dgirard

I tried the fence steppers a few days ago and my left hip clunked loudly each time I tried it. A very unsettling feeling!

So I got back out there today after three days of rest and damn that was hard! I decided to repeat w1d3 as a way to see if my hip was completely healed. I didn't expect it to be so difficult. I just couldn't get into a groove. I felt awkward the whole time. And by the end when I was walking my legs started feeling extra weak. I'm glad I ran though. It seems like any time longer than one day off is too much. I start to lose enthusiasm. I think on Friday I will start week 2 over again. I need the extra exercise.

The day that I started hurting I had switched from running on Tarmac to running on the trail. She thinks I may have just twisted my hip a bit on the trail due to the uneven surface. She said I should just be a bit more careful to prevent getting injured again.

What a lot of people do when they feel they are struggling is to repeat the last week until they feel they can conquer it. It might help you to redo week 4 once or even twice until it's no longer such a challenge. Then move on to week 5. Also, KellyAnn's suggestion to cross train is a great idea. You need to get those other muscles at top form in order for the whole body to work well together. Good luck and keep up the enthusiasm! If you want it bad enough you will find a way to do it

Thanks Azatol, that makes a lot of sense.

After waking up this morning my hip felt almost as bad as the first day. So I decided to go to the chiropractor to get this thing delt with. She said I had a sacroiliac joint subluxation. That's what I had suspected after doing some research earlier. She used a ramped up tens unit and adjusted me and said I should just keep walking until it feels completely better. Then I can slowly start running again. I'm not quite sure how long that will take but I don't suspect more than a week.

Sdbeachgirl, I've been running in Nike Shox. They are really stiff and clunky, but I got them before I started running. They have a huge heel. I've been looking at buying a pair of shoes that are more minimal, but I really don't know what's best for me. It also seems like quite an investment! As far as surface, I've been running on the streets in my neighborhood, but yesterday I found a really nice dirt trail close to my house that I will probably keep using.

Not that I know very much about it because I am a beginner. But from what I've read, a high/quick cadence is important to prevent over striding, which can lead to heel striking. Both of those are jarring to the knees, hips, and spine. So a quick cadence makes the stride shorter and reduces the jarring forces on the body.

Good news! After getting up and moving around a little this morning my hip feels much better. Not 100% but I can definitely walk now. I think I'm gonna head out into this wonderful sunny weather for an easy walk to help loosen me up a bit. The weather is great today so I'd hate to waste it!

Hi everyone, I injured myself yesterday from what I believe was inadequate stretching. So I'm curious about the whole topic of dynamic stretching before a run vs. normal stretching. I know normal stretching before is bad, but does that mean any stretching with cold muscles is bad? For example, just stretching without working out before or after? I'm just a little confused on the whole subject. If you want to stretch to increase flexibility do you need to warm up first?

So it looks like I'm injured. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I think it has to do with inadequate cool down/stretching and the added stress of changing my running style. I felt fine after the run, then sat down for about 20 minutes and once I got up it felt like I had pulled a muscle near my left sacroiliac joint. The pain steadily got worse until I was almost doubled over in pain from trying to walk to the kitchen. I tried some stretching but it didn't seem to help. So I've been alternating ice and heat for the remainder of the day and it's gotten a little bit better, but I can still barely walk. I hope it gets better soon because I hate the idea I missed running days. Does anyone have any advice?

I think I might know what you're talking about. I just started week two and the weather has been fairly chilly. After my runs sometimes I feel like i need to cough, not because there's a catch in my throat, but almost like my lungs feel a bit rattly. I think it mostly has to do with the cold air and the increased exercise to my lungs and diaphragm. Hope this helps.

