Can I finish my C25K?
June 20, 2011 10:29 AM Subscribe
Do these sound like shin splints?
I have been doing the Couch to 5K running program, and today I am supposed to run week 6, day 3 (25 minute run). I've been running in cheap tennis shoes I bought at a Target-like store nearby. They weren't sized or selected for my feet. I run on a concrete loop in an enclosed park in my apartment complex.
I stretch before and after running and both warm down and cool up by walking. Just today, I noticed a sort of sharp, shooting pain, only in my left leg, on the front of my shin bone. It's just right in the middle, a spot about halfway between my ankle and my knee. I only notice it when I walk, and it was only bothering me for a few minutes this morning and again when I got up to walk after eating lunch. It doesn't hurt when I flex my foot up or down.
Do these sound like shin splints? I am a new runner, so I don't really know how they feel. I don't know if I over- pronate. I REALLY don't want to stop running and fall behind in all the progress I made, and I am really excited to run a 5K when I go home (I'm abroad) in three weeks. I'll be massively dissapointed if anything sidlines me!
What can I do now to prevent/stop them from progressing, besides stopping the C25K? As soon as I make it home I can buy real running shoes and run on a better surface, but for the next few weeks, I am pretty much stuck with what I have.
Any help is much appreciated!
I have been doing the Couch to 5K running program, and today I am supposed to run week 6, day 3 (25 minute run). I've been running in cheap tennis shoes I bought at a Target-like store nearby. They weren't sized or selected for my feet. I run on a concrete loop in an enclosed park in my apartment complex.
I stretch before and after running and both warm down and cool up by walking. Just today, I noticed a sort of sharp, shooting pain, only in my left leg, on the front of my shin bone. It's just right in the middle, a spot about halfway between my ankle and my knee. I only notice it when I walk, and it was only bothering me for a few minutes this morning and again when I got up to walk after eating lunch. It doesn't hurt when I flex my foot up or down.
Do these sound like shin splints? I am a new runner, so I don't really know how they feel. I don't know if I over- pronate. I REALLY don't want to stop running and fall behind in all the progress I made, and I am really excited to run a 5K when I go home (I'm abroad) in three weeks. I'll be massively dissapointed if anything sidlines me!
What can I do now to prevent/stop them from progressing, besides stopping the C25K? As soon as I make it home I can buy real running shoes and run on a better surface, but for the next few weeks, I am pretty much stuck with what I have.
Any help is much appreciated!
Also the crappy shoes might be contributing if the anatomy of your feet is at all weird. If it were me I would be taking maximum doses of ibuprofen every day for a week or so, putting ice on the sore spots after a run, doing ankle/foot/calf stretches (example), and doing what I could to get better shoes.
Please do your own research and/or consult with a medical professional before embarking on a self-medication regime.
posted by thirteenkiller at 10:38 AM on June 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
Please do your own research and/or consult with a medical professional before embarking on a self-medication regime.
posted by thirteenkiller at 10:38 AM on June 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
yeah, that's shin splints. it's basically a pain of your fascia—the layer of tissue binding muscle into the body—stretching further than it's used to.
easy way to relieve some (not all) of the pain is to find a semi-firm foam or padded roller. get down on all fours with the roller under your afflicted shin and roll back and forth vertically up and down your shin. it'll kind of hurt, but will start to feel better quickly.
don't apply so much pressure you're causing more pain by mashing all of your body weight onto it. keep on keeping on for a few munites and you'll be able to apply more pressure.
don't try to "run through" the pain, you could actually tear your fascia slightly, which hurts like whoa. run up to the point of it, and when it starts, you should slow down to a painless gait or stop.
posted by patricking at 10:43 AM on June 20, 2011
easy way to relieve some (not all) of the pain is to find a semi-firm foam or padded roller. get down on all fours with the roller under your afflicted shin and roll back and forth vertically up and down your shin. it'll kind of hurt, but will start to feel better quickly.
don't apply so much pressure you're causing more pain by mashing all of your body weight onto it. keep on keeping on for a few munites and you'll be able to apply more pressure.
don't try to "run through" the pain, you could actually tear your fascia slightly, which hurts like whoa. run up to the point of it, and when it starts, you should slow down to a painless gait or stop.
posted by patricking at 10:43 AM on June 20, 2011
Response by poster: I am pretty sure I do have flat feet, but I don't know if I overpronate or not.
Can I run through these for the next three weeks? I can try and find a non-concrete place to run, but I don't think the shoes are going to change until I get back in the US.
I am following C25K to a tee.. even doing it slowly. So why is this happening?!
posted by queens86 at 10:44 AM on June 20, 2011
Can I run through these for the next three weeks? I can try and find a non-concrete place to run, but I don't think the shoes are going to change until I get back in the US.
