Walk or jog? Knees and shins hurt.

kals25

So I just started going on morning walks with my daughter on Monday. The first day I did 3.7 miles in a hour, I walked that. Did the same Tuesday. Wednesday and today I started jogging. My times are slower by like 5-10 minutes. And when I started jogging my knees and shin hurt so much. This morning I thought my right leg was going to break.

So my question is, should I continue to jog and hope the pain will ease or stay walking? I prefer the jogging because I feel so great after and I sweat so much and that makes me feel like I did something. When walked I would still sweat but not nearly as much.

ETA- my goal is to lose weight, about 25-30 lbs.

LyndaBSS

It sounds like you just did too much too fast. You should've weaned yourself into it instead of taking the weekend warrior approach. 😉

Drink lots of water and listen to your body. Do gentle stretching and walking so your muscles don't freeze up.

Feel better.

showjumper

Great job! I would get your shoes looked at first off.... then slow down! Have fun!

kals25

@LyndaBSS ugh you’re probably right! I was kind of hoping to be able to jump into it! Desperately needing/wanting to lose weight! Thank you!

apullum

How much had you been walking before this week? If this week is the first time you've intentionally walked or run, then you're doing far too much too soon. Rest until the pain is gone, and then after that, follow a structured training plan.

If you are not comfortable walking for 30 minutes on a regular basis, start with this walking plan: https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@fc/documents/downloadable/ucm_449261.pdf

If you can walk comfortably for at least 30 minutes, then you can start C25K after the pain goes away. Go to a running store and get fitted for shoes while you are resting, before you start your C25K plan.

LyndaBSS

Slow and steady wins the race in both diet and exercise. 🐌

fitoverfortymom

If walking doesn't irritate it, walking is AOK. I had to lose a lot of weight before running became comfortable. Chances are you have weak hips/glutes that are contributing to the knee pain. If you Google Myrtle Exercises, you will find some teqniwies to strengthen those areas and avoid pain while running.

kals25

@showjumper I bought these shoes a couple months ago because just walking kills my knees. They’re great! And wear knee braces my knees did feel uncomfortable but honestly it was more my shins!

So should I not aim to walk/jog that distance? I kind of just thought one hour would be good and that’s what I got done..

kals25

@apullum i do slow paced walks every afternoon about 20-30 minutes while my daughter rides her bike. I started doing that about a month ago. Thank you so much!

kals25

@LyndaBSS you’re so right!! I need to actually to the diet part, too! I’ve been telling myself I will, but I will lose the dedication if I change that because I have no clue what else to eat. For the most part we eat great, my daughter eats way better than I do, I should learn from her lol. So I just started eating less and drinking more water.

kals25

@fitoverfortymom hm good point! Being super honest right now I guess I see myself and don’t think I’m too big so I guess I thought I could just jump! But I’m about 5’4 and weigh 165. I know to feel better to need to do this!

Thank you for the advice!

apullum

kals25 wrote: »

@showjumper I bought these shoes a couple months ago because just walking kills my knees. They’re great! And wear knee braces my knees did feel uncomfortable but honestly it was more my shins!

So should I not aim to walk/jog that distance? I kind of just thought one hour would be good and that’s what I got done..

It's not about how old the shoes are. If you're going to run, you have to have properly fitted running shoes. Your symptoms sound like shin splints, which are exacerbated by (among other things) overuse and improper shoes.

Rest. Ice your shins if needed. Go to the running store and get shoes. Then, C25K after you've recovered.

kals25

@apullum thank you so much!

Hyacinth_Hippo

If it hurts so much it feels like a leg breaking you need to figure out why. Check that the shoes you are wearing are giving you the proper support (this is often the culprit for sore shins). Check your form, that you aren't hunching over, tensing your shoulders or trying to take extra long strides. Try to maintain good posture (i.e. engage your core) when doing anything physical. Make sure to stretch BEFORE and AFTER. If it continues to hurt, talk to a professional - don't ignore it.

showjumper

Hi @kals25 have you looked at the C25K program? I would start off slow and get your body used to hitting the pavement........before you literally hit the pavement..... I know when I started running outside (as opposed to a treadmill) i had dreadful shin splints. I slowed down and went day on day off of "running" and it helped.

kals25

@Hyacinth_Hippo definitely will! I was doing this while jogging I kept telling myself head high and to loosen up! I’m definitely going to talk to a dr! Mostly because I desperately want to lose weight and need a lot more guidance! But my SO just got a new job so waiting for insurance to kick in!

kals25

@showjumper I’m going to! Someone else suggested that as well🙂 I have access to a gym, I don’t want to go to an actual gym because, embarrassing and also because I’d have to leave me daughter. But my apartments has a small gym, should I run on a treadmill instead?? I thought about that today because I thought maybe the ground is too rough hahah

showjumper

@kals25 I became dependant on the treadmill so depending on what your ultimate goal is (besides weight loss) then I would get outside as much as you possibly can.... not sure where in the world you are, but you may have to rely on a TM for quite a few months (or 6) the adjustment can be tough between outside and a TM.
I think you taking your daughter with you is so awesome! good going.... the subliminal messages will be rewarding.... you are showing her healthy ways and you are spending time with her which is THE BEST!!!

kals25

@showjumper oh good point! I’m in CA and right now summer is pretty intense hahah so I run about 7-8 before it get too warm. When summer is over we’re at the zoo every week for an hour or two.

Thank you so much!

showjumper

oh I like San Diego!! I am in a place where we are about 6-7 months indoors due to weather.....sometimes too hot, lots of times too cold or icy, rainy days and everything in between!

kals25

@showjumper ouch! Yeah it doesn’t get THAT bad here. I’m actually in SD! It just been so humid I don’t even want to be outside hahah. Winters aren’t bad at all here.

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emmamcgarity

If your goal is to lose weight diet will have the greatest impact. Start there.

For fitness walking is where I started and worked up to walking an hour or more each day for several months. I lost 30 lbs before I actually started running. Once I had a consistent walking base and felt brave enough I started c25k with proper running shoes. Running is stressful to your body and you need time to build up safely for your body to adjust to the impact from the road. That’s one of the reasons c25k is so highly recommended. It’s designed to safely build a running base. Shin pain sounds to me like a shoe issue and probably too much too fast. I’d recommend resting several days if you are planning to try running again. Recovery time is important.

Hannahwalksfar

Have yourself checked and if all clear get a PT to help you do it correctly.