Calf Cramps!
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weightofyourskin
Posts: 173
I started Couch to 5k on November 1st and it's been going very slowly so far. I'm barely at Week 3 and I can't get through 3 minutes of jogging in one go. My problem all along has been that I keep getting really bad calf cramps - sometimes I get them even during the 5-minute warmup when I'm going 4 mph at most.
I got new running shoes and tried some basic exercises (wall stretches, walking on tiptoes, etc) that a cyclist friend recommended. This allowed me to have two C25k workouts pain-free, but just as I was getting optimistic they started again. After a month and a half, I still can't jog more than 90 consecutive seconds before I have to stop due to the pain. It's really irritating because I would LOVE to be able to jog and I want to make sure I get in a good amount of cardio, but this pain is driving me up the wall.
What would you guys recommend?
For the record, I'm also doing weight training about 3 times a week (New Rules of Lifting). But I don't do C25K on days when I'm lifting.
I got new running shoes and tried some basic exercises (wall stretches, walking on tiptoes, etc) that a cyclist friend recommended. This allowed me to have two C25k workouts pain-free, but just as I was getting optimistic they started again. After a month and a half, I still can't jog more than 90 consecutive seconds before I have to stop due to the pain. It's really irritating because I would LOVE to be able to jog and I want to make sure I get in a good amount of cardio, but this pain is driving me up the wall.
What would you guys recommend?
For the record, I'm also doing weight training about 3 times a week (New Rules of Lifting). But I don't do C25K on days when I'm lifting.
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Replies
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Slow down
Seriously this is what i was told bye the runners
I run a 13.33 mile (turtles pass me)
but no more calf cramps and muscle sezures0 -
Slow down
Seriously this is what i was told bye the runners
I run a 13.33 mile (turtles pass me)
but no more calf cramps and muscle sezures
I'd have to second this! I run between a 12-14 minute mile depending on the day. I don't get major cramps usually at this speed. My legs do hurt slightly, but not enough to stop running and walk. It's more of a "hey... what the heck do you think you're doing making me move at this speed!" type of twinge, not a "Stop now!" type of hurt. LOL.
I can sprint for 90 seconds at under a 8min mile pace.... and it makes me feel like I'm flying, so that is fun to do at the very end of my run.
Woah. Hold up. Did I actually just say that running was fun? How in the heck did that happen?
In any case, slow down... smell the roses, and you'll feel better. Once you get past the 30 minute run, at the slower pace, you can start over, with doing slow jogs instead of walking, interspersed with fast runs. That's probably what I'll start doing in January... because I really want to run my first 5k at under 35 minutes... so a 12 min mile just won't cut it!0 -
You say you have new running shoes, did you just buy them off the shelf or were you fitted by a specialised running store
I had the same problem (sometimes referred to as shin splints) then had my gait analysed and found i pronate when running, with my new shoes it disappeared0 -
^^^Slow down
Seriously this is what i was told bye the runners
I run a 13.33 mile (turtles pass me)
but no more calf cramps and muscle sezures
I've read this over and over on this forum and i always thought "but I AM going slow! why am I still getting this pain?" it wasn't until I read somewhere that someone was overtaken by two old ladies power-walking in the park that I realised just how slow everybody was telling me to go.
Good Luck!0
