Have a difficult time with running

ahamm002

Thanks for the tips everyone!

1. Stretch more (& better) - I had been stretching, but not properly or enough it seems
2. C25K - Hadn't heard of this before. Looks like a good plan. I'll try it!
3. Drink more water
4. Get more potassium
5. Check the shoes - Don't think my feet are rolling or anything, but I'll pay attention to that next time.

Getting started running is very difficult, but totally worth it! To start, I'd recomend doing intervals. Warm up walking a bit, then jog for a bit, then walk, then jog, then walk. Continue to increase the speed of your jogging intervals until you're running. If possible, take your workout outside once in awhile. Running outdoors is really an enjoyable way to exercise.

NEVER stretch cold muscles. Stretch after a brief warm up or after your exercise session.

EDIT: remember, no matter how slow you're running, you're still lapping the people who are sitting down on the couch.

chevy88grl

C25K (Couch to 5K program)

Did you actually read the post?

I did. I understood him to say that he is not new to exercising, but to running. C25K has been wonderful for me so far. I have been exercising almost every day for about 10 months, but still couldn't run 3 minutes. I'm slowly working up my running endurance by using C25K.

C25K is a great program for easing into running, but I fail to see how it's going to help this particular problem.

Um. It seems to me that everyone was offering their advice on how to help the OP run without pain. I truly think that pain in the calves when you first start can be a sign of trying to push your body too hard/too fast or it can also be a sign of ill fitting shoes. Yes, it could be potassium or dehydration too.

Everyone was offering up suggestions and advice on how to help OP get through this. And I honestly think the C25K program sounds like an awesome way to EASE into running.

chevy88grl

Thanks for the tips everyone!

1. Stretch more (& better) - I had been stretching, but not properly or enough it seems
2. C25K - Hadn't heard of this before. Looks like a good plan. I'll try it!
3. Drink more water
4. Get more potassium
5. Check the shoes - Don't think my feet are rolling or anything, but I'll pay attention to that next time.

You can even take your old shoes into a running shop and let them look at the wear on the bottom. This will give them an idea of how you walk/run. I took my old ones in and they looked at them - determined I hit pretty evenly across my foot. Then they had me run in front of them/walk in front of them and they recommended a shoe for me (which happened to be the Nike Pegasus because it is a neutral shoe with a lot of cushion for my back). I'm really glad I did this - I definitely think knowing all this information helps to insure you're wearing the proper shoe.

Espressocycle

I have always hated running and now my knees such just can't tolerate it. It's why I have 5 bicycles.