So I’m starting a running program. I’m in my first week, and have never done running of any distance whatsoever before this. With that in mind, it’s going well, except for one thing.
At around 3/4 of a mile, the musle above my ankle and below my calf, in my left leg only , gets very tight and heavy. At around a mile or so, it gets to the point where it hurts too much to keep pounding. This pain goes away after 10 mins of walking/resting, but running at that point is out of the question, in terms of my pain threshold. I have been stretching before I go, calfs, quads, thighs, etc. Any suggestions on how to work through this problem?
Is it on the outside of your leg? In that case, it’s probably your soleus. You can stretch that by doing a calf stretch with your knees bent a little bit.
What kind of shoes are you using? What kind of surface are you funning on? Are you running every day? Have you even been to a podiatrist (or however one spells the official name of a foot doctor)?.
It might just be your body’s attempt to convince you to play bridge or take up knitting (when starting a new running program your body will attempt to do things like that - it’s tricky that way). You jumped into it rather full force with doing over a mile in the first week and that would support my first statement in this paragraph.
My suggestion would be to stop when it begins to hurt and don’t go out every day. Ease into it a bit more slowly. If you are not using real running shoes, definitely get some and see if that makes a difference. Also take some aspirin about an hour before you go out.
If this continues for a couple more weeks, go see a podiatrist and he/she will probably make you some orthotics to put in your shoes to compensate for any foot or leg weirdness that might be causing this. I would say between a quarter and a third of all serious runners use orthotics to make the going a bit easier.
I ran for a couple years only wearing cheap (ie, $35-$40 or so) running shoes. I couldn’t run anywhere but on a soft track, which made for boring running. If I tried running on sidewalks or roads, I got horrible shin splints. Then I went out and splurged on a nice pair of running shoes - I think I spent $100, and I went to a running store where they fitted me with the best shoes for my gait. All of a sudden, I could run anywhere. No pain, nothing.
Get a training schedule – try www.runnersworld.com and go to the beginner’s section.
I think you just might need to build up your distance. You mentionedd that you just started – and hadn’t been running – well, a mile might not sound like much, but it can be tons to someone just starting.
Try intervals for the heck of it – run 1/2 mile, walk 1/2 mile, run 1/2 mile, walk… etc…
Injuries are the worst and starting off too fast is one of the easiest ways to get them – take it slow and build up. I started in March myself, and I’m up to 7 miles on my long day, and 3-5 on the other 4 per week.
You might also consider your nutritional situation pre-run. Are you hydrated enough? I’m not up on the latest about cramping, but when I was a kid, we were told to eat more bananas as a source of potassium to relieve cramping. You might look into those factors as well.
Try stretching mid-run. When I run, I usually start out slowly, then stop to stretch after about 1/2 mile, after the muscles have warmed up a bit. I have found this to be far more effective than stretching pre-run.
Try stretching mid-run. When I run, I usually start out slowly, then stop to stretch after about 1/2 mile, after the muscles have warmed up a bit. I have found this to be far more effective than stretching pre-run.
thanks for your advice guys…today i ran 5 minutes, walked 2.5, ran 5 again for a half hour, pain free…and I do need to get some good running shoes…I appreciate your advice!
Why don’t you try massaging it? You might find that muscular tension has built up as a result of an old, possibly forgotten injury. Really get into it - try to dissolve the knot!