Aching legs after running. Normal?

jonnywinterbone

Hi all,

I've been running no less than 4 times a week for the last month—couch to 5k.
I'm currently at 15 minutes run, 5 minutes walk, 10 minute run. It's going great.

However, after my runs I get some leg pain that lasts until the next day.

Occasional sharp pains in the insides of both shins (I feel these maybe 3 times a day) and a constant dull aching in my knees. The shin pain isn't too bad at all, it's more the knee pain. Sometimes bending the knee increases the pain, too. It doesn't really cripple me, but it's enough for me to notice during the day. And I wonder if they'll get worse.

Some background:

1. I'm a midfoot striker.
2. I'm using high-quality Brooks running shoes that were fitted for me at a specialist running store.
3. I jog at an average pace—nothing too strenuous.
4. I do a 10 minute walk and a light stretch before running, and a stretch down afterwards.

Any ideas what this can be? Perhaps it's just beginner aches and pains?
Or maybe more form/technique?

Thanks a lot.

Carrieendar

The shin thing can be shin splints. You can google some good strengthening exercises to ward those off. Now, I know you said you have high quality shoes; however, I know that, when my knees start to feel it, that is my signal that i have hit the mileage limit on my shoes and I get a new pair. Any idea of many miles you have on those shoes? I know, depending on brand, I get about 400-600 miles on a shoe before the knee ache sets in and I get a new pair.

jonnywinterbone

My symptoms are not really as intense as shin splints suggests. Also, I thought running forefoot/midfoot minimised shin splints?
Barely 100 miles on the shoes.

I'm a bit baffled!

powerpigeon

How long are you stretching for afterwards? I'm dreadful for rushing through it, and I always pay for it! Maybe the stretches you're doing aren't targeting the areas you need it most?
Maybe have a look on YouTube for some good post-run stretches and try some different ones out and see if it makes any difference.

rml_16

Sounds like shin splints and you should probably see a doctor about the knee pain.

Could be form, but could be something else.

gmthisfeller

Do not worry too much about stretching *before* your run. Your muscles are cold, akin to cold chewing gum.

*After* you run stretch, stretch, stretch! If you can afford it, get a foam roller, and roll out your shins and calves. There are a number of YouTube videos that will give you the right way to do this.

On Saturday I did a 9-mile run and it was my inner thighs which hurt.

~Charles~

Carrieendar

When I first started running, I had that dull shin pain. I did an exercise where I had my heels on a stair edge and I pointed my toes down and then brought them up. DId a couple sets. I stayed vigilant on this for a week or so and have not had an issue since in 3 years of running

jonnywinterbone

The shin pain isn't too bad at all. And it tends to come and go; today, for example, I ran for 25 minutes—no shin pain.

The knee pain is sometimes in the inside of the leg, sometimes the outside. Today, it's above the knee cap.

My feet generally hurt when I run longer than 10 minutes too. So perhaps my form is a little too heavy?
Or do y'all really think it's in the stretching?

aldousmom

it's normal "new to running" growing pains.

If it's an injury, it will likely keep you awake at night. Hang in there! if it's too bothersome, try hot Epsom salt baths, and eating foods with anti-inflammatory properties. Once your bones, joints and muscles get used to all the new work you're having them do, you'll feel great!

Keep up the good work!

ATT949

The shin pain isn't too bad at all. And it tends to come and go; today, for example, I ran for 25 minutes—no shin pain.

Good. Stay at your current mileage/effort for a few days and see how it feels.

The knee pain is sometimes in the inside of the leg, sometimes the outside. Today, it's above the knee cap.

Classic symptoms of "patello femoral pain syndrome" ("PFPS"). As someone who had knee pain (bilateral) from 1978 through 2010 (it was cured by running), I would strongly recommend:

http://www.runningwritings.com/p/the-injury-series.html

Thanks to a good education and an inquisitive mind, I have had a good understanding of physiology for a long time. In the three years that I've been running, I've added to that knowledge bybooks, magazines, and websites about running and running injuries, and runningwritings.com is the best source I've found for dealing with running injuries. The author discusses the common running injuries in detail and discusses numerous treatments, laying out the pros and cons of each treatment. His work is detailed but easy to follow.

