Good afternoon everyone. I started the C25K program last week and heard about this site from a post on SparkPeople.
My first week was mixed. While it felt good to get out and run, I think I've already managed to get myself a case of runner's knee. Based on my reading, it appears I need to hit the gym to strengthen my quadriceps. I bought running shoes from a running store right before starting, so I feel good about that.
I was a little confused though. Should I not run until this is better since I am just starting?
If I scale back my running from 60 seconds... Well, I have little room to scale back. Maybe reduce the number of running sets?
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I used to use SP before, and really liked it. Welcome to RunningAhead (RA)!
I don't know that we have enough info from your post to try to understand what's going on. When you say "runner's knee," what specifically do you mean. Where is this pain? How long has it been going on? Do you have other knee problems? What are you doing to treat it and how is that working? Are you doing any other exercise besides C25K or is that it? (Sometimes other things might be to blame than running, lol!) How old are you and do you have any major health issues going on? Have you tried running before? What kind of surface are you running on and is it level?
Etc.
Also, I'd ask if you have been at the point where you can walk a half hour three times a week without feeling unduly fatigued. That is the baseline fitness that is suggested by the C25K program, and if you're trying to jump in without that, it's a recipe for failure.
You should not be hurting in the knee at a week out, so there is something wrong. Chances are very good that your problem is fixable. If you stick around, you'll find that becoming a runner includes an ongoing process ... there is always something to learn and adjust about what you're doing. If one thing isn't working for you, something else may and you don't just give up if one particular way of training doesn't work for you.
Welcome, and don't be shy! It's a good, friendly group here and we're all here to help each other.
_Janell
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It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop. Confucius Be patient and tough, some day this pain will be useful to you. Ovid
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Thanks for the welcome everyone.
Sorry about not giving more information. I was aiming to introduce not throw my problem out there.
Since you're interested:
Pain is in both knees, but the right one is more pronounced. Right knee the pain is on the inside of the knee and behind the knee, with the spot over the top of the bone (Femur?) especially sensitive to the touch. Hurts to have the knee bent for too long and I feel weak in the knee at times.
It has been going on since last Friday. By the time I finished showering I could feel the knee and it only got more pronounced as the day went on.
Other knee problems? Not that I am aware of.
What am I doing to treat it? Did ice packs on Sunday once without knowing that was a suggested treatment. Yesterday I read some comments to ice the knee(s) twice a day, 10 mins iced, 20 mins none, 10 mins iced. I did it once last night and once this morning.
How is it working? Seems to be helping. I tried to walk this morning but my right knee hurt enough that I opted to ice it instead, since I didn't have time to do both.
Other exercises? Yes. Biking and Swimming. Been using a stationary bike for about three months. I ride it on Mondays and Fridays for 55 minutes. I swim once a week, usually on Wednesday for about 30 minutes. Mostly breast stroke since I've never been a good crawler.
Age: 34.
Major Health Issues: 100 pounds overweight probably counts.
Have I tried running before? Not recently. I ran a good bit in college while I was in ROTC. Got up to running 5 or 6 miles at a time. Experience shin splints a few times then, but never any knee problems.
Surface? I ran the first day on a high school track which was asphalt over rubber. The second and third days were on the street in my neighborhood (asphalt, no rubber). My street slopes down from the middle so it is not totally flat. As for level, I have found a course in the neighborhood that stays level although there are two killer hills for later when I feel masochistic.
As for the walking 30 minutes, I can. I'm not positive how to gauge the unduly fatigued part. I walked a 2.2 mile path the week before with minimal fatigue and had been walking the neighborhood a couple times a week leading up to week 1.
I definitely agree that one week should not be the breaking point. And I understand that this is a process, not an overnight transformation. My goal is to be running 30 minutes to an hour non-stop by January 1. I have plenty of time. I don't intend to get nervous until November.
K
You're probably already aware that the weight's going to be an issue for you. It does NOT mean that you can't run. And you don't have to lose 100 pounds before you can start training. That's just crazy, self-defeating talk. What it does mean is that you have to take an extra-gentle approach and aggressively jump on trouble spots as they develop. Do your best to prevent problems, and fix ones that crop up as soon as possible.
The biggest problem that new runners have is that they try to run too fast. This is especially true if they ran some time in the past... For example, you said you used to run with your ROTC. That probably means that you've got in your head already an idea of how you "should" run.
Throw that idea out.
