C25K-- how did you deal with pain?

THanks!

When I started running I was 25, 60 lbs over the top end of my recommended weight range, and a smoker. It's hard, but it should NEVER really "hurt." Yes, uncomfortable and sometimes borderline unbearable... but nothing should physically hurt. You might just need to ramp your body up to prepare for this new adventure!

There are three things that helped me:

1.) Foam roller ($10-20 at any sporting goods place) - Great for self-massage and quick recovery.
2.) An elliptical trainer - Simulates running without the impact. Starting out I did 30 minute sessions 3x/week and did a walk/run 2x/week. It will help shed those extra pounds faster than running alone because chances are you'll keep a faster pace on the elliptical than you can maintain on the pavement.
3.) Squats, lunges, and side lunges to strengthen those legs. You don't need any weights starting out, just using your own body weight is fantastic! I just find after 30 days or so it's helpful to up the ante and add some weight just to challenge the body a bit more. If you are riddled with shin splints, take a seat and spell out the alphabet with your toes bending at the ankle. 3 times through your ABC's on each foot will help strengthen the delicate musculature that support your lower leg.

Start small, get big results. Running does not happen over night. It's not shameful to take a month or two to get to "week one" of C25K especially if you need to really work at it. The fact is that you CAN do this.

I tried doing C25K almost 3 years ago and got up to week 5, I believe, before I just gave in to the pain and quit (didn't help that my dad laughed at me when I told him I was starting it). Now I can't even walk 40 min without my legs feeling like lead, but I have a goal to be able to run again by next summer, so very very slow progress. And of course now I'm about 20lb heavier than I was last time I tried!

So, how did you work through the pain? I used to run in Jr High/High school and I miss it!

Shoes! Have them checked Where do you run? Outside? On a treadmill etc? Surface can make a big difference if you are new to running. Start small and build from there - so run 1 min, walk 1 min. It normally takes me 18 mins of running to get into a good pace and then from there I am all good.

Only a couple of people have mentioned it, but ICE (or a bag of frozen peas / edamame / lima beans / corn) is very effective - 3 or even 4 times a day for 15-20 minutes, whether you are running or not on that day, whether you are in pain or not on that day. My heels, ankles, knees and hips all get stiff and sore, and the cold helps a lot, especially on my middle-aged frame.

Ibuprofen can hurt your stomach if overdone, but taking it before or after running can help. Alternate with Tylenol.

Stretching - even on days that you are not running - again, 3 or 4 times a day for 15-20 minutes, can really help.

When you finish running, eat a banana - the potassium can help with muscle aches.

Good shoes that correct your stride problems are a fantastic investment - I got fitted at a local running store and got a pair of Nikes to fix my overpronation that gets compensated for by too much inward force that leads me to supinate and pop my knees. The shoes were about $100, so not a lot more than a good pair of normal shoes - the knowledge of what exactly I am doing when I run was great to know (and to see on the slow-motion video they took of me jogging on their treadmill.)

I started doing C25K by jog / walking back in early October of 2011, and I got less than a mile my first time out. After that, I took 4 days off, I think. Working on the elliptical helped to build my strength as I alternated that with days of running on the track.

By Thanksgiving of last year, I ran a 5k in just under 33 minutes. This morning I ran that distance in just under 26 minutes, and the difference was that this morning, I wasn't really pushing myself and could have gone faster, while last year, I couldn't talk for 10 minutes after finishing.

You can do this - just start slow as others have advised, get good shoes, stretch / ice / medicate muscle pains and ice / moist heat joint pains (alternating).

All the best of luck, and don't give up

I'm supposed to start C25K next month.... Idk about the pain, but when I asked almost EVERYONE said how important it is to have good shoes, and to go get fitted for proper running shoes... Maybe that will help?

i used to get bad pain and i bought really nice running shoes and it helped. then i bought athletes insoles and it helped even more!

I am starting week 5 Tuesday. I do a lot of stretching before and after and sometimes I take ibuprofen for I head out to the track. Maybe it's a mind thing for me but it seems to help. When I'm actually jogging and feel like I'm going to kill over I jog slower. Even if that means I'm only jogging as little faster than I actually walk. To me it's better than giving up completely or just walking. Other people might think I should just quit or walk but I don't really care what others think when I'm working out (or many other times for that matter :laugh: )

I also have actual running shoes so maybe you need better shoes? I'm going to go to a specialty store and get fitted properly once I can afford it but at this point I was lucky that I bought running shoes a long time ago and never wore them. I'm still not sure why.

I am in the middle of week 6 and when I was in high school any time I ran my knee would pop out of place (horribly painful) I'm ok now if I wear a knee brace, but sometimes the tendon in front/beside my knee will pop every time I take a step. So I'm like you, I take a couple ibuprofen before I head out, right around when I eat my snack before hand (anywhere from 30-45 minutes before I go) and I seem to do ok. If I start to hurt then I slow down a bit. It's all about knowing your limits, if you know you are going to hurt something, then slow down, it's not worth it to hurt something serious.

Looks like you've made the right call to wait on running until you can treat yourself to some proper shoes! We've got a place called Runner's Roost out here - I love it! They looked at how I run, and recommended shoes to me accordingly. It made a WORLD of a difference!

My running shoes are well spent at this point in time, and I need to wait a bit before I can treat myself to some new ones. I've stopped running until I've got good shoes back on my feet - and I'm sticking to jogging in intervals with strength training, or the elliptical good luck!

I'm not able to run yet, so I walk the whole time. I try to do a fast paced walk and actually succeeded in walking 2 miles in 30 minutes. This is a first for me! A few more times and I will start adding the jogging and see how I feel after that. Had I gone right into the jogging, I would have quit right away because it's so discouraging how far out of shape I am. Now I can walk a mile at lunch and still have something to eat!

If you are having shin splint issues, here's a pretty thorough discussion of causes/prevention/treatment.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/322021-help-with-your-shin-splints

Have you thought about starting barefoot or in minimal shoes?

It works for some.

Training barefoot almost guarantees you won't overdo, because your soles are not up to long distances.

Barefooting enthusiasts say your foot is perfectly able to adapt to terrain much better without shoes than within ... and there is a lot of scientific support for how we change our running style when we dump the shoes (for the better or worse is left to each individual to deide).

Good luck. Listen to your body.