Quick Question for Runners

AmyC2288

I've been wanting to start running for a while, but told myself I wouldn't until I got a nice new pair of running shoes. Last week, I got the shoes and decided to give it a go. I went to the gym Friday evening and after finishing my back workout decided to give it a go. I did some light stretching and a 5 min warm up walk and began doing some interval running (similar to Couch to 5K). I definitely wasn't sprinting, but I wouldn't call it jogging either- I felt it was a nice steady pace. Run for 3 walk for 2, run for 4 walk for 3, that kind of thing. I did this for about 35 minutes. I felt great until the last 5 minutes or so when my hips started to get tight and feel like they were sort of locking up. I pushed through the last 5 minutes, did some additional light stretching and left.

The rest of the weekend and into this Monday morning my hips have been aching terribly. It doesn't feel like muscle soreness at all, but more like joint pain. Ibuprofen does seem to help slightly. I had prepared myself for feet pain, shin splints, knee pain, or things that are more "typical" you would expect for a newbie runner---but hip pain? Also, important to note they BOTH equally hurt- not one more than the other. I don't have any previous hip injuries or issues.

So my question- is this typical or did this happen in your case? Is this just a well known thing that happens for some beginners that just kind of sucks until you get used to it? Maybe I overdid it? I know you all are not Dr's, but I don't feel as though I have injured myself or need to be seen- I just am genuinely curious as to whether or not this is just one of those things where you just have to push through the normal uncomfortable part of starting something new, or if I need to consider that running may not be for me...

Thanks in advance!

angelsja

I went for a run with my dog Sunday first time in over a year and my hips are sore today but... Bad hips run in my family and I have regular hip pain anyway so not much help to you but I do sympathise

deannalfisher

it sounds like you did too much too quickly and depending on the shoe - they may not be the right ones for your feet (did the store watch you run and recommend some brands for you)

AmyC2288

angelsja wrote: »

I went for a run with my dog Sunday first time in over a year and my hips are sore today but... Bad hips run in my family and I have regular hip pain anyway so not much help to you but I do sympathise

Thank you!

deannalfisher wrote: »

it sounds like you did too much too quickly and depending on the shoe - they may not be the right ones for your feet (did the store watch you run and recommend some brands for you)

Siggghhh- So we actually don't have any stores like that around here- the closest would be 1.5 hr away. We have several shoe stores, Rack Room, Payless, Shoe Carnival, and things like that- but they all have teenage kids working there who are clueless if you try to ask them about something like that.

I picked up the Adidas Alphabounce

MelanieCN77

Aside from the fact that you did a decent workout on some muscles you're not used to using, treadmills are notorious for causing this kind of pain in your hip flexors.

angelsja

MelanieCN77 wrote: »

Aside from the fact that you did a decent workout on some muscles you're not used to using, treadmills are notorious for causing this kind of pain in your hip flexors.

I get less pain on the treadmill than I do running outside, outside running is HARD for me

MelanieCN77

angelsja wrote: »

MelanieCN77 wrote: »

Aside from the fact that you did a decent workout on some muscles you're not used to using, treadmills are notorious for causing this kind of pain in your hip flexors.

I get less pain on the treadmill than I do running outside, outside running is HARD for me

I do find the treadmill easier as regards overall effort but that's also the crux of the hip issues (where the hip muscles need to apply effort, hopping on a treadmill uses them in ways opposite to how you've walked around your whole life). I will say I will also get hip pain after a long run on concrete, so I'm not saying it's cut and dry, and also it's something you can get used to as long as you stretch and are mindful to ease off when you get the twinges.

apullum

AmyC2288 wrote: »

angelsja wrote: »

I went for a run with my dog Sunday first time in over a year and my hips are sore today but... Bad hips run in my family and I have regular hip pain anyway so not much help to you but I do sympathise

Thank you!

deannalfisher wrote: »

it sounds like you did too much too quickly and depending on the shoe - they may not be the right ones for your feet (did the store watch you run and recommend some brands for you)

Siggghhh- So we actually don't have any stores like that around here- the closest would be 1.5 hr away. We have several shoe stores, Rack Room, Payless, Shoe Carnival, and things like that- but they all have teenage kids working there who are clueless if you try to ask them about something like that.

I picked up the Adidas Alphabounce

Getting a proper shoe fitting is worth the drive. In addition, the stores you mentioned are not likely to carry the brands and styles that tend to work well for runners. After you get fitted, you can order later pairs of shoes online and not have to drive to the running store every time you need new shoes.

MelanieCN77

OP all the shoes you can get at those outlets are going to be athleisure more than anything.

mbaker566

the right shoe is worth the time and expense. they are cheaper than medical bills from injury.

not really knowing your fitness level, you might have done too much too fast. though it's not unusual to have some soreness after a good workout.

granitepeak1981

Stretch stretch and then stretch some more. Check out a foam roller, and really focus on your hip flexors.

It sounds like you pushed too hard too soon. I don’t know about shoes, the longer I’ve been a runner and the more I read about shoes I’ve changed my stances and believe it’s more about stride and gait than footwear. I really believe that if you stretch and get back on the dreadmill but cut the distance in half you’ll feel better. Start small and work your way up.

lorrpb

Follow an established program like c25k so you can build up appropriately. What you did "c25k style" happens a few weeks into the program, not the first day,

AmyC2288

Thanks so much guys! I do agree I probably did too much too fast- but I guess I was just surprised as I was expecting really really struggle. I know that C25K has been great for so many people, however the super structured programs like that are just unappealing to me. I tend to like to do things on my own time (...look where that got me ) I might have to just bite the bullet and do it- but it's good to know that it starts out easier than what I was doing.

