Jogging Pains

gemiwing

Hey all-

So now I'm up to jogging for a minute (go Team Gemi!) and I'm starting to notice some pain in my left shin. Of course this scares the bejeebus out of me because Shin Splints just sounds painful.

How can I jog without the leg pain? Are there certain stretches I should do? Or am I still too fat to jog?:embarassed: I'm at 235. I'm wearing a pair of Asics (was wearing NB but there wasn't enough cushion) and they're about six months old- but we don't have money for shoes right now.

I was thinking maybe to get my heart rate up until I lose more weight- I could up the incline on the treadmill and just walk fast... Is that a good plan or am I just jogging 'wrong' ?

Thanks!

Tinker73

Hello,I am 238 lbs right now and I am able to jog about 5-7 km.The first 2-3 km are a little painful in the shins,but after continous running and a little stretch my shins feel fine.It might just be that you are not warming up enough.I always walk at a fast pace for about 2 km.Why dont you try it and see how that feels.Keep up the great work :flowerforyou:

gemiwing

Thank you- I'll try stretching my lower legs more before starting. I usually walk about half a mile(fast) before jogging. Maybe I need to save it for the end then lol

chelsea267

You could do stretches, such as writing the alphabet with your foot, which will stretch the muscles in the front of your legs. Also, I ice my shins for 20 min on, and 20 min. off (for three of each) every night, just to prevent shin splints. But yeah, any kind of cardio where your heart rate is at about 70% is good- maybe riding bike would be less painful (but harder to get your heart rate up).

chrissyh

stretch before, walk to warm up then jog then walk to cool down then stretch again....

jogging is very hard on you at first but you can do it - just listen to your body - make sure you have rest days in between run days - I will walk on rest days so that I am still getting exercise but it's not as taxing on your joints and muscles. Good Luck!

foxyforce

gemi that is so awesome to hear! i guess i should get my butt in gear to jog some more too then, i've been feelin lazy!

make sure you warm up before, like, walking for a couple minutes, or jogging in place. i've heard you shouldn't stretch before because it cools down and relaxes your muscles and that is the last thing they need. make sure you stretch after though!!

fraiseroja

I'm not sure if you are running outside or not, but if you are avoid hard surfaces. You can run on the road but try to run and dirt or grass whenever you can. A stretch that I make my runners do is a calf stretch like putting your toe on a stair or post and leaning forward to stretch your calf. While doing this, bend your knee forward and you should feel that stretch in your shin. It's good to ice as the others have said.

gemiwing

OMG you guys- I just realized! I'm a JOGGER now!!!!!

:sad: (That's me crying tears of joy!!!)

I did it! Now to work up to running!


I'm going to do some work on my shin muscles and do the alphabet stretch. I'm already the odd man out at the gym anyway lol Might as well milk it for all it's worth!

I'm going to jog tonight- so I'll let you all know how it goes!

gemiwing

OK- so I stretched really well before I got on the treadmill. I walked for a half a mile then tried to jog/powerwalk. I couldn't do it. My leg was hurting too bad. It's almost like my feet are pointing up too much when I walk because the front of my shins are on fire.

Stil don't know what to do.... Argh! :grumble:

fraiseroja

It sounds like you have shin splints. The only thing you can really do for shin splints is to ice and stay off of them. You can ride a bike because it is less pressure on it. You might want to try the elliptical. Normally it takes about two weeks for them to heal. They are annoying and frustrating. If you are going to a gym, I would ask the head trainer or management if they would mind giving you their opinion about them. They might look at them for you and be able to give you a better picture. It would be much cheaper than a doctor

foxyforce

OK- so I stretched really well before I got on the treadmill. I walked for a half a mile then tried to jog/powerwalk. I couldn't do it. My leg was hurting too bad. It's almost like my feet are pointing up too much when I walk because the front of my shins are on fire.

Stil don't know what to do.... Argh! :grumble:

aw gemi. i suggest keeping off of them too and doing lighter exercises till they heal and then try again now that you have the stretches to make use of. keep at it girl!

gemiwing

I figured out what it was- it was too much heel striking. Like most newbies I thought the bigger the stride the better. :noway:

Now I'm concentrating on keeping my stride smaller (normal for me) and using less cushioned shoes so I land on the balls of my feet instead of the heel. I feel so free now- like I can actually become a runner.

I've dreamed of that for soooo long...

pettmybunny

Hey Gemi... Good for you chickie! I'm back to only running a minute myself, as I have been very very lazy lately and lost all the ground I had gained.

Since you're running on a treadmill, another thing to try is raising the incline to 1 or 2%. One of my trainer friends told me this (as I was bragging about how I was up to 7 minutes running) because if you're on a treadmill running at a 0 incline, it's the same as running downhill outside. I dunno why. It was amazing though--I raised the incline to 2% and could only run for about 4 minutes. Of course, now I can only run for 1 ha ha.

I know I've offered this advice to others, and it seems to help. Luckily, I've not had to deal with shin splints, but keep up the good effort!