Forums >Running 101>Run 1 Day, 2 Rest, until I get better?
Encouragement welcome
Sore, yeah, I have that all the time. The sudden ache with walking is an "ow that hurts but I"m not injured" kind of ouch. Neither severe, except when I'm just really really sore and my legs are swollen.
Acute shin pain stabs and I have no choice but to stop and slowly hobble to a resting place. Usually I get that if I try to jog twice in three days, and it hurts badly enough to have trouble walking. (I also had that happen with a hip flexor during a 5k in October, but my hips have been sore nonstop for a couple of years now. I just deal with it. My guess is that I'll be plagued with hip pain the rest of my life. ) But you know, those also started with me thinking, "Oh, you're being a crybaby, just tough it out, this is a normal little training pain -- it's just soreness from weak muscles."
Pace Goal : 14 mm
5k Goal: 40 minutes
10k, half, and marathon someday....
(Hey, I'm just getting started!)
The Crap Whisperer
Being the best tiny spec that I can be!
Breakfast - 1 cup of coffee with skim milk and no-calorie sweetener, 1 special K protein bar (180 calories), sometimes I swap that out with plain oatmeal with skim milk / water Drinks - Crystal light with extra water (I don't want kool-aid flavor - just flavored water), water Dinner - chicken / vegetable soup, if anything lately, homemade with low sodium veggies and chicken / stock, though last night I had a protein smoothie with frozen strawberries and skim milk. (And that was a seriously bland smoothie....) Snacks - sometimes a protein bar, sometimes celery with a couple tablespoons of peanut butter. The heavier I get, the less food appeals to me. Thanksgiving kinda sucked, but that may have been due to the 3.5 mile Turkey Trot I did that morning.
Breakfast - 1 cup of coffee with skim milk and no-calorie sweetener, 1 special K protein bar (180 calories), sometimes I swap that out with plain oatmeal with skim milk / water
Drinks - Crystal light with extra water (I don't want kool-aid flavor - just flavored water), water
Dinner - chicken / vegetable soup, if anything lately, homemade with low sodium veggies and chicken / stock, though last night I had a protein smoothie with frozen strawberries and skim milk. (And that was a seriously bland smoothie....)
Snacks - sometimes a protein bar, sometimes celery with a couple tablespoons of peanut butter.
The heavier I get, the less food appeals to me. Thanksgiving kinda sucked, but that may have been due to the 3.5 mile Turkey Trot I did that morning.
I'd be starving if that is all I ate, too!
I mean, you can't even be getting 1000 calories on the days you skip dinner. I would be eating my own hand :P
Let's say for argument's sake, that you are an average height woman and are 5'4", and we'll say 160 lbs. Your BMR, or what you burn sitting on the sofa all day, would then be ~1465 calories (yes, the online calculators probably suck, but just for an estimate ). Add onto that walking around all day, and standing at work, and your running. Probably another few hundred calories. That means that some days, you might be burning 2000 and eating something like 800. No wonder you're so hungry!
My wildly inconsistent PRs:
5k: 24:36 (10/20/12)
10k: 52:01 (4/28/12)
HM: 1:50:09 (10/27/12)
Marathon: 4:19:11 (10/2/2011)
From the Internet.
Apologies, my post appears to have become all kinds of disjointed!
Have you had your thyroid checked? When I was about 40, I started having real problems not being able to lose weight. A couple of doctors just said, "What do you expect, you're 40." One doctor finally took me seriously, especially when I mentioned my mother had had thyroid issues. Sure enough, it turned out I had an underactive thyroid. I started on meds. and was able to lose weight again. It's not easy for me, but it is possible now, if I really focus on what I eat. Exercise doesn't seem to have much affect, but portion size and quality does.You also mention blood sugar. Some diabetic meds can cause weight gain. Talk to your doctor about that as well. A diabetic diet is also very good for weight loss, if you follow it.
I agree w/ this. I would definitely think about getting a second opinion and specifically having your thyroid checked. I'd be a very grumpy person eating what you eat on a daily basis, and I spent the whole summer counting calories to lose weight so I'm no stranger to being occasionally hungry. For me personally, a good breakfast still determines whether or not I'm hungry all day - I need about 500 calories at breakfast with lots of protein and some fat, it was maybe a little less than that while I was eating at a deficit but really not by much (maybe 400).
Alternatively, you could follow Zelanie's advice and try to embrace healthy habits without worrying about your weight, at least for a little while, since it's clear that it's been a big struggle for you. Might be mentally refreshing to have a break from trying to lose weight.