For those asking- I'm at a pretty solid fitness level. I workout 4-5 times a week and have lost 44 lbs so far. I only have 10-15 more lbs to lose to reach GW. I do a mixture of strength training and group classes like kettlebell and boot camp. I've been keeping this up for almost 1 year. I've always wanted to be a runner and do 5K's and there's one coming up in August I really want to go to.

The store I was referring to uses 3D foot scanning with a machine called fit ID. I checked for pricing of everything on their site and I'm pretty sure it's one of those situations where it's "If you have to ask, you probably cant afford it" lol Maybe I can splurge for this at some point, but we just booked our 10 year anniversary trip to Mexico for June so there's not a lot of extra floating around right now! In the mean time, I will slow my roll and try again for maybe 20 minutes instead with longer walk time/less run time.

THANK YOU everyone.

Sunshine_And_Sand

This may be just me, so don't take this as medical advice. I've always had the experience that running causes more impact in my knees with knees feeling overworked when I run a lot, and fast paced walking (treadmill or outside) causes me to feel it more in the hip flexor the next day. I do have history of surgery on both knees, but no history of hip injuries or surgeries.

MelanieCN77

You'll probably take to running really well so build into it what you already know from your other activities and take some time to feel how your body reacts to runs of different length and tempo and such. I did C25K years back on roads on *kitten* $60 Nikes and I was ok for a long time. Everyone's mileage is gonna vary though (heh) but if you're going to end up doing 3+ miles more than once a week, shoes will save you long term. Getting fitted is great and all but I feel like you only need to do it once and try not to get bogged down in tons of technicalities that will stop you from just running more.

garystrickland357

I think this is worth sharing with new runners:
https://runnersworld.com/training/a20861889/the-seven-pillars-of-running-wisdom/

AmyC2288

MelanieCN77 wrote: »

You'll probably take to running really well so build into it what you already know from your other activities and take some time to feel how your body reacts to runs of different length and tempo and such. I did C25K years back on roads on *kitten* $60 Nikes and I was ok for a long time. Everyone's mileage is gonna vary though (heh) but if you're going to end up doing 3+ miles more than once a week, shoes will save you long term. Getting fitted is great and all but I feel like you only need to do it once and try not to get bogged down in tons of technicalities that will stop you from just running more.

Thank you- this is super helpful! I think I will take to it well too as long as I can listen to my body and take it easy. Even on my first attempt I could see the appeal and why people get super into it.

AmyC2288

garystrickland357 wrote: »

I think this is worth sharing with new runners:
https://runnersworld.com/training/a20861889/the-seven-pillars-of-running-wisdom/

Great article! Thank you for sharing!

Tacklewasher

Another voice for a proper running store to buy shoes at. I started in the wrong for me shoes and ended up with bad shin splints that sidelined me. And that was just doing the C25K. In the proper shoes, I only get issues when they ware wearing out and need replacing (600km or so).

Knowing what shoes I need means I can watch for sales and pick up my next pair well before my current ones are done.

AmyC2288

Tacklewasher wrote: »

Another voice for a proper running store to buy shoes at. I started in the wrong for me shoes and ended up with bad shin splints that sidelined me. And that was just doing the C25K. In the proper shoes, I only get issues when they ware wearing out and need replacing (600km or so).

Knowing what shoes I need means I can watch for sales and pick up my next pair well before my current ones are done.

Sigh...The irony of it all is that I was adamant that I wasn't going to start running until I got some actual "running" shoes because I had read how important that was. I read tons of reviews and landed on the ones I posted above because of all the people that were using them for running and leaving positive reviews. My other shoes are much more lightweight and more of a trainer for sure- so these felt like a huge step up because of the level of bounce and padding they had. I truly thought I had done good! LOL

Tacklewasher

AmyC2288 wrote: »

Tacklewasher wrote: »

Another voice for a proper running store to buy shoes at. I started in the wrong for me shoes and ended up with bad shin splints that sidelined me. And that was just doing the C25K. In the proper shoes, I only get issues when they ware wearing out and need replacing (600km or so).

Knowing what shoes I need means I can watch for sales and pick up my next pair well before my current ones are done.

Sigh...The irony of it all is that I was adamant that I wasn't going to start running until I got some actual "running" shoes because I had read how important that was. I read tons of reviews and landed on the ones I posted above because of all the people that were using them for running and leaving positive reviews. My other shoes are much more lightweight and more of a trainer for sure- so these felt like a huge step up because of the level of bounce and padding they had. I truly thought I had done good! LOL

Problem is, that you can't go by reviews for running shoes. You need to find out what support you need. So I run in Asics, but I have two models that are stability shoes that were suggested to me. I could probably find another brand that works as well, as long as they are stability shoes, but I couldn't run in other Asics that are neutral (what I tried to run in at first).

I even tried more expensive shoes with a lower drop and sold them with under 100 km on them as they hurt my legs.

You may have just been doing too much too soon and that may be the only issue, I just know the problems I had and that different shoes made a world of difference.