Another silly question from this newbie runner (Read 1307 times)

Thanks for all the good advice. I love hearing from the people who have been there too!

Maybe I should add that the first time I got into running I did everything wrong, including adding too many miles too quickly and injured my knee. I tried coming back twice in subsequent years and each time tried to do too many miles too quickly and promptly reinjured my knee. This time around I finally learned from my mistakes and started out slow and haven't had any problems at all since I started in August 2007.

If you are hurting while you are running, try slowing down during the run. The new shoes suck, return them. I usually get 600+ miles out of my Brooks, but that does not mean you can. I would try a new pair of the same shoe before I would switch brands and lasts. If slowing down does not help the pain, then you have to probably go see a sports doc and see if s/he can help you find the problem. It could be any number of things, you just need to remember how the pains started and what pain came next.

Nobby, What is your recommendation on Ibuprofen. I have been running for almost five years, with a dull pain in my right knee that comes and goes periodically. Usually when I start running, I feel it, but after around a half mile it stops.

Nobby, What is your recommendation on Ibuprofen. I have been running for almost five years, with a dull pain in my right knee that comes and goes periodically. Usually when I start running, I feel it, but after around a half mile it stops.

I think running through paiin by taking ibuprofen is a sure sign of either you're (1) super-dedicated, (2) obssessed or (3) complete nuts! Well, I guess I'm one of these myself! ;o) You have to determine what kind of pain you're experiencing. For example, my Achilles still hurts. I have a race coming up this Saturday. I did a few strides this morning. It hurt when I was jogging, and it hurt when I did strides but not any worse. I thought, if it hurts more when I get up on my toes, then I'll skip it. But it didn't. So I'll be gubbling down some Advil and head out for a race this Saturday! I remember talking to Dick Quax years ago when I first developed my Achilles problem. Now, he's a bit of a cocky SOB--and that's why I love him!-- and he said, "After all these years, my Achilles still hurts...!" Well! We all have some pains and aches. Have you seen this old movie, North Dallas 40, with Nick Nolte? He's a pro football player. In the opening scene, he got up and got out of bed, he's sore all over the place... I remember, in my younger days when I was running upward of 100 miles a week, I was remembering that scene when I got up... I would NOT suggest anybody to run through pain--any pain. If in doubt, do less... A problem is; we never know exactly what kind of pain someone else is experiencing. My wife has a very low pain threshold. She would complain with a little pain. I'd tell her to take it easy; then I'd turn around and do a 3-hour run with sore Achilles. Well, this is because I know my pain. I know I can tolerate it (as much, if not more, as Gov. Palin would "tolerate" gay people! ;o)). But without fully understanding what it is someone else is having, I would NEVER suggest anybody to run through pain. You see, a problem with message board like this is; someone would post, "Hey, my knee hurts... What should I do?" without fully explaining what the exact symptoms are. Then some non-professional people would come out and say, "Hey, I've had a knee pain too and this is what I did..." This could actuall make the situation worse! I'm not saying such threads are bad; in fact, it IS nice to hear live experience stories from other people. But ultimately, YOU will have to make a judgement. Sure, it's cheap--it's a free advice whereas if you go to see a doctor, it can be costly! But don't be like Kraimer in Seinfeld when he had a cough and he took a dog with "same cough" to a vet and get a medication for a dog cuz it was cheaper! In your case, the fact that it goes away rather quickly (after only a half a mile of running) sort of suggest, to me, that it's not that serious. And I can live with a dull pain instead of a sharp pain--sharp pain, I'd stop and go see a doctor. But the fact it's been going on for several years (it seems) buggs me. It could be some structural issue that no one here would know (sometimes even you yourself may not even know) that can be corrected relatively easily--you'll never know...

Aside from the issues of running through pain that Nobby talks about, use caution with vitamin I. It can create issues with kidneys, esp. if you take on empty stomach. It can also exacerabate some dehydration issues during a race. I know some people pop the stuff like candy, but there's also been some nasty repercussions under certain circumstances. (can't remember the stories or sources off top of my head) My bottle of 50 Aleve generally expires before it gets used up. I did use it more frequently when my achilles was bad, but PT found source of problem, gave me some strengthening exercises, and it's rarely an issue any more.