I also second checking out Venomized's post on shin splints. I had anterior shin pain and have been diligently doing strengthening exercises, staying off hard surfaces (tricky to do in a city but I've managed), and occasional ibuprofen and it's all but gone now. I'm not generally an advocate of medicating minor aches and pains, but from what I've read A. keeping inflammation down is key to getting rid of shin splints and 2. there is mixed data on icing for reducing inflammation (this blog post gives a couple sources, I'm not affiliated), so I just try not to do it too often.
FWIW, I know you mention that you'd tried weights before but lifting heavy has helped my figure far more than running (well, "heavy" - I was extremely weak when I started and am somewhat less weak now). Women don't have enough testosterone to bulk from lifting the way men do, so if you gained anything it was likely either diet-related or water weight (which is very likely at first - you work muscles in new ways, they'll be slightly damaged and retain water for a little while, but it's not permanent). I run because I love it, but counting calories was responsible for my weight loss, and lifting has been reshaping my body and strengthening my legs for running.
You're getting very good advice here, but i think the one thing everyone is sort of skimming over is that you are depressed.
People tend to think that a "mental" problem is an "imaginary" problem. The idea is that if it's mental rather than physical, it can be ignored or easily overcome.
As someone who has suffered clinical depression, and who has a history of this illness in my family, I can say most positively that the difference between functioning with depression and without it is like the difference between running with a broken leg and running while healthy. Depression is an underlying crippling factor in everything you do.
To improve your mental situation, you need to increase endorphin production in your brain. Do NOT exercise in a way that is painful or stressful to you. Forget about weight loss for now. Work on being happy. Exercise for the sole purpose of making yourself happier
If you can do this, everything else, weight loss, relationships, your professional life, whatever now seems so difficult, will fall into place.
one more thing. It is not important to justify yourself to other people. You don't need to convince other people how little you eat, how hard you try at exercising etc. Those people are not what you're struggling against.
You are struggling against the forces within you that are stopping your from being happy. Don't waste even 1 drop of energy in arguing or explaining to other people why your condition is not your fault or whatever. That would be like a prize fighter who wastes energy arguing with people in the spectator crowd. He's gonna get knocked the f_k out by his REAL opponent. So concentrate on your real opponent. That opponent is not other people and it doesnt matter what they think.
Loves the outdoors
To improve your mental situation, you need to increase endorphin production in your brain. Do NOT exercise in a way that is painful or stressful to you. Forget about weight loss for now. Work on being happy. Exercise for the sole purpose of making yourself happier If you can do this, everything else, weight loss, relationships, your professional life, whatever now seems so difficult, will fall into place.
I think this is excellent advice. Do what you enjoy, if that is running and seeing that you can go further each time, then run. If that isn't running, then try long walks or exercise bikes.
I used to get numb feet on the elliptical too, when I first started at the gym. Try hopping off and stretching your calves, it used to help me. I also agree that your diet seems quite restricted, consider eating a little bit more. You will still be in a calorie deficit with a few hundred more calories, so you should still lose weight, but you'll find it easier. Nuts/cheese is a great way to add some quick energy.
One day I decided I wanted to become a runner, so I did.
one more thing. It is not important to justify yourself to other people. You don't need to convince other people how little you eat, how hard you try at exercising etc. Those people are not what you're struggling against. You are struggling against the forces within you that are stopping your from being happy. Don't waste even 1 drop of energy in arguing or explaining to other people why your condition is not your fault or whatever. That would be like a prize fighter who wastes energy arguing with people in the spectator crowd. He's gonna get knocked the f_k out by his REAL opponent. So concentrate on your real opponent. That opponent is not other people and it doesnt matter what they think.
You're right. That's probably where the worst injuries are happening to me. In my psyche.
I misread you earlier. Thought you said a mile and a half when you said half a mile. Oops, sorry about that.
Walk on your non-run days. Time on your feet will help you recover from your running aches and get stronger at the same time.
It should be mathematical, but it's not.
Suggestions:
Wear different shoes on your walking days (but not those tard Shape-ups things).
Try to develop a schedule of run 2 days, walk 2 days. On the 2nd running day, just do want you can initially. If you can get to 2 days of 20 minutes non-stop, then you should start seeing progress.
Take a yoga class once or twice a week.
My advice is toss the c25k plan and forget the 20 minute run. If i were you I'd run about a half a mile every night. And slow and easy. Run until you love running, until it becomes a medicine for you. Make it fun and make it EASY. Screw the suffering for now because A) sounds like you have enough of that already in your life and B) you'll have plenty of time for it when you start running ultras . Running a little easy bit every night will lessen your depression, and increase your love of it. Stressing out about running the 20 minutes and having pain all day and getting crippled from your running will do the exact opposite.
