Any runners on here, why do my legs hurt??

Ok,

so in the past 11 weeks ive dropped over 2 stone by doing lots of none impact cardio and weights, although i will do a bit of running if its part of a circuit that im doing.

so i feel great and have loads more energy and thought i would have a go at starting to run again.

over the last 4 weeks ive built up to doing a 5 k run on a treadmill 2 times a week and also 1 interval session too.

however my legs are in bits when i finish the run and for a few days after??

the pain is literall just below my knees on both legs at the front and also my left calf??

i had an operation in 2002 for compartment syndrome in both my legs and since then ive never really done much running?

do you think its a case of my legs/muscles getting used to running again or am i falling apart ?

is there anything i can do to stop or help the pain subside?

i really want to keep running as im getting the bug for it again!!

cheers

steve

if the pain is down the front of the shin then i had similar and was told that i wasn’t moving my foot properly, i needed to push though the step with my toes and stretch the front of the shin. i did that and it stopped

if the pain isn’t down the front of the shin then its proabaly nothing to do with everything i’ve just said.

Sounds like you may be going into it a bit hard – even though the distances are relatively small running can be immensely hard on you if you’re not used to it.

Keep doing it but cut back a bit (IMO) – do 3 lots of 2k maybe? then increase over time.

Runners knee?
Knee pain is a tricky one to diagnose. And is often a manifestation from a problem elsewhere. What is your running gait like? Heel striker or mid-foot?
Do you have a stretching routine away from exercise sessions?

4 weeks of running is not enough to introduce a session of interval training. Even the best runners only do 1 session of very hard speedwork a week.

You need to have been running more than 10 k total per week for 4 weeks to introduce speedwork into a training routine.

Try stopping the speed session and doing 1 of your 5k’s at a varied pace aka fartlek. Turn your spped session into a gentle recovary run. Re-evaluate after 1 more month.

PLEASE SLOW DOWN, hurting yourself isn’t worth it. Running is far harder on your legs than cycling, i used to run marathons but due to the fact i thought i was a ‘girl’ if i didn’t run through pain, i now only run 1/2 hour at a time.

Take a couple of weeks off and then build up VERY slowly.

Shin splints?

I’d hazard that perhaps you need better shoes. Consider gait analasys at a running shop.

Also, cool down properly.

how old are you? – your age will affect how quickly you adapt to exercise.

don’t run as far, and do it slower.

try 1k – seriously – and see how you feel over the next 2 days.

increase your distance/speed as your body allows you to.

Anyway, 2stone in 11weeks! – bloody hell that’s impressive!

I had similar and was advised that the thin muscle sheet was not supple enough. Are you supple or stiff as a board like me? Good quality calf stretching and that one where you look like you’re having a poo on an invisible toilet were prescribed by the physio and so far so good.

Pain in your calf is probably a pulled muscle, rest up, take a week off the running and then see how it’s doing. Just below the knee pain could* be ITBS (Iliotibial Band Syndrome) maybe overuse irritation. a rest and shorter distances will help. think about gait analysis, but RICE is your best bet I reckon.

shorter distances, slower. Rest.

*I ain’t no doctor.

Possibly shin splints, try running off-road.

Read the book born to run. It might go some way to helping. Or look for the thread on here about barefoot running. You may well be doing too much too early too fast

barefoot running is not the be all and end all of curing running problems. In fact I’d go as far to say you’ll end up f**ked if you try it right now…

Sorry, I may well be confused here – are you saying that you ONLY run on a treadmill?

CG running off road is pretty hard if you’re just starting running. Your legs need time to TTFU (if you see what i mean) it’s uneven , your ankles knees, hips all need to be very flexible and used to the surface, it’s softer for sure, but in lots of ways it’s harder than tread-mils (which are pretty cushioned) or even the road (harder surface, but even)

I’d never recommend a new runner to go straight off road, it’s a recipe for injury.

nick – yes I appreciate what you are saying. My concern is (I ran for 10 years up to off-road marathon distance) with running on a treadmill, the gait may well not be a natural one. One has to concentrate obviously but it’s easy to run in an unrelaxed way.

Obviously follows that shoulders and arms may not be relaxed either. Plus there is the added distraction of MTV with its scantily dressed ladies too!

Aye, CG. Good point.

treadmills are weird to run on…

I should point out that my views stem from getting serious shin splints that took ages to clear. Running 6 days a week, sometimes twice a day, did not help. 😳

I switched to off-road, got sucked into stupid off-road events then eventually had to give up cos my body was knackered due to a pre-existing non-running problem.

Mtb is my running substitute!!

I get leg pain when I run on the treadmill. Never had a serious problem when running outside, whether it be road, grass, or fell.

Build up slowly running outside. Make sure you have a day of doing something else in between each run to start.

New trainers may also help.

Barefoot running ifdone properly (in yhos case slowly) is probably more likely to provide a natural solution. If you can cope there is another book i have been recommended called the lore of running. I havent read it ye.i reckon it’ll take a year or more to read!