I had to rehab my right Achilles a few months back - I followed his recommendations and have healed completely.

My feet generally hurt when I run longer than 10 minutes too. So perhaps my form is a little too heavy?
Or do y'all really think it's in the stretching?

When you think you want to stretch, lie down 'til the feeling goes away.

That's only a mild exaggeration.

Static stretching is a great way to reduce power output and, possibly, induce muscle damage.

Yes, I know, we see pictures of athletes stretching and there is a reason why they do so. Stretching before exercise can help loosen muscles and warm them up but static stretching simply pulls on muscles. Further, stretching helps, in theory, stop athletes from pulling muscles during heavy exertion that might push the range of motion further than they should.

We runners don't do that.

Our range of motion is very limited and we tend to run at a consistent pace so there's zero reason to worry about pulling a muscle.

In time, you might want to do some dynamic stretching before a warm up - before a race, I like to run about a mile or so at a very slow pace and then do some warm up drills but I would never static stretch.

Some runners do light static stretching after a workout but, based on comments in forums at runnersworld.com and runningahead.com, it seems like most runners do not stretch and those who do stretch do so out of habit. There are lots of runners of a variety of experience levels who simply don't bother to stretch after a run and who see zero change in their injury rate or in their performance.

Another point - head over to sciencebasedmedicine.org and read their thoughts on Epsom salts. It's nice to have some insight into the science behind a "classic remedy". :-)

You'll hear the admonition "Listen to your body" but, in that you're a new runner, you may not have the knowledge to know what it's telling you. If that's the case, go slowly. My running journey has been pretty rough at times for a variety of reasons to I understand the desire to keep running but, remember, you're feeling pain for some reason.

It could be damage or it could be "normal" pain and the easiest way to find out is to stop running for a day or two to see if it clears. If it doesn't, you've got an injury (70% of runners are injured at least once in a 12 month period).

Err on the side of caution. It is much better to gradually introduce your body to the stress of running than it is to increase your mileage/tempo, get an overuse injury, and have to spend weeks (or months) recovering.

Final note — three years in to my running habit, what strikes me is how frequently our injuries are caused by "overuse" (running too many miles too fast) coupled with lack of muscle strength. Things like compression gear, knee braces, orthotics, more water, less water, beetroot juice, "train low, run high", etc, etc all have a place (well some of those do…) but by far the biggest thing a runner can do to stay healthy and run better is get rid of all of the mechanical crap and strengthen the legs and hips.


*I'm not knocking knee braces, for example - I think they have value for a permanent injury. My issue is that many runners get focused on the "buying stuff" to try to solve a problem but all they're doing is masking symptoms of those problems.
.

Eric_DeCastro

I have been running pretty consistently for about 7 months and I'm only usually sore if I extended my run but only when I extended it by a lot. lately i run 6 miles a day and one day last week I ran 9 miles. i was kinda sore the day after but not so much that I couldn't walk. just felt tender.

since you are just starting to run i'll bet you are feeling sore almost everyday.

gmelody66

i started out having those kinds of pains last year and it slowly got worse they said i had plantar fasciitis but i just did lots of stretching and cooling down with a longer walk after but i stop running but im back at it im doing the 30 days to 3 miles program which i think may be by the same person

lsiberian

I'm doing Couch to 5k and get similar soreness. Seems normal to me definitely nothing compared to a legit strength training workout.

JenToms80

I would recommend making friends with a foam roller and use in between runs as well as post running - I ve noticed a big difference since Ive started using one

emblu

The shin pain isn't too bad at all. And it tends to come and go; today, for example, I ran for 25 minutes—no shin pain.

Good. Stay at your current mileage/effort for a few days and see how it feels.

The knee pain is sometimes in the inside of the leg, sometimes the outside. Today, it's above the knee cap.

Classic symptoms of "patello femoral pain syndrome" ("PFPS"). As someone who had knee pain (bilateral) from 1978 through 2010 (it was cured by running), I would strongly recommend:

http://www.runningwritings.com/p/the-injury-series.html

Thanks to a good education and an inquisitive mind, I have had a good understanding of physiology for a long time. In the three years that I've been running, I've added to that knowledge bybooks, magazines, and websites about running and running injuries, and runningwritings.com is the best source I've found for dealing with running injuries. The author discusses the common running injuries in detail and discusses numerous treatments, laying out the pros and cons of each treatment. His work is detailed but easy to follow.

