Fairly new to running, tweaked my knee

newmom_2012

Today I did week 4 day 1 or c25k, which was (jog 3 min, walk 1.5min, job 5 min walk 2.5)x2. After my final 3 minute jog my right knee felt a little weak, but no real pain so I kept going and completed the final 5 minute jog. During the cool down I noticed I was limping and was mildly sore but that my knee felt like it was on the verge of buckling and giving out.

Once I got home I stretched then sat down for a bit, and then the pain started to kick in. At first it was a sharp pain in the back if the knee, but now it's like an overall soreness, almost like a bruise. It still feels very weak and like it could buckle and give out on a moments notice. I still have a bit of a limp which I would say is half pain and half trying to keep my knee in a position where it feels strong. The amount of pain varies from no pain to moderate pain, and can feel the full range of pain whether I'm sitting or walking. One isn't worse than the other, although standing from a seated position is rough.

Since I'm not in a lot of pain I feel silly seeing a doctor, but my knee is definitely off. It feels like it's on the brink of being injured but isn't injured yet, and I'd obviously like to keep it from getting worse. I have never really played sports or dealt with injuries so beyond rest and ice (which I've been doing ever since i got back) I'm not sure what to do. I was thinking I would go back to week 2 until it feels better, then once it's better repeat week 3 again before re-attempting week four. It was a big mental victory that I completed week four, but I think my body is telling me it wasn't quite ready.

A few things that might be worth mentioning:
-I slowed my pace considerably during this run knowing that I was going from 9 minutes running in week 3 to 16 minutes running in week 4. I don't think it's possible to run any slower and still consider it running, I was going at a walking pace.
-I am overweight (5'8" 215lb) but have been loving running the last few weeks.
-Finances have prohibited me from getting proper running shoes. I had a gait analysis done but due to having wide feet and a high instep only 2 out of 12 shoes I tried on fit, neither of which are cheap. I will hopefully *fingers crossed* be getting some in the next week or two though.

ThatMouse

I gave myself Runner's and Jumper's Knee (pattelo-femoral pain and pattelar tendonitis [sp?]) running through pain during a run back in Oct 2013 and I'm still not over it.

In my mind, I wish I had just stopped and laid off the running as soon as I felt knee pain. There's pushing through mental barriers taking the guise of pain, and then there's pushing through legit pain that's your body telling you to slow the hell down.

I recommend seeing a physiotherapist to make sure you're doing what you need for your knee - a GP may be able to give you a few ideas, but a physio is guaranteed to know what they're talking about. Try to see a physio.

If your knee still hurts when you're jogging/walking, just stop it for now and rely on your diet to lose weight for now. Consider taking up weight lifting if it doesn't hurt (or just [sadly] skip legs until you're able to do the moves without pain) to replace running for now if you feel the need to stay active.

I'm not a doctor, nor a PT, so that's just my opinion. Also, read up on running form and avoid the circular track. Outside or the treadmill (according to my PT at least - he say's thanks to how women's joints work, we're more prone to injuring ourselves on the circular track, especially if we only go in one direction on that and turn in one way).