I completed (slowly) the Sunderland 10K in April, but injured my left knee and hip in training to do so. I’ve never got used to walking/running etc since spending time in hospital, so running no longer feels natural and I seem to pick up injuries in my joints pretty easily.

Anyhow, excuses over, I have another 10K I’d like to do on Saturday. I’ve been running four miles with a walk halfway for the past few weeks, and done a straight five this morning, albeit rather slowly, the question is, do I run five miles at each session on Monday and Wednesday this week and risk injury, or do something completely different instead.

For what its worth, five mile today had me knackered.

Cheers

Paulo.

If I was you and had your medical history, I would be going for building up strength by finding some hills to run up to help prevent injuries. As for the 10k next week – I’d be doing heehaw this week and just go out and run the thing.

I’d try and get a physio assessment of your weak points and get a program for fixing them – you can’t train and get fitter and stronger if you’re injured.
I’m racing a lot at the moment – 5 and 10k and only running twice a week – but 2-3 core and flexibility sessions a week. My coach swears by self-massage using a foam roller too

I’ll be honest, the last doctor I saw told me not to run, and the last Physio I saw talked about core stability excercises I’ve ignored both.

I don’t really like runnihg, but would love to don a Great North Run, but think ill have to train longer than average joe to get to 13 miles.

Foam rollers sound interesting. My pattern of injury seems to be knee, followed by hip, which I summise is caused by running with a gammy knee.

Foam rollers – where’s the evidence to support their use then?

But anyway – put some strengthening exercises into your training and that’ll sort you right out.

I had the same issues, gammy ankles, gammy knees, blows my hip out every time.

My advice would be: lose some weight (in which case running might actually become enjoyable) or give up. There’s nothing more miserable than plodding along slowly (been there myself) and it’s obviously causing damage to your body. (I am not a doctor, or a physio 😀 ).

I’ve lost two stone, down to 16stone two, but that’s not really Amy better than my previous normal weight. I’m running to help lose weight, so it’s a vicious circle.

Don’t exercise to lose weight – not saying that’s impossible, but it’s the hardest way. Clean up your diet/eat less and combined with moderate exercise the weight will go. Much less stressful on the body. (Speaking from experience, sounds like I was in a similar boat to you a couple of years ago). There are a million diet threads/arguments on here for inspiration.

I think my diet is pretty much in control, not to the point of being miserable or obsessive,

My advice would be not to run!

It’s not the greatest exercise anyway

How about cycling – as you’re posting on STW?

Also, if you’re trying to lose body fat, and you can’t do it by diet alone? This means your diet isn’t under control….

Knock the run on the head until you’re healthy enough to complete 10k in training without risking injury. It is brttrr to live to fight another day.

Also, if you’re trying to lose body fat, and you can’t do it by diet alone? This means your diet isn’t under control….

Erm, I’ve lost two stone.…

I was picking up a few niggling knee pains from running, think I’ve now accepted that it’s not working for me and if I’m honest I wasn’t really enjoying it anyway.

I now use that time to jump on the turbo trainer instead, much stronger rider as a result and far more than when I was running.

Probably not what you want to hear if you’ve got an event in mind, but since you don’t enjoy it…

I’m about your weight OP, (5’9″tall), so technically quite obese. I ran 10k this morning, albeit slowly. (1hr10min). My diet is crap. I comfort eat to the point of gluttony, & can’t seem to summon the strength to stop. I think the only reason I don’t pile any more on is because, despite my weight, I am fairly active. I cycle to work (& tthat’s carrying two boys on the back of a cargo bike to school first). I have seen moderate success from diets in the past but until I can crack the comfort eating thing I doubt much will work. 🙁
But I stay optimistic.
Anyhow, enough waffle, suffice to say although my 10k was a slow one I like the feeling of being out running, especially really early. I’m happy to just be plodding along. Same on the bike, most of my rides are singlespeed, as I like to spin along merrily merrily but get out the saddle for climbing. I’m dead keen to get another road bike soon.

What’s the point of my post…there isn’t one, but just wanted to let you know your not alone. Listen to what your joints are telling you. I start VERY slow, & finish with a 1/4 mile warm down walk & some stretching.
Cheers all.

Yoga has helped my flexibility and core strength. My knees have never been better.

I think there needs to be some treatment of the cause of the injuries, not the symptoms. Foam rolling, etc, is all very well, but, with all due respect you’re trying to do too much too soon, weighing too much.

Speaking from experience, I’ve gone from a 17 stone, heavy drinking, chain smoking mountain biker three years ago, to a 13 stone, heavy drinking, mountain biker, roadie, and 46 minute 10k runner.

Slow steady progress and a careful monitoring of food intake. Nothing fancy. Gentle warmups, walking when I needed to at first. Training as hard as I could consistently train. Ie, always being capable of doing the next session.