Thanks sdbeachgirl, running really does help with stress. I just got back from finishing w2d1. Man that was tough. I've been reading a lot on how to go from being a heel striker to a forefoot striker. I was really surprised at how easy it was mentally to make the transition. It was harder to sustain physically though. I felt like I had to run faster to not fall back into heel striking and I was taking longer strides. So that coupled with starting week two made for a tough day. On the second to last run I was going up a hill and felt like my legs just couldn't go any further and I felt nauseous so I stopped for a second. Then I started walking again and I was so disappointed with myself for giving up that I started wheezing. I don't have asthma or anything but this felt like an asthma attack. I returned to normal after a few minutes but I scared my boyfriend, who was running with me, pretty bad. Let's just say I'll probably have to repeat w2d1. And next time I need to focus on regulating my breathing more. Most of the run today I wasn't paying attention to it, so I'm sure I was hyperventilating quite a bit. I'm sure that didn't help with the nausea and wheezing.

So week two starts tomorrow and I've lost a lot of my enthusiasm. I haven't been sleeping well for the past few nights, so I've been fairly exhausted. Plus I have a ton of things I need to get done for school so I've been pretty stressed about that. I just need to make sure that none of that gets in the way of running, but it's gonna be tough.

Thanks Azatol, your words are always very inspiring. I really like the advice to put the phone away and not think about the time. As far as my gait goes I'm gonna try and go to a running store to get my gait analyzed. I might get some new shoes depending on their suggestions. I've also heard that running on dirt is better for the joints, so I need to try and find a place near me. And thanks for the suggestions. I agree that walking to warm up isn't enough. I'll have to look into that. I'm eager for week 2 to start, I may repeat a day of week one if I get too impatient.

Hi everyone! I want to keep a log of my runs and experiences so I don't forget the struggles and triumphs. I figure they can help motivate me later on, especially after I finish the program. I am a 22 year old female 5"8 and approx 155 lbs last time I checked. I have always hated running, but admired runners and their determination, especially when I see them running in the snow/rain. Over the holiday season I gained about 10-15 lbs and was feeling extremely sluggish and unmotivated. About a week and a half ago something clicked and I decided I would go ahead, get off my butt and do something to make myself feel better. I had tried to train for a 5k about 2 years ago with a friend, but she backed out about 1 week in. This time I decided I would do it alone. No relying on another person to give me the motivation. I can run with friends or alone but either way I'm gonna do it! Day 1 was tough. I misunderstood the time on the app so ended up stopping about 12 minutes early, but I honestly felt I couldn't go farther. After the first 2 jogging sessions I really had to pay attention to my breathing and it was cold and windy so my ears, nose, and lungs really hurt. Even though I didn't finish day one I felt good about it. I had finally taken action. The day after day one I went on a long walk. It felt good to loosen up sore muscles. W1D2 I was actually looking forward to my run! I never thought that would happen. I went into this workout with the mentality that I would finish no matter what. It was SO much easier! I could breathe easily I wasn't daunted by the number of jog sessions like I was before. During every walk break I could get my breathing back down to normal. It was like magic! Also, I normally eat/snack out of boredom and am very lethargic. After my run on day 2 I had much more energy and was ravenously hungry. I feel like most of the challenge is mental. You just need the motivation and determination to get out there regardless of the results. I just completed W1D3 and I feel great about myself. It's so uplifting the amount of progress I have made in only 1 week. If I just monitor my breathing and make sure I don't go too fast (which I have a tendency of doing at first) then I can complete the whole workout with relative ease. I did have a bit of trouble with my shins today. During the second or third running session the outside front of my shins started to burn almost like a cramp. I had to stop walking once to stretch them because they were burning so bad. I am running in a hilly area on Tarmac with Nike Shox. I also think I heel strike a bit so that might have something to do with it. Does anyone have experience with this? It seems like my symptoms are similar to compartment syndrome but the pain goes away very quickly after I stop running/walking. I think it's mostly heel striking from my shoes and the Tarmac. I'm coming to the realization that I will have to get my gait analyzed and get more appropriate shoes if I want to continue on injury free.

I have also just started c25k and my shins were killing me today on w1d3. I had to stop once to stretch my shins because they were cramping. Does anyone know why?

I also am not an expert, but I have noticed it helps me a lot to breathe in through nose for 3-4 beats/steps and out through mouth for 2-3. If you let your breathing get too fast you can hyperventilate and your lungs get fatigued much faster. I've also noticed it's important to keep breathing at this rhythm when walking or otherwise you can get light headed.