Am I not meant to be a runner?

Were you fitted for shoes or just bought some you thought would work?

I had major issues with my legs when I first started to the point I was in tears. I rested my legs for 2 weeks, chatted with some of my friends that were runners and got my feet checked out at a running store. I haven't had any problems since!

I've coached for the Running Room chain up here in Canada and can tell you that Most people can run... but don't worry its not you. Almost all runners experience some discomfort when they first start (no one ever said it was going to be easy!)

I'd start by getting a proper gait analysis done by a properly trained physio therapist (one who specializes in Athletes). If done right, they can find what the problem is and work on fixing it via footwear, orthotics or technique. Many physio therapists use video to record your gait and assess any issues you may have.

Where do your shoes come from and how long have you had them? Shoes break down and stop offering support after you've logged 300-500 miles depending on a variety of things (weather, your weight, your gait, running surfaces, quality etc).

Once you've had a gait assessment I'd look at then visiting a specialty running store and seeing if you can find a suitable shoe based on the physio's assessment.

Another thing I'd look at is how do you run? Do you take walk breaks? Do you run at a specific pace, or do you just run all out?

Walk breaks are a great way to reduce injuries and increase endurance. Consider that running is about adaptation. No one wakes up one morning and decides to run a Marathon. It takes time to build up and adapt to the stresses of running.

I'd also find and stick to a program... Couch to 5K is a very popular one which offers great results. There are others by Hal Higdon, Jeff Galloway etc that may be useful as well.

Feel free to add me if you have any questions.

Hope that helps!

Consult a running coach, perhaps?

I don't really think I am meant for running either. Some people have the natural gait or whatever.

BUT, I think non-runners can still run for fun and crank out a 3-5 miler.

I run about that much every other day. I used to run half marathons and was plagued with hip bursitis, shin splints, etc etc.

Here was my magic: start off slow and low distances work your way up SLOWLY. Stretch and USE THE FOAM ROLLER.
I also go Super Feet at REI and replaced the insert in my tennis shoes. Made the world of a freakin' difference.

happy runnin!

I don't think I'm meant for running either. Or not steady jogging for miles and miles, anyway. But I can walk and then sprint up a storm before dropping back to a walk. So I do that.

Do I wish I could float over the ground effortlessly for endless miles like a cyborg gazelle on steroids? Yeah. But no, my knees and spine tell me when to drop back to a walk. So I listen. I'm still a runner. Just not a distance runner.

(And I still get my happy endorphin buzz.)

I love to run, it makes me feel alive but I have been plagued by injuries from running for a long time. I've tried everything. I bought top of the line motion control shoes, highly rated inserts, went to PT, tried minimal shoes, have lost weight, and stretching and nothing seems to prevent injury.

I just came back from 3 months of rest and PT for three types of tendonitis in my foot, which included my achilles, plantars fasciitis, and peronnial tendonitis. Now Im back and followed a jeff galloway Couch25K plan and now not only is some of tendonitis coming back but I can feel shin splints forming again too. I'm only running about 2 x 3 times a week for 1.5-2 miles max. I don't understand what I am doing wrong.

Are some people not meant to be runners or has anyone else done something that helped them triumph over a similar situation?

I'll probably get jumped on for this but: My personal opinion is that almost no one is meant to be a long-distance runner. It is extremely hard on the body but those who are addicted to it would run even if it killed them. I understand the exhilaration thing (I do pool exercise and nothing makes me happier than sprints in the water--amazing for the mood). In addition to being hard on the body, those who are very successful as long-distance runners look pretty awful. You end up consuming your muscle and most long-distance runners look very haggard in addition to having numerous musculo-skeletal problems. One of my MFP friends is a long-distance runner and she is plagued by injuries--is going for p.t. and has to get cortisone shots. Her physiotherapist told her to take up water exercise instead. I have had other running friends with the same problems. Not worth it.

You'll only get jumped on it because this opinion is demonstrably wrong. Evolutionarily, running is what human beings are designed to do. Not sprinting (we're not going to outrun any other animal over short distances), but for long, steady-state running. Sure, people do it wrong, they ramp up to fast, they don't wear the right gear, and they get injured. People also get injured squatting too much weight and dropping barbells on their throats. Not liking running is one thing, and that's cool, but it really is what we are designed to do.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v432/n7015/full/nature03052.html

the abstract: "Striding bipedalism is a key derived behaviour of hominids that possibly originated soon after the divergence of the chimpanzee and human lineages. Although bipedal gaits include walking and running, running is generally considered to have played no major role in human evolution because humans, like apes, are poor sprinters compared to most quadrupeds. Here we assess how well humans perform at sustained long-distance running, and review the physiological and anatomical bases of endurance running capabilities in humans and other mammals. Judged by several criteria, humans perform remarkably well at endurance running, thanks to a diverse array of features, many of which leave traces in the skeleton. The fossil evidence of these features suggests that endurance running is a derived capability of the genus Homo, originating about 2 million years ago, and may have been instrumental in the evolution of the human body form."