I’d move your sessions to Tuesday and Thursday if possible, and drop them to no more than 3 miles at a slow pace. Saturday, do a mile at a slow pace.

Race day, look at the pace you did 5 miles at the other day and knock 15-20 seconds a mile off it. You’ll be able to run your 10k at that pace.

paulosoxo – Member
…I’ve never got used to walking/running etc since spending time in hospital, so running no longer feels natural and I seem to pick up injuries in my joints pretty easily…

I can relate to that. Running and other activities just didn’t feel right – my reactions and proprioception were all wrong. Even now 20+ years after G-B, if I try to catch something unexpected with my right hand I’m about 2 cm out, although there’s no problem if I have time to process it.

I reluctantly stopped running, which I used to love, after a string of injuries to feet, knees etc, caused by the reaction problem IMO. I also gave up paddling my surfski and had to become ultra cautious on my motorbike.

What I did keep doing was walking up steep hills and riding singlespeed (often a combined operation 🙂 ) and that’s what kept me going.

Erm, I’ve lost two stone….

not really Amy better than my previous normal weight. I’m running to help lose weight, so it’s a vicious circle.

It’s easy to lose the first bit, even the special k diet will do this.

I’m not trying to do down your achievements so far, in fact it’s a great effort. It’s just if you want to go further it might take a change of strategy and actually involve eating more and less pavement pounding!

Hmm… Bit of a can of worms here.

As a former chunky person, 5’9 and over 17 stone, I can relate to where you are.

Now as a 12 stone, 45min 10k runner, my top tips are:
– diet. Eat until you’re full, not till you feel ill, don’t eat crap, have some wine and cake occasionally. Almonds are a decent snack food. A packet of crisps now makes me feel I’ll. I eat a few crisps occasionally though.
– exercise. You’ll get faster with a combination of long, slow runs and faster, shorter sessions (especially intervals). Don’t run injured. Cycling is natural interval training (hills)
– core work/yoga etc is incredibly beneficial. You’ll be running more freely if that makes sense

Cheers all, just done a steady 30 on the road bike today, and enjoyed it,

CaptJon, come round and we’ll do some yoga on the lawn! It’s been too long.

Epicyclo, I imagine this is a reflex thing? Although I still have quite a lot of nerve damage, numb fingers and feet, get disorientated, have to go up and down supermarket aisles one side at a time or else I get dizzy, and don’t seem to have any reflexes on my lower limbs

Did you ever get that back?

paulosoxo – Member
…Epicyclo, I imagine this is a reflex thing? Although I still have quite a lot of nerve damage, numb fingers and feet, get disorientated, have to go up and down supermarket aisles one side at a time or else I get dizzy, and don’t seem to have any reflexes on my lower limbs

Did you ever get that back?

Not perfectly. It feels much better now than it was just after, but I have never fully recovered my upper body strength. These days it’s a minor inconvenience. There’s been some improvement but it’s mainly adaptation IMO, but generally it’s only when I get a reminder that I think of the G-B now.

The main thing is to keep going. At least G-B is something from which a recovery (of sorts) is possible, and the only way to recover is to keep exercising those muscles that are still working, but rest when you feel like it, ie learn to pace yourself. It’s a bit like avoiding the bonk, you learn the tipping point and try to stay away from it.

Remember it’s about enjoying your activity, not grinding yourself into the ground. I like this approach Slow Bicycle Movement

It’s good to hear that people like yourself and Bregante seem to have done so well post GBS, it’s hard to get any kind of idea of outcome as so little is understood. My consultant was happy that I was recovering, and I think he’s kind of of the opinion that I’m as well as I’m going to get, so I’ll just have to get on with it. Which I suppose is right. It suits me, it’s just frustrating at time, as I’m sure you well know.

It’s really all about allowing enough time and not giving up. You sound on course. 🙂

I got round in 1:04 today. I was on course to get in under the hour mark at half way, but I didn’t have legs in the end. Thoroughly enjoyed it though 🙂

Good work. I could only just break the hour this time last year and can go sub 45 mins now, so stick at it (and train with a club).

Good work, cracking effort.

Cheers matey. It’s times like today that make me pleased to have numb feet 🙂

A little update.

Just ran 10 mile in 1:49, Great North Run in a couple of weeks and then, retirement. Yey!

Great stuff!

Gbs sounds intense!!

It was a reet laugh 😉

Why retire just as you’re getting good at it ?

Good luck on the GNR itself, and enjoy.

I’m secretly starting to enjoy it as well.

I hated running. Then I duffed my knee (in a freak turbo trainer accident) and couldn’t run. Missed it awfully. Two years on, now running again. Joy.

The last fat knacker update:

Got round the Great North Run in 2:26 today. That was mint. Fantastic event.

Well done mate. Fantastic achievement.
Marathon next?

Marathon next?

Absolutely no chance! 🙂

🙂