The ‘lore of running’ is a classic, doesnt throw up any surprises though, it just covers the whole spectrum of running, very well!

so in the past 11 weeks ive dropped over 2 stone by doing lots of none impact cardio and weights, although i will do a bit of running if its part of a circuit that im doing.

so i feel great and have loads more energy and thought i would have a go at starting to run again.

over the last 4 weeks ive built up to doing a 5 k run on a treadmill 2 times a week and also 1 interval session too

congrats on the over 2 stone that is (non patronising) impressive
you don’t say what you weigh but 3 sessions a week on a treadmill plus what ever else is going to put a lot of pressure on muscles and joints if starting from scratch – i’d ask someone at the gym to look at your program (you don’t usually need a personal trainer for this – just ask whoever did yr induction or the person bored at the desk) unless you are intent on running in some sort of race and are going to accept long term damage as part of the price try swopping the treadmill for cycling or striding or rowing – using a heart rate monitor or the machines energy output (usually joules) to maintain similar work levels and good luck

I find cycling far more problematic for my knees, I can run all day and my shins/knees are ok, but when I finish a ride my knees often ache. Horses for courses I guess.

Raise your saddle?

You’re maybe right, but it’s always happened whatever height my saddle is, I don’t use spuds either.

Just out of interest OP – did you have a fasciotomy?

How well did the operation go?

It doesnt sound like runners knee or ITB imo. Both of those would exhibit pain around a specific area and are easier to diagnose.
Sounds more like shin splints which is a typical problem when building mileage.
Take a bit of time off and then resume slowly but get off the treadmill! run on grass if possible.

Theres a lot of rubbish talked on this thread as well. for example

Even the best runners only do 1 session of very hard speedwork a week.

and

Barefoot running ifdone properly (in yhos case slowly) is probably more likely to provide a natural solution

Ignore this and just build slowly on grass and make sure your shoes are reasonably good and have good cushioning. Just keep your lower legs supple and stretch post run, ice them if they are tender and take anti inflammatories if you can. Dont continue to run through this pain as it will only get worse and may even fracture.

Excuse me Mr Sufer, I am a former top level county standard runner, and RAF cross country champion, with a marathon pb of 2:35. I have trained regularly with some of the countries best distance distance runners including steeplechase and 400m hurdles olympians, therefore I would class myself as quite knowledgeable on the subject of running.

What I said was not rubbish, please define why it was rubbish What are your credentials for stating that my point was rubbish!

Oh yeah forgot to add, UKA level 2 coach as well! Although to be honest this has lapsed, as I grew tired of a lifetime of being force fed running, I could not be bothered to keep it current!

Its a shame Surfer is so quick to dismiss other peoples advice because his final paragraph is very good advice.

read the books and do a google search for the harvard bare foot running website. Keep an open mind and i swear it’ll change your life IF you are patient and keep things slow, building up over a long period of time.

You don’t need to be blowing chunks for a run to be effective!

Can I suggest also going to see a good quality physio who can identify the problem and help you to recover.

I ended up with pain just below the knee and it turned out to be a Pes Anserine Bursa by going to hard after a short lay off once. Have a rest then ease in slowly and can I suggest running on flat grass to ease the impact.

Agree about last paragraph, the trouble is that people read Runners world every month, and then think they are experts!

Top level distance runners often run several interval sessions per week even 5 and 10k runners. Shorter distance runners often do little but interval running as its proven as the most time and effort efficient way to improve performance.
I can point to almost every top UK distance runner and I will gurantee a large portion of their weekly training is either interval or multi tiered/fartlek based. From Gordon Pirie to Seb Coe. Coe’s training was so interval based he barely counted his steady running. I’m surprised that if you are a coach you didnt already know this.
I’ve never read runnersworld so I cant comment my experience is similar to yours and based on around 25 years of running, also against some top runners.
Barefoot running is still a fad and until I see top level athletes using the method consitently then I stand by what I said.

RAF cross country champion

What year where you RAF champion?

definetely Shin splints

Im not getting into an internet forum slanging match, I have better things to do. I was purely trying to respond to the OP’s question. Obvioulsy he should have just emailed you directly, being the expert who likes to dismiss other peoples advice and comments.

Im going out for a run 🙂

Still interested in when you were RAF champion?

I lived in Lincoln for 2 years and ran against a lot of RAF guys, always jealous that they got loads of time off to train and compete.

Surfer have you read any of the stuff i mentioned?

Btw i have nothing for or against interval running. Other than to mention one of the athletes mentioned in born to run seemed to use it very effectivly.

No, i’ve dismissed it and although myself and Deep river can discuss our differences, (I didnt mean to dismiss his comments out of hand as I did)
Yours on the other hand are snake oil as far as I am concerned and I haven’t read much about astrology either but I would put that in the same category

I apologise for coming across so rude but this is poor advice on any level and the op needs good advice. If you want to run barefoot then great but its bordering on reckless to advocate this to an inexperienced runner in my opinion.