Here's a summary if you can't get the scholarly article
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041123163757.htm

I love to run, it makes me feel alive but I have been plagued by injuries from running for a long time. I've tried everything. I bought top of the line motion control shoes, highly rated inserts, went to PT, tried minimal shoes, have lost weight, and stretching and nothing seems to prevent injury.

I just came back from 3 months of rest and PT for three types of tendonitis in my foot, which included my achilles, plantars fasciitis, and peronnial tendonitis. Now Im back and followed a jeff galloway Couch25K plan and now not only is some of tendonitis coming back but I can feel shin splints forming again too. I'm only running about 2 x 3 times a week for 1.5-2 miles max. I don't understand what I am doing wrong.

Are some people not meant to be runners or has anyone else done something that helped them triumph over a similar situation?

I'll probably get jumped on for this but: My personal opinion is that almost no one is meant to be a long-distance runner. It is extremely hard on the body but those who are addicted to it would run even if it killed them. I understand the exhilaration thing (I do pool exercise and nothing makes me happier than sprints in the water--amazing for the mood). In addition to being hard on the body, those who are very successful as long-distance runners look pretty awful. You end up consuming your muscle and most long-distance runners look very haggard in addition to having numerous musculo-skeletal problems. One of my MFP friends is a long-distance runner and she is plagued by injuries--is going for p.t. and has to get cortisone shots. Her physiotherapist told her to take up water exercise instead. I have had other running friends with the same problems. Not worth it.

You'll only get jumped on it because this opinion is demonstrably wrong. Evolutionarily, running is what human beings are designed to do. Not sprinting (we're not going to outrun any other animal over short distances), but for long, steady-state running. Sure, people do it wrong, they ramp up to fast, they don't wear the right gear, and they get injured. People also get injured squatting too much weight and dropping barbells on their throats. Not liking running is one thing, and that's cool, but it really is what we are designed to do.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v432/n7015/full/nature03052.html

the abstract: "Striding bipedalism is a key derived behaviour of hominids that possibly originated soon after the divergence of the chimpanzee and human lineages. Although bipedal gaits include walking and running, running is generally considered to have played no major role in human evolution because humans, like apes, are poor sprinters compared to most quadrupeds. Here we assess how well humans perform at sustained long-distance running, and review the physiological and anatomical bases of endurance running capabilities in humans and other mammals. Judged by several criteria, humans perform remarkably well at endurance running, thanks to a diverse array of features, many of which leave traces in the skeleton. The fossil evidence of these features suggests that endurance running is a derived capability of the genus Homo, originating about 2 million years ago, and may have been instrumental in the evolution of the human body form."

Here's a summary if you can't get the scholarly article
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041123163757.htm

Tell it to Pheidippides. I don't believe that mankind "evolved" from apes either so the article would be a "no sale". I think we are exactly as we were designed to be. Most of us are lousy runners and I expect that is why horsemanship developed. :laugh:

I love to run, it makes me feel alive but I have been plagued by injuries from running for a long time. I've tried everything. I bought top of the line motion control shoes, highly rated inserts, went to PT, tried minimal shoes, have lost weight, and stretching and nothing seems to prevent injury.

I just came back from 3 months of rest and PT for three types of tendonitis in my foot, which included my achilles, plantars fasciitis, and peronnial tendonitis. Now Im back and followed a jeff galloway Couch25K plan and now not only is some of tendonitis coming back but I can feel shin splints forming again too. I'm only running about 2 x 3 times a week for 1.5-2 miles max. I don't understand what I am doing wrong.

Are some people not meant to be runners or has anyone else done something that helped them triumph over a similar situation?

I'll probably get jumped on for this but: My personal opinion is that almost no one is meant to be a long-distance runner. It is extremely hard on the body but those who are addicted to it would run even if it killed them. I understand the exhilaration thing (I do pool exercise and nothing makes me happier than sprints in the water--amazing for the mood). In addition to being hard on the body, those who are very successful as long-distance runners look pretty awful. You end up consuming your muscle and most long-distance runners look very haggard in addition to having numerous musculo-skeletal problems. One of my MFP friends is a long-distance runner and she is plagued by injuries--is going for p.t. and has to get cortisone shots. Her physiotherapist told her to take up water exercise instead. I have had other running friends with the same problems. Not worth it.

