Just finished my final run of week 3. I am feeling quite good and really enjoying the runs. My cardio is standing up to the plan so far but have started getting some pain in my knees. The knees usually feel stiff and slightly painful for the first couple of minutes of the run and then they are fine after.
This morning have got out of bed and the knees feel very stiff, especially the left one. Is this normal / acceptable?????
I will be interested to see what other people say, I too have that problem and have just turned 50 so not sure if its worn out joints or just geting use to the impact on them. I know alot of people say make sure you get the right trainers, but mine are quite good on absorbing the impact and to be honest I am not running fast or hard. I have just started Week 4 but I leave 2 days between each run normally, partly due to other commitments but also to rest my body that bit longer, so the 9 weeks will be longer for me, but I am not worried about that, I don't intend to rush this 
Good luck with the knees
For my own part I take stiffness as OK but pain as not.
Stiffness seems to me to be a natural reaction to working those muscles but pain is something different.
My knees have suffered years of abuse but to my former weight plus I damaged my right knee when I was young and crazy. My knee hurt after the first run but then I trled a knee band (its just a little band rather than a great big support) and haven't had any further issues. I am careful and don't want to cause any further damage so if my knee does start to play up then I will increase my rest times the same as Suzz.
Good luck
I'll take your advise Suzz and try longer rest periods between runs. It's probably just wear and tear, I'm 40 +vat.
Stiffness is ok but, as Greg says, pain isn't. Before I got my decent shoes (I went to the shop for an assessment) I had pain in my feet and my knees. The expert at the shop observed my running on the treadmill and was able to tell me that I needed extra arch support and recommended some suitable shoes. The next time a ran, all the pain was gone - I just had the aches and stiffness you would expect from unfamiliar exertion. If you don't want to splash out on shoes, have a look for insoles with extra support or impact absorption. It's also worth taking a glucosomine supplement which will help with any stiffness of joints.
Hi I am having a few issues with my right knee as well, it is feeling tight when I run and it aches quite a bit after, and even on my rest day it has been achy. It has been ok today though. I use a knee bandage but have today got a strap instead as a few people seem to prefer them so thought I would give one a go. I had it bad a couple of years ago where my knee was so painful I couldn't walk and it was very swollen, and for some reason the ankle of my left leg swelled up as well. Doctor put me on crutches and I had to rest for some weeks so this time I am going to listen to my body and if it carries on causing me problems I will rest a while before it gets as bad. I am just coming up to my 50th birthday and I do think that has something to do with it plus the fact that running is high impact and will have an affect on joints at some point or another and some are more prone to these sort of problems than others, so just listen to your own body and take notice of what it tells you.
Week 2 run 1
Week 6 run 3
Week 3 run 3
Week 5 Run 3 Done
ALMOST completed run 3 week 3...
