Judith Prietht
Be careful on that quad as that is all I thought I had done as well. Just don’t push it too fast or too soon, or you might be sidelined like I am for quite awhile.
When you said the 10:46 was your all time high–how much faster was it then your regular time? I pulled my quad running much faster then my normal time and it was exactly as you described it–a sharp pain in my quad. Now I am out for at least 4-6 weeks from running.
I don’t have the running credentials that runner pat has, but I think you should take it easy if you felt a sharp pain. But ice, rest and elevation is always good advice.
My pace in the 5K I did a few weeks ago was 12:52. I’ve been averaging about 11:10 - 11:30 – my run before last, I did 2.4 miles in 25 minutes. I confess I was pushing it a bit yesterday – this is a route I’ve run before and I know where the mile 1 mark was, and wanted to hit under 11 minutes. Probably not the smartest thing.
In a bout of what hopefully will not prove to be total insanity, I am sending in my registration for the Columbus, OH Thanksgiving Day “Turkey Trot” – it’s a 5 mile/8k run, so obviously I’m going to need to do additional training after Couch to 5K, but I think I can get there.
I am just so in love with the idea of being able to have guilt-free pumpkin pie on Turkey Day because damn, I just ran five miles that morning!
I don’t think that was it. McMillan’s(based on your 2.4 mile run converted to a 4k/4k time=25:57) predicts a 9:33 mile. Your 10:46 is certainly not fast enough by itself for you to pull something. Usually severe pulls are the result of sprinting(as I remember Hakuna Matata was running sprints on a treadmill when he was injured.) or a fast powerful start like the beginning of a sprint. if you have an underlying weakness or impending injury, you can pull at a slower speed but it usually doesn’t manifest as a sharp immediate pain but as a dull pain later after the run.
MsWhatsit, running steep downhills is a skill that requires practice. Once mastered, you can make good time.
You kind of freewheel downhill, trying to minimize landing shock. You will feel a little like being out of control.
If you can, start with less steep hills and work your way up to the steeper.
Are you near any wooded areas with hiking trails? The softer ground makes a difference, just watch your footing. Don’t want any sprained ankles.
After almost a week long break due to holiday activities, I finally graduated to 2 minute runs today. Woo hoo! Still haven’t done a full week 3 day 1 yet, but I’m making progress.
I’m on my second week of the C25K, I’m doing it at the gym, on the treadmill, when I run outside the second I’m not paying attention I start sprinting and overextend myself.
I like being able to measure everything.
Last night I did the brisk walk part at 6km/h and the running at 13km/h, followed by the cool down walk at 5km/h…
I’m getting new shoes too, I didn’t know that they age so fast, I had some really good running shoes, but I noticed my I keep correcting my steps, and have trouble running straight. This afternoon I’m going to a specialised running store that make you run on a treadmill before they tell what shoes you need.
Today I did Week 3 Day 1. I could tell that I was mentally psyching myself out that I wasn’t going to be able to do 3 minutes, but I made myself concentrate on my breathing and pace and I was fine. The second 3 minutes was really easy, probably since I knew I could do it again. It’s pretty cool to see my progress.
I did get some sharp pangs on my sides after the 4th sprint, but because I only had to run 90 seconds they weren’t too unbearable.I ‘m used to doing a hour on the Elliptical Trainer at a high pace,.
I’m not sure if I can keep up this speed, but I would like to be able to run at a decent speed, not sure what that should be……but you know what they say: “you cant outrun a lion, but that’s Okay, you don’t have too, just as long as you can outrun the dude next to you….”
I don’t know how fit you are. I can only say that would have been much too fast for me.
When I did the C25K I had already been doing a little running on treadmills so I skipped the first couple of weeks and started with week 3. My speed in the early weeks was 8km/h, and by week 9 it was 10km/h. This was mostly done at around 85% of maximum HR.
Incidentally, heart-rate monitors are a fantastic way of measuring your progress if you’re in to that side of things. (They’re also good at scaring you into running more slowly!)
Stress fractures are generally tender at the point of injury only.
Shin splints are usually more spread out and vertical along the affected muscles.
If you’re already accustomed to a hard pace that’s all right but the side stitches show that you’re running too hard. You have good cardio fitness from the elliptical but your legs and body need to adjust to the new demands of running.
You don’t need to sprint or even run hard for fitness, even world class runners are working at 75-85% max heart rate for distance runs.
hammos1 has it right, getting above 85% is putting you into the range for racing training, not fitness.
To be honest, I think I have shin splints, but I can’t be too careful. My whole shin feels painful (especially after running). The next day it usually bothers me somewhat. The reason I asked was that I had my wife massage my lower leg, but I didn’t feel any pain as I would if a sore muscle was being massaged. That’s why I thought it might be a stress fracture.
Shin splints are a compartment syndrome. Same as carpal tunnel in the forearm.
Get styrofoam cups, fill partway with water and freeze, peel down the foam and massage the shin muscles with that 3-5 times a day as possible.
Every day:
Walk on your toes straight ahead, toes in, toes put 3-5 times each, 10- 20 yds.
Toe taps: tap your foot rapidly(heel on the ground) 3-5 times each 15-20 sec.
Its also possible that you can do that for the sprints early on, but when you get into pulling distance runs, that it will be too much. I sort of doubt it will be too much in terms of endurance on the cardio side given the elliptical work, but running is stressing your body in a different manner and it might not be a bad idea to slow down just so you don’t injure yourself. That’s a lot of pounding on your knees that they aren’t accustomed too.
So I’ve been stuck in week 2 because of my knee. I realized today that I haven’t felt any stiffness in my knee in a few days, and my run today (in the pouring rain, so refreshing) went very well, so I think on Monday I’ll be moving on. One good thing about repeating week 2 was it gave me a lot of time to work on form and speed.
I had stress fractures in both shins earlier this year. I went to a sports med doctor, and he told me what to watch for:
shin splints should stop hurting within 5-10 minutes after finishing the activity. If your shins still hurt the next day, something could be wrong
stairs, particularly going down, will be very painful, if not impossible
I could stand on my tiptoes (with a lot of pain), but simply could not bring myself to stand on one foot, on tiptoes, and jump.
And now to my contribution to the thread. I did the C25K program a year and a half ago. I’ve always had trouble with shin splints, but thought I could run them out. I was training for a half-marathon in April. In January, I was hobbling around and was diagnosed with stress fractures. Apparently, if shin splints continue on long enough they can lead to stress fractures.
I went ahead and ran my half-marathon in April in a little under 3 hours
So now I feel completely healed and have begun the C25K program again. I’m on week 3 and feeling great!
Everyone keep up the good work, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish!
I did session 2 week 2 last night, went really well, didn’t get any side stitches this time , but I don’t think I could keep up this pace for anything longer then 5 minutes, so I will slow down for the 3 minute sprint next week.
No muscles aches so far, but I am having some back pains at night, once I get up and walk a bit, they are gone. I’m doing some back strengthening exercises in the gym, let’s see if they help…
