I’ve been quiet on here but have been reading all the collective wisdom of this great community.
I discovered the running bug many years ago in my late 20s. In my 30s I ran several shorter races, half marathons and 3 full marathons. And then not much running from my late 30s after having kids. I made so many attempts to come back to running over the years but never got back to regular running. I then hit my 50s and the menopause! I felt I was aging more and more each day, my body ached with every step.
From May this year I decided I need to start a regular exercise routine and I started power walking every day for 30 to 60 mins. After a few weeks of walking I felt strong enough to try running again, but just a couple of runs in and I had a bad calf strain. Off I went to the physio and I diligently followed all the advice but I was afraid to try running again as I could at least enjoy the fitness benefits from walking with less chance of injury. However, I still ended up with achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. I got myself some orthotics and a good pair of trainers, iced and stretched regularly and finally the pain was gone.
In early October I turned on the TV and it was the day of the London Marathon. All my great running memories came back. In a moment of madness I signed up to the ballot thinking I would start training slowly and at least get to 30 mins running, and there was no way I would get picked anyway but I could dream. But you guessed it a few weeks later I received an email saying I had a place for next April! So I really did have to take my training seriously.
I came across C25K as I was researching training plans. My journey through C25K has not been without a couple of scary moments. After week 4 I had the most awful muscle spams at night time and I thought I would have to give up. I didn’t really understand why this happened as I was following all the right advice, hydration, nutrition, warm up, cool down and stretching. Luckily the spasms stopped after a few days rest and didn’t come back. Then after week 8 I had a strange catching sensation in the back of my knee but luckily no pain, back off to the physio and found out it was a tight hamstring on inside of leg, the tendon was rubbing as it moved across the back of the knee. It’s quite a tricky muscle to stretch as the usual hamstring stretches don’t work for this one so I now have a new stretch to add to my daily routine. I have also added in regular strength trading 2 to 3 times a week.
So after all this I have no idea if I will make it through the marathon training but I’m going to take it slowly and follow the beginners plan. And if I have to I can walk / run some of it.
Written by
MarmaladeJane
Graduate
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Thank you Finding_Fitness . Still can’t believe I was lucky enough to win a ballot place. I have had quite a few injuries over the years so really just doing every thing I can to stay prevent anything serious so I can make it to the start line. 🤞
How exciting! I missed out on a ballot place and I’m still disappointed even though I knew when entering it’s random and highly, highly unlikely my number would come up. Maybe next year! Congratulations on your graduation too. You can request a badge here…
It might be worth popping over to one of our sister forums dedicated to marathon training who will have lots of helpful advice and expertise. You’re most welcome to hang around here and chat though-we love talking to people at all stages of their running journey.
Thanks MissUnderstanding . I did join the Marathon forum but not moved over there yet. I will definitely need support and advice to help me through the next 16 weeks. I’m following the official TCS London Marathon beginners plan but it looks a bit daunting.
You don’t only have to post in one place-you’re welcome here and there at the same time! I think I’d be taking things very slowly. Sometimes things which are daunting turn out to be within our capabilities, and sometimes it’s a stretch and we might need to adjust our goals. It looks like you’ve got a great attitude in being prepared to walk parts if that’s best for you. We’ve got lots of people who enjoy “jeffing” (run walking) here. When you cross the line, it will be a massive achievement no matter whether you’ve run or walked, or run and walked. Really good luck.
I have early meno and I made the decision to try diet and exercise first before hrt (which I still dont take, a personal choice, each to their own) and I did really well, lost 2.5 stone, regular exercise and I felt the fittest id ever been, then covid hit..
I lost my Dad to it, most of my family were really ill too, im Police so I worked through it as well as schooling our girls and dealing with meno.
To say I wasnt a priority is an understatement so I have piled on the pounds and I feel soooo old, tired, achy, anxious and generally unhealthy.
So I am going to try and make my health a priority once again, I struggle so much for me time but im going to try.
So good on you for getting back to it, just taking the first step is an achievement, long may it continue for both of us 👍
Just a quick welcome! Thanks for sharing your story-I think many, many of us can relate to letting our health become the last thing on our list of priorities. You’re doing a great thing in looking after yourself and getting more active this year. Wishing you loads of luck.
There’s a brilliant little guide to the programme here with lots of helpful hints and tips. Well worth a read. Most important is keeping it slow and steady at a pace where you can talk in full sentences without gasping. Most of us go too fast!
Hi Marie43 , so sorry to hear you lost your Dad to COVID. Sending you a virtual hug and lots of love.
Re menopause, I also thought I would try the exercise and nutrition route before considering hrt. For me, during the perimenopause, the worst symptoms were hot flushes, extremely painful breasts and occasional migraines. But once I hit the actual menopause most of that stopped and I felt a lot better. After that though I started to feel more achy and my muscles were stiffer each day. I could barely get out of bed in the morning as my feet were so painful due to plantar fasciitis. I didn’t know that at the time though and just put up with it. Then I got COVID in March and I was really unwell and couldn’t get out of bed for 10 days. I felt so unfit and that spurred me on to do something about it. With regular exercise I feel so much better.
Hope you manage to find your me time. I have to say I’m trying really hard to protect mine. It’s a bit easier now my children are older. Even 5 or 10 mins here and there can make a difference. I stretch throughout the day whenever I get a moment. And squats or heel raises are good to do whilst you brush your teeth 😊 so that’s already 4 mins of exercise a day!
I suffered plantar fasciitis and various other tendon issues too. Why isn’t this more talked about so women know what’s going on! I had no idea what was wrong with my feet apart from I was in agony , especially in the morning. Who would think that dropping hormone levels would mess up one’s feet!
Many years later I can still feel a slight echo of where the pain came from but fingers crossed it’s gone … many weeks of rolling my feet on a tennis ball/seeing chiropodist (useless) and general discomfort and I got through it.
sorry, I was caught up on the Feet thing, I forgot to say—-Well Done. How lovely to start the New Year with your running ability renewed and a mission.
I suspect all the wisdom on here will tell you to build it up very slowly and carefully only after consolidating where you have got to. But I’m sure you know that ..
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