So, started couch to 5k three weeks ago. So far, following the plan assiduously, I’ve suffered shin splints and a pulled calf muscle.

On Monday – start of week 3 – I started out with a slight soreness to my knee after getting back on the road bike on Sunday. After the run – and to now – my knee is very sore. Not swollen, just sore – it hurts on the inside of the leg in the lower part of the knee.

I’ve iced, elevated and all of that. It hurts when I walk (making me limp), roll over in bed etc. I wouldn’t be that bothered*, but (1) I wanted to get fit again and (2) I’ve got an exercise ECG coming up that I can;t miss….

*I’m hopeless at sorting out injuries with proper treatment.

*sucks air through teeth*

Sounds like cat AIDS…..

Pulled calg muscle would put pressure on that part of your knee when it was going into a protective spasm and tightening itself up.

Give it a couple of days to settle down then take it from there in increasing your exercise levels again. Maybe try doing your runs on a softer surface.

Pulled calf was other leg….

Have rested (to extent poss) since Monday, and it’s no less sore. Feels very “jointy”, rather than muscle/tendon.

My knees are generally knackered from the 20 years I played hockey on astroturf, but were much better when I was riding lots.

Trying to get into running has been tortuous with barely any actual running done!

Poor hip flexion & weak glutes can lead to calf & knee issues..

ITBS aka runners knee.

ITBS causes paon on the outside, right? This is a sharp pain on the inside.

You got proper shoes for your gait?

No. Just some “running” shoes bought several years ago and barely used.

Gout, gangrene or lepresy, or something fatal.

Good night sweet child

On the shoe front (avoiding the minimalist route) go and get your gait looked at by a local shop. Then get an appropriate shoe. Doesn’t have to be expensive.

Also, are you running on the roads/pavements?

sounds like old age to me….

Old age and f—ed from first time around

Stick with cycling then?

Rest a bit and then go and do some hill climbs on the bike when standing and spinning at a reasonable cadence. This should strengthen/stabalise your knees and make the running easier – it works for me.

Can’t advise on medics but I run a bit further 3x week. Take advice above, get your gait checked out and proper shoes. I started like you some years back, wrong shoes knackerd knee, out for weeks. Recovered right shoes. Big difff. Also do a few stretches at start and finish of run but most important what works for me, start each run slowly, forget speed just slowly get into your stide and find your own pace. Your pace 15 mins in will be fastr than the start with any notice Works for me. Keep with it.

…following the plan assiduously,

if your knees are prematurely old and knackered, follow the plan more slowly?

(rest and recover first)

don’t run up or down hills. ever*.

(*your body will tell you when it’s time to ignore me)

Pulled calf was other leg….

Possibly compensating for that by putting unusual pressure on the other leg?

Get new shoes from a running shop as pie monster says

Don’t run on the pavements if you can avoid it until you are stronger, It really hammers your knees

Go and see a physio! You can get a referral on the NHS from your doctor, I get in to see mine that way within 3 days :-). Yours might be a bit slower so you might need to go private.

I have allsorts of sporting ailments being an old giffer who started sport in my mid forties.

Currently having a knee issue which is caused by my hip, and got some exercises to strengthen and balance up my muscles.

Seeing a great difference within 2 weeks, and I have been running and cycling during that period.

On the subject of shoes – I got some running shoes from a proper shop, after they did a gait analysis. Those shoes always give me shin splints, so that was £70 wasted!

I went in to a another running shop a couple of months later and bought some shoes that felt like they fitted perfectly from their sale rack, no gait analysis, but a bit of fit and feel advice from the shop owner, and hey presto no more shin splints! I do all distances up to half mara and lots of triathlons and duathlons as well as 3 runs a week.

I think fit and feel is more important IMHO.