pw so trying my best in this dept.)

Any advice about lower leg stretching or encouragement that lower leg discomfort gets better eventually would be gratefully received.

Cheers

[branders1974 Graduate]

Hi! I've no idea if this will help you,but I've had some calf discomfort recently, and last night I slept with my legs elevated and today I felt like a new person! Going for a run in a bit, so will be able to tell you if it's a miracle 🤣

Hope you get sorted.

[Surfingjojo76 in reply to branders1974]

I will definitely give that a go 👍 thankyou

[branders1974 Graduate in reply to Surfingjojo76]

No worries! Just back from tonight's effort and it felt pretty good! I'm going to elevate tonight too I reckon. Oh, and drink HEAPS of water! Take care 😊

[Surfingjojo76 in reply to branders1974]

I am pleased to confirm that doing this has really helped with stopping my lower legs hurting the next day. I have been sleeping with my lower legs on a big pillow & can't believe the difference. Still uncomfortable when running but at least not hurting going into the next run! Thankyou so much!

[branders1974 Graduate in reply to Surfingjojo76]

Great news!!! It's definitely helped me too. I'm so pleased, anything that makes it a bit easier, right?! All the best for the rest of your c25k!! 😊

[Instructor57 Graduate]

Not sure about the leg pain but good you are doing the dynamic vwarm ups 👍Curious about one thing you said though about wanting to go faster because your not even out of breath !

Sounds to me as though your pace is right !

You shouldn't be out of breath , this is about building strength and stamina 👍

[Surfingjojo76 in reply to Instructor57]

Thankyou, that's good to hear that the pace is ok as it is.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Well done.

If you are doing C25K as recommended then you should not be out of breath. An easy conversational pace is more effective at developing your aerobic base than pushing harder.

Post run stretches should be static stretches.

Stretching immediately after every run, nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/h... while muscles are still warm and supple, pulls out contractions, avoiding carrying tensions into the next run and also improves recovery by improving blood flow, as recommended in the guide to the plan.

Many people do not hold their stretches for long enough or put enough effort in. Hold post run stretches for 30 seconds and make sure the pull is strong enough to be on the verge of discomfort.

How is your hydration? As a runner you need to drink a minimum of 2.5 -3 litres of fluid each and every day, running or not, as mentioned in the guide.

Are you wearing proper running shoes fitted after a gait analysis done at a specialist running shop? Good shoes can make a huge difference.

[Surfingjojo76 in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thankyou - I will definitely up the water intake & look at some gait analysis once shops are open again, I'm just wearing off the shelf New Balance, they are comfy but perhaps not as supportive as they could be. Glad to hear that actually the conversational pace is the way to improve. I will keep plodding on 👍