If you need to run 12 minute miles, then run 12 minute miles. If you need to run 16 minute miles, then run 16 minute miles. If you need to run 20 minute miles, then run 20 minute miles. For the first year that I was running, my running pace was actually slower than my walking pace. I felt embarrassed that this was so, but it was what my body needed to do. The hardest thing I had to learn - and that many people also have to learn, is that we are training the body we have now, not the body we wish we had. A healthy, average 14 year-old's going to be able to get away with a lot more than the rest of us. Because they're training a healthy, average 14 y/o's body. I can be jealous of them, but I can't train like them. I have to do what works for my body.
First off, I'd suggest you take another week or so of just walking. Ice for 20 minutes - both knees - after each walk. Since you say you can already do 30 minutes, make it a 30 minute walk. That's 98% of week 1 there, anyway. You're just skipping the run segments. You want to be able to have your knees not hurt after any walk or run. Don't start running until you've been pain-free for several days.
Then, start week 1 again. Ice after every run even if you don't hurt. Consider it prevention. You're going to be fighting a constant battle against inflammation, and the way you win that battle is to stay ahead of the curve. If you slack off on icing because you don't hurt one or two days, you're giving that inflammation a chance to build up again. Don't do it! At least for a few months, be religious about this. Schedule your icing time in as part of the workout. Make it mandatory. Because you're training the body you currently have, and that is part of the training.
Expect to repeat weeks. That's fine. Everyone here does that. Don't go on to week 2 until you've been able to do all the days on week 1 without feeling like you were dying. And so on for the rest of the weeks. If you can't do a particular day, try to do a scaled-back version of the day, and then come back to it the next time. Do this until the days start varying in length (about week 5). Try to run three times per week, as the plan suggests. You will progress more quickly with the 3 days, but it will still give you those days off that your body needs as it adapts to this new routine.
Check in here frequently! There's not a runner out there who at some point in time hasn't 1) been a beginner and 2) struggled with running. Chances are really good that there's even someone hanging out in the group that's been through a similar problem.
We're rooting for you! We want you to succeed. You CAN succeed. You can become a runner. Some day you'll realize that you want to do your run just for the sake of getting out there and running. That's a runner. Doesn't matter what speed. Doesn't matter what experience. Doesn't matter what body type. As they say on the main board, Runners Run. It's what we do.
My Little Pony hair.
I get the same knee pain you do. I've found that ice helps me a bit, but not as much as a couple of ibuprofen do. Your mileage may vary. I also invested in a $20 knee brace/stabilizer that I use on the knee most prone to the pain and that has helped immensely. Again, what works for me might not work for you, I'm not a doctor, etc, etc.
And being 100lbs overweight hasn't hindered me that much. Yeah, the first few weeks were awful, and I would be staring at the time waiting until I could walk again, but I've gotten better in the past month or so because I've stopped going into the runs with the mindset of "oh god this is gonna SUCK" because I've figured out that I really can do this stuff.
2011 Goals:
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop. | my running blog | upcoming races
"I don't intend to get nervous until November" really made me smile. Welcome aboard, Krystal. I think you're going to be fine.
I'm glad I made you smile.
I like your thoughts about walking a bit more. I was going to cut the run times in half once I recovered, but walking sounds like a good idea. And in the future, I will not try to push to the 60 seconds. If its not there, I'll keep repeating the week until it is there.
Hi Krystal, and welcome to RA! And hello to everyone else on there, I've been MIA for awhile and fell completely off the running wagon, so I am repeating C25K starting today. Krystal, Wingz gave some great advice, absolutely listen to her. You might also double-check that you've got the right shoes. Being overweight (which I am, I am 5'7" and weigh 237 pounds right now) changes things a bit and I think puts more reliance on having excellent footwear. You said you got your shoes at a running store, did you actually talk to someone and get fitted for correct shoes, or did you guess at what you needed? Personally, I overpronate and require not only shoes for overpronators but also custom orthotics to correct my crappy feet. It took several starts and stops along my first C25K journey and 8 PT sessions to figure that one out. So I strongly recommend getting the right shoes for you. If you're trying to lose weight, jump on in to the Running for Weight Loss group here on RA, it's very supportive. Good luck!
Thanks for the welcome. I intend to take all of Wingz advice. I had been thinking to just redo the first week, but I think her advice to walk a bit more is probably a better option. As I said, I'm in no great rush.
As for the shoes, I was fitted by someone at the store. I got the store's info off Runner's World which I was lead to believe meant the sales people there had some sort of expertise. He had me walk around a bit and watched me, then he had me try on 4 pairs of shoes and explained that for my feet I need a stability shoe. Before we finished, he mentioned that I might need an insert to provide arch support and that we'd only know after I had ran a bit. I'm heading in there after I recover to get his help before I start running again.
I'll get over to the Running for Weight Loss group as well. Thanks!
onomatopoeia - Actually Krystalshield is a book name that I have been writing over the last twelve years. I will look into the knee brace. Any help would be great.