My advice is toss the c25k plan and forget the 20 minute run. If i were you I'd run about a half a mile every night. And slow and easy. Run until you love running, until it becomes a medicine for you. Make it fun and make it EASY. Screw the suffering for now because A) sounds like you have enough of that already in your life and B) you'll have plenty of time for it when you start running ultras .
Running a little easy bit every night will lessen your depression, and increase your love of it. Stressing out about running the 20 minutes and having pain all day and getting crippled from your running will do the exact opposite.
Ultra... You actually made me giggle on that.. It's not on my radar yet, but who is to say I won't try it someday? I've already proved to myself I can do this much. I'm hoping that by 2015, I could be ready to do marathons. A couple of men I know insist I can do one by spring, but I think that's just a bit unrealistic for me. Lol
20 minutes last night was not difficult... Just a little boring. I finally got to that magical place where my shins warmed up (I did a 10 minute warmup walk instead of my app's suggested 5) and they felt a bit better. so that was a plus. I had every intention of walking the minute I felt true pain, but I was happy to walk for my warmup and cool down. I enjoyed it when the rain started misting down on me too.
Im going to do some walking today to add a few extra miles and see how that helps my soreness. Supposed to be taking a Zumba class tomorrow (* I do not like dancing in public) and hope I still feel like a walk or something too.
Last night felt like what I've been thinking it should feel like all along. . I wouldn't go so far as to say I felt a high, but I felt really uplifted and slept well, without having trouble falling asleep at a decent hour. Well, as long as you don't consider the horrible nightmare I had about a friend dying... But I think that was just random residual emotional garbage floating around from my day anyway. Hopefully it cleared away the bit of anxiety that caused the dream.
Consistently Slow
I stopped my injury cycle by going to low heart rate training. Prior to trying that something always hurt and I couldn't run 2 days in a row without pain. I started low heart rate training in August 2011 with what ended up being a lot of walking and 16 min miles. It was really hard at first but I soon realized that I could run every day and I didn't hurt. I have seen my times drop some but the best part of this is I have strung together a year + of 100 mile months (or more) and I am hitting more than 30 miles per week for the first time ever. Slowing down works. If you don't want to try low heart rate training then try running a minute and walking 2 or 3 minutes.
+1-- 10+ years of injures before LHR training. Two years of LHR training, no injuries and a BQ. Have you tried toe raises on steps for the shinsplints? LHR training(aerobically) burns fat calories. Strength training allows the metabolism to burn calories longer. For me ,these are just concepts.Losing another pound would invoke the DW cliff.
Run until the trail runs out.
SCHEDULE 2016--
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
http://bkclay.blogspot.com/
I would rest until your body feels better. you may want to get help from a nutritionist. I think the way you're eating stinks. sounds like you're starving yourself and not getting much protein. once your body feels better, start with a walk/run schedule. Start with a 5 minute walk and 1 minute jog for 20 minutes 3 times a week. Each week, decrease the walk by 1 minute and add 1 minute to your run. If it hurts when you increase, then fall back to the previous week walk/run schedule. Once you can run for 20 minutes pain free then start the C25K plan. Right now your body is not strong enough for the amount of running you're doing. This why you are feeling the pain in your shins and calves.
Losing weight is 90% diet and 10% exercise. When I start a diet, I feel hungry all the time for a couple of weeks. The hunger pain goes away after my body adjust to the diet.
You will not lose much weight with the amount of exercise you're doing. Focus in proper diet and as you lose weight, your running will get easier and you will get faster.
I'm not an expert, but this is how I started as an overweight beginner. I ran too hard at first thinking no pain no gain was the way to train. I was wrong.
You really should exercise once per day. Twice per week is not enough to improve your fitness. A daily 30 minute walk at a comfortably brisk pace would be a good place to start. When your body gets used to that, then start running. But only run a little bit at first - say 1/4 mile at the end of a walk.
If your neighborhood is dangerous, you may want to consider getting a concealed carry permit. If you choose that route, make sure that you learn how to use a gun before carrying one. And be real clear in your mind when NOT to use it. Don't let a few worthless losers stop you from being outside.
I also had a challenging time learning to run. When I tried the low heart rate method, I found myself running as slow as 19 minutes per mile. But I did it about six days per week, and gained about a minute per mile per month until getting down to 11 MPM. And I weighed only 160 lbs at the time (5' 10" tall).