I had to rehab my right Achilles a few months back - I followed his recommendations and have healed completely.

My feet generally hurt when I run longer than 10 minutes too. So perhaps my form is a little too heavy?
Or do y'all really think it's in the stretching?

When you think you want to stretch, lie down 'til the feeling goes away.

That's only a mild exaggeration.

Static stretching is a great way to reduce power output and, possibly, induce muscle damage.

Yes, I know, we see pictures of athletes stretching and there is a reason why they do so. Stretching before exercise can help loosen muscles and warm them up but static stretching simply pulls on muscles. Further, stretching helps, in theory, stop athletes from pulling muscles during heavy exertion that might push the range of motion further than they should.

We runners don't do that.

Our range of motion is very limited and we tend to run at a consistent pace so there's zero reason to worry about pulling a muscle.

In time, you might want to do some dynamic stretching before a warm up - before a race, I like to run about a mile or so at a very slow pace and then do some warm up drills but I would never static stretch.

Some runners do light static stretching after a workout but, based on comments in forums at runnersworld.com and runningahead.com, it seems like most runners do not stretch and those who do stretch do so out of habit. There are lots of runners of a variety of experience levels who simply don't bother to stretch after a run and who see zero change in their injury rate or in their performance.

Another point - head over to sciencebasedmedicine.org and read their thoughts on Epsom salts. It's nice to have some insight into the science behind a "classic remedy". :-)

You'll hear the admonition "Listen to your body" but, in that you're a new runner, you may not have the knowledge to know what it's telling you. If that's the case, go slowly. My running journey has been pretty rough at times for a variety of reasons to I understand the desire to keep running but, remember, you're feeling pain for some reason.

It could be damage or it could be "normal" pain and the easiest way to find out is to stop running for a day or two to see if it clears. If it doesn't, you've got an injury (70% of runners are injured at least once in a 12 month period).

Err on the side of caution. It is much better to gradually introduce your body to the stress of running than it is to increase your mileage/tempo, get an overuse injury, and have to spend weeks (or months) recovering.

Final note — three years in to my running habit, what strikes me is how frequently our injuries are caused by "overuse" (running too many miles too fast) coupled with lack of muscle strength. Things like compression gear, knee braces, orthotics, more water, less water, beetroot juice, "train low, run high", etc, etc all have a place (well some of those do…) but by far the biggest thing a runner can do to stay healthy and run better is get rid of all of the mechanical crap and strengthen the legs and hips.


*I'm not knocking knee braces, for example - I think they have value for a permanent injury. My issue is that many runners get focused on the "buying stuff" to try to solve a problem but all they're doing is masking symptoms of those problems.
.

Pretty sound advice

sloseph

i'm also doing the C25k and i found i was having similar issues to what you are having so i went to see my doctor who is also a runner and he suggested that my issue was probably due to not warming up properly, since then i've started going for a 10/15 warm up walk before i start the NHS podcast with a few dynamic stretches thrown in to make sure my legs are good and warm and since then i've been problem free

the only other thing i can suggest is that when i get back from a run i hop straight in the shower and give my legs a good long blast with cold water, it seems to stop me getting twitchy legs later on at night and stopped me aching the next day

GillianMcK

If you're new to running, maybe take it down a notch from 4 days a week to 3 days a week and make sure you take a day in between each run and do a different cardio activity.
I've only moved up onto running 4 days a week when I started marathon training, all runs last year I never ran 2 days in a row, most 'new to running' apps don't encourage you to run 2 days in a row, they normally say every other day??

Echoing the other post above about overuse, it's one of the most repetetive things you can do, I had a problem last year with my achilles that went away after a couple of months of not running, this year I've done most of my training on forest trails rather than tarmac to protect the ankle a bit until after the marathon (at which point I will be taking at least 2 weeks off from running)!!
I also do strength training once or twice a week to help with the leg muscles.

Also agree with the injury part above, it's not 'if' you'll get a running injury but 'when' you get a running injury.