Post run pains
 

I just started running 2 1/2 weeks. Following this training plan that starts off mostly walking (30s run + 4.5 min walk repeat 8 times) and gradually builds up over the weeks. 3 sessions a week.

Halfway through week 2, on a wednesday, I did my jog/run and felt great. Near the end of the night I got a sharp pain in my left knee. Was really painful the next morning but luckily it went away (mostly) by Friday when I ran next.

Ran on Friday, Felt great again. Pain in knee completley gone. On Saturday my right upper thigh started to hurt (started around 6pm). It ended up waking me up during the middle of the night from the pain. Could barely hobble downstairs to take some Motrin.

By the time I woke up Sunday monring the pain had subsided and will hopefully be gone by Monday (next time I run).

I assume this is all related to my jogging as I never had these problems previously. I stretch regularily.

Anyone expierence something similar and know what is going on?

I get similar pains on my right ankle. Comes and goes. Doctor told me to get a new pair of shoes.

Maybe you should check with your doctor to see if something in your knee is injured?

What kind of shoes are you running - as in brand and type (i.e Asics Kayano)? How old are they?

only problems Ive ever had were my calves locking up when I was overworking myself... and thats just muscle problems.

Check out better shoes, or check out your doctor, I threw out my knee biking and now have to use certain pedals or else it hurts a lot while riding, so dont let it slide.

MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER:

If you are running 3 times a week, you MUST ALSO go to a gym and work on your legs 3 times a week. Leg curls, leg extensions, calf raises, and leg press... all with moderate weight and high reps (say 3 sets of 12 reps per exercise).

I run 10km (about 5 miles I think) 3 times a week - and condition my legs 3 days a week in the gym... I used to run without doing the conditioning, and my knees hurt alot... sometimes to the point of not being able to walk up stairs. (I've had knee problems in the past too)

You need the conditioning to build the strength of the muscles that support your knee joint, so they take the brunt of the stress of running away from your knee.

Another thing to try is to <i>really</i> concentrate on your <i>form</i> while you run. Think of taking circular steps, and gently rolling your foot like it is rounded with each step... heel first, and rolling over and pushing off with the ball of your foot. Really try to make each step smooth and impact free - ideally you shouldn't hear your footsteps.

gotta go... will check thread later to see how you're doing

--> btw... Princess Bride rocks!!!

"Inconceivable!!!"
"I do not think that word means what you think it means..."

Strengthening your knees will help, as will a good pair of shoes. If you run a few times a week AND wear the same shoes for bumming around, getting new shoes every 3 months or so won't hurt. I have four or five pairs I rotate.

Remember to stretch for 5- 10 minutes pre- and post- run. The ligaments going across your knee and other joints can literally pull bone chips off if they get to tight during your run without stretching. Gentle full range of motion stetching with the same amount of time going into the stretch, holding the stretch and releasing the stretch. In other words take a 10 second count to go from beginning point to full extension hold for 10 second count and take a 10 second count to release to orignal starting point. Stretch all joints in all range f motion direction for that joint. This will probably help a lot unless you already have done some damage.

Thanks all for the replies.

Havent had any problems with my knees for awhile now. Did have to stop running for a full week because of massive shin splints; but, I did alot of reading and read that shin splints are a common beginner running problem.
Got some good preventive stretches and made a slight change in how I run. Also running on gravel now which is much more softer than concrete.

I cannot remember what typoe of shoes I got but I bought them at the Running Room; a store that caters to runners.

Things are looking alot better!

It doesn't matter where you got your shoes, there are many different running shoes for different people. Having not just quality shoes, but the right shoes for you matters a ton.

Shin splints are a bitch, but they go away after you warm up, and if you can stay on grass/gravel/dirt.

Sharp pains in the knee sound like you're overextending it (I may be wrong, but that's what happens to me when I overextend). If you run a lot of downhill, that will aggravate it.

The pain in the thigh (front I'd assume) could have been a few things, sore quads maybe, muscle spasms due to dehydration, maybe a slight pull.

Like everybody else said, strengthwork will help your legs. You can do most of what you need for your legs right at home. Do step ups, leg lifts, etc. Also when something hurts, ice it after the run, never before. It will feel better afterward. And be sure to drink lot's of water.

With running there will be pain, the key is that you need to recognize routine soreness and pains that can signify more pressing problems.

And Sekei:
10km is about 6.25 miles. 1609 meters to a mile.

Also, what you said about form is good, keeping your form clean is very important, but trying to change the way your foot rolls is a bad thing. There are multiple ways for people to strike and roll their foot, but trying to change from one to the other is not a particularly good idea. Trying to actively change how your foot strikes and rolls can cause health problems. Instead one can strengthen their muscles through drills like bounds, skips, and stride. This allows their form to improve naturally. Another thing is to cater to their running form through proper footwear.

If at all possible, run on grass. Knees and ankles and backs were not designed to run on concrete for long periods of time.

My first thought was shoes, and it's still the biggest suspect. Running shoes are really only designed to hold up for about 500 miles, which includes walking. If your shoes are over 6 months old, and you ever walk anywhere in them, get a new pair. If they have discontinued the ones that you used to wear, find a runners store or catalog AND ASK. The wrong shoes can make all the grizzle in your legs very unhappy.

Stretching, as everyone else has said, is also very important. Lower thigh pain may just be the tightness moving up the same tendon, though. You need to make sure to stretch both sets of muscle groups on either side of the pain. That means calf, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors.

Running on gravel is a good change from concrete, but make sure that you're running in the center of the road, on top of the crown, if you can. Running constantly on a slant can do big damage, too. I know that from experience. If you were running on a concrete street with a crown, that could have contributed to the problem as well. Your "downhill" leg can get very angry at you.

Hopefully, the pain is gone and you're back to running. It's a great passtime, and it's probably the original sport. But that was back in the day when the loser gotten eaten by the lion.

Still running :)

I started taking it easy after I took that week off. Changed my running program to a less advanced one.
I firmly believe my shin splints were due to :

-never had run before
-bad form
-pushing myself too fast

The shoes I bought were bought at the Running room and were not 'off the shelf'. They checked my stride and made sure I got the shoes I needed. Not too concerned with that.

Should note that I did run 3 times a week and go to the gym 3 alternate days as well. However, I mostly concentrated on my upper body, figured the running would be good enough for my legs :rolleyes:
I know better now and incorporate a decent leg routine in.

All in all its going pretty decent. Shin pains are merely troubling now and not incapacitating as they were before.

Now i just need to start eating better. :p