You'll only get jumped on it because this opinion is demonstrably wrong. Evolutionarily, running is what human beings are designed to do. Not sprinting (we're not going to outrun any other animal over short distances), but for long, steady-state running. Sure, people do it wrong, they ramp up to fast, they don't wear the right gear, and they get injured. People also get injured squatting too much weight and dropping barbells on their throats. Not liking running is one thing, and that's cool, but it really is what we are designed to do.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v432/n7015/full/nature03052.html

the abstract: "Striding bipedalism is a key derived behaviour of hominids that possibly originated soon after the divergence of the chimpanzee and human lineages. Although bipedal gaits include walking and running, running is generally considered to have played no major role in human evolution because humans, like apes, are poor sprinters compared to most quadrupeds. Here we assess how well humans perform at sustained long-distance running, and review the physiological and anatomical bases of endurance running capabilities in humans and other mammals. Judged by several criteria, humans perform remarkably well at endurance running, thanks to a diverse array of features, many of which leave traces in the skeleton. The fossil evidence of these features suggests that endurance running is a derived capability of the genus Homo, originating about 2 million years ago, and may have been instrumental in the evolution of the human body form."

Here's a summary if you can't get the scholarly article
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041123163757.htm

Tell it to Pheidippides. I don't believe that mankind "evolved" from apes either so the article would be a "no sale". I think we are exactly as we were designed to be. Most of us are lousy runners and I expect that is why horsemanship developed. :laugh:

Well, the article didn't say we evolved from apes, so...not sure where you are getting that. It says our ancestors were ape-like, and then we diverged into separate lineages, which is what happened.

But can't argue with someone who is just dead set on an opinion, no matter what reality says, so I guess this is good day?

I love to run, it makes me feel alive but I have been plagued by injuries from running for a long time. I've tried everything. I bought top of the line motion control shoes, highly rated inserts, went to PT, tried minimal shoes, have lost weight, and stretching and nothing seems to prevent injury.

I just came back from 3 months of rest and PT for three types of tendonitis in my foot, which included my achilles, plantars fasciitis, and peronnial tendonitis. Now Im back and followed a jeff galloway Couch25K plan and now not only is some of tendonitis coming back but I can feel shin splints forming again too. I'm only running about 2 x 3 times a week for 1.5-2 miles max. I don't understand what I am doing wrong.

Are some people not meant to be runners or has anyone else done something that helped them triumph over a similar situation?

I'll probably get jumped on for this but: My personal opinion is that almost no one is meant to be a long-distance runner. It is extremely hard on the body but those who are addicted to it would run even if it killed them. I understand the exhilaration thing (I do pool exercise and nothing makes me happier than sprints in the water--amazing for the mood). In addition to being hard on the body, those who are very successful as long-distance runners look pretty awful. You end up consuming your muscle and most long-distance runners look very haggard in addition to having numerous musculo-skeletal problems. One of my MFP friends is a long-distance runner and she is plagued by injuries--is going for p.t. and has to get cortisone shots. Her physiotherapist told her to take up water exercise instead. I have had other running friends with the same problems. Not worth it.

You'll only get jumped on it because this opinion is demonstrably wrong. Evolutionarily, running is what human beings are designed to do. Not sprinting (we're not going to outrun any other animal over short distances), but for long, steady-state running. Sure, people do it wrong, they ramp up to fast, they don't wear the right gear, and they get injured. People also get injured squatting too much weight and dropping barbells on their throats. Not liking running is one thing, and that's cool, but it really is what we are designed to do.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v432/n7015/full/nature03052.html

the abstract: "Striding bipedalism is a key derived behaviour of hominids that possibly originated soon after the divergence of the chimpanzee and human lineages. Although bipedal gaits include walking and running, running is generally considered to have played no major role in human evolution because humans, like apes, are poor sprinters compared to most quadrupeds. Here we assess how well humans perform at sustained long-distance running, and review the physiological and anatomical bases of endurance running capabilities in humans and other mammals. Judged by several criteria, humans perform remarkably well at endurance running, thanks to a diverse array of features, many of which leave traces in the skeleton. The fossil evidence of these features suggests that endurance running is a derived capability of the genus Homo, originating about 2 million years ago, and may have been instrumental in the evolution of the human body form."

Here's a summary if you can't get the scholarly article
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041123163757.htm

Tell it to Pheidippides. I don't believe that mankind "evolved" from apes either so the article would be a "no sale". I think we are exactly as we were designed to be. Most of us are lousy runners and I expect that is why horsemanship developed. :laugh:

Well, the article didn't say we evolved from apes, so...not sure where you are getting that. It says our ancestors were ape-like, and then we diverged into separate lineages, which is what happened.

But can't argue with someone who is just dead set on an opinion, no matter what reality says, so I guess this is good day?

Didn't say that it did but the poster mentioned evolution as the basis of our ability to run. You may accept evolution as "reality" but I see it as the underpinning of a religion.