Newbie runner questions (foam rollers and tight lower legs)

sparklyglitterbomb
sparklyglitterbomb Posts: 458 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm just starting the C25K program (I'm repeating week 2 since I missed a day last week and didn't want to push anything)

I'm running on a treadmill as I build my cardio and get my middle aged body used to this new activity and I've noticed a tightness in my lower legs - more along the outside of my leg than the calf itself. It's not in the shins and the pain isn't particularly sharp, but a bit uncomfortable. Any suggestions as to cause/solution? or is it just my body adapting?

I was also told to look into a foam roller, of which I have zero experience with. What do I look for? what kind do I buy (some are smooth, some are knobby, some solid, some hollow)?

(and if you have any great newbie sites I might check out, I'd appreciate it.)

Just keep running.....

Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Foam rollers come in different densities. Typically (but not always) the white ones the lowest density, blue medium and black the most dense. Some people will start with a white one and then graduate to blue (foam rolling, when done correctly, can actually be a little painful if you're working out the kinks) from the tightness you've described a white one would probably do the trick nicely.

    Watch some videos on youtube re foam rolling. Personally my foam rolling routine cover hamstrings, quads, glute & calves. I also have "The Stick" (stay with a smooth one, I think the knobbly ones are just gimmicky) for really working out the kinks that I use on an as needed basis.

    It sounds like what your feeling is just a normal part of the adaptive process but it's a good idea to address those little niggles before they become really uncomfortable.
  • sparklyglitterbomb
    sparklyglitterbomb Posts: 458 Member
    Awesome, thanks for the guidance, @BrianSharpe! I'll go check out some videos.

    I feel awkward running, so might also be my stride. Onward and forward!
  • SciFish
    SciFish Posts: 23 Member
    Sounds more like a shoe issue to me. It's so easy to get bad shoes for your gait, especially if you go to regular sports shops rather than dedicated running shops. I wear orthotics because of excessive pronation that causes knee pain otherwise. I would hazard a guess that you are pronating or supinating in order to get pain on the outside of both calves. A podiatrist can do an assessment and make recommendations on shoe types quite cheaply, and perhaps correct your gait with orthotics, but you still need a running shop really in order to get the best shoe fit for you.
  • sparklyglitterbomb
    sparklyglitterbomb Posts: 458 Member
    I did get a proper fit at the running shop. Had the videos taken, viewed in slow motion in various shoes. No (or negligible) pronation or supination in the right foot and very little in the left. We went for a shoe with slight stability to correct some of the pronation in the left foot without overcompensating for the lack of in the right.
  • gemdood
    gemdood Posts: 20 Member
    The runningbug.com is a good site
  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
    sparklyglitterbomb wrote: »
    I did get a proper fit at the running shop. Had the videos taken, viewed in slow motion in various shoes. No (or negligible) pronation or supination in the right foot and very little in the left. We went for a shoe with slight stability to correct some of the pronation in the left foot without overcompensating for the lack of in the right.

    This sounds odd,frankly.
    Sounds like a shoe issue.
    What make/model did you get?
    Try foam rolling anyway as it is a runners godsend imo.
    Then revisit show type.
  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
    *shoe type.
  • liftinggoddess123
    liftinggoddess123 Posts: 469 Member
    Try stretching out after your run
  • sparklyglitterbomb
    sparklyglitterbomb Posts: 458 Member
    They are Brooks Dryad 8. I watched the slow motion video with the guy and saw the left foot has a slight pronation, nothing noticeable on the right. I ran on the treadmill 4 times, same result each time, though the last with the shoes there was a touch less of the slight pronation on the left. Even looking at photos online, my ankle/foot looked like the "neutral" images shown in photos.

    Still need to pick up a foam roller.
  • veniceit
    veniceit Posts: 112 Member
    Do you run on a treadmill as well, or outside. I felt like I ran differently on a treadmill (and had trouble with vertigo).
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    I would try stretching after your run. It could possibly a form of cramping also.

    Google "limber11" for some foam rolling.

    Also rolling your feet with a lacrosse ball, wine bottle, bread doe roller on the floor will has been known to loosen the tension in the foot that also effects the area you mentioned.

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