I am following C25K to a tee.. even doing it slowly. So why is this happening?!
posted by queens86 at 10:44 AM on June 20, 2011
Better shoes and not running on concrete will help.
A good preventative measure is to walk around for a few minutes a day on your heels, with your toes not touching the ground. This strengthens the muscles in your shins.
posted by auto-correct at 10:44 AM on June 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
A good preventative measure is to walk around for a few minutes a day on your heels, with your toes not touching the ground. This strengthens the muscles in your shins.
posted by auto-correct at 10:44 AM on June 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: patricking, it hasn't hurt when actually running yet. I last ran on Friday, supposed to run today, but I have just begun noticing it while walking around today.
posted by queens86 at 10:45 AM on June 20, 2011
posted by queens86 at 10:45 AM on June 20, 2011
Even running on asphalt (road) is better than running on concrete (sidewalk). I would switch to the road if at all possible if I were you.
One thing that may help with the shin splints: every night, sit in a chair, and put several sections of a newspaper on the floor in front of you. Try rolling up the paper into cylinders with your toes.
posted by Ashley801 at 10:50 AM on June 20, 2011
One thing that may help with the shin splints: every night, sit in a chair, and put several sections of a newspaper on the floor in front of you. Try rolling up the paper into cylinders with your toes.
posted by Ashley801 at 10:50 AM on June 20, 2011
based on my experience, in that case, you should take it easy a little bit. if it's not hurting while you run, then you're just stretching yourself further, which is to be expected since you're going to a further step in your program. that concrete probably isn't helping your world.
if you wanna measure your flatfootedness. make a wet footprint on the ground. if you see the entire outline of your foot, you're flatfooted like a duck. :) here's a simple diagram of some variations.
posted by patricking at 10:50 AM on June 20, 2011
if you wanna measure your flatfootedness. make a wet footprint on the ground. if you see the entire outline of your foot, you're flatfooted like a duck. :) here's a simple diagram of some variations.
posted by patricking at 10:50 AM on June 20, 2011
I am following C25K to a tee.. even doing it slowly. So why is this happening?!
Buy quality running shoes and don't run on concrete. If these two things weren't mentioned in your couch to 5K program, they should have been.
As soon as I make it home I can buy real running shoes and run on a better surface, but for the next few weeks, I am pretty much stuck with what I have.
You need to stop running in your crappy shoes on concrete NOW, not in a few weeks. No matter how much you may have your heart set on this program, these two things are non-negotiable for beginner runners. Otherwise, you can expect to not be able run for as much as half a year.
posted by fugitivefromchaingang at 11:29 AM on June 20, 2011
Buy quality running shoes and don't run on concrete. If these two things weren't mentioned in your couch to 5K program, they should have been.
As soon as I make it home I can buy real running shoes and run on a better surface, but for the next few weeks, I am pretty much stuck with what I have.
You need to stop running in your crappy shoes on concrete NOW, not in a few weeks. No matter how much you may have your heart set on this program, these two things are non-negotiable for beginner runners. Otherwise, you can expect to not be able run for as much as half a year.
posted by fugitivefromchaingang at 11:29 AM on June 20, 2011
Yes, it sounds like you have shin splints. I had them when I started running faster/farther. I didn't feel any pain while running but usually felt it the next day when walking/climbing stairs.
To stop shin splints from getting worse you need to do one, some or all of the below:
- Reduce the speed that you are running
- Reduce the distance that you are running
- Reduce the frequency that you are running (take longer breaks in between runs) and rest more
- Run on softer surfaces (any way you can run on dirt/grass/cinder instead of concrete?)
- Stop running so that your heel strikes the ground first if you are indeed "heel-striking"
- Get shoes that correct for under/over pronation if you are under/over pronating
- Strengthen the muscles and tendons in the front of your lower leg. One exercise for this is to stand with your back against a wall. Move your heels so they are ~1 foot away from the wall. Raise your toes/front of your foot as high as you can while keeping your heels on the ground and hold for several seconds, then lower them back to an inch or so above the ground (do NOT lower your foot all the way back to resting on the ground). Repeat for 5-8 repetitions and try to work your way up to 20-30 repetitions.
What worked for me was a combination of a 2 month break from running and the exercise described above.
posted by de void at 12:00 PM on June 20, 2011
To stop shin splints from getting worse you need to do one, some or all of the below:
- Reduce the speed that you are running
- Reduce the distance that you are running
- Reduce the frequency that you are running (take longer breaks in between runs) and rest more
- Run on softer surfaces (any way you can run on dirt/grass/cinder instead of concrete?)
- Stop running so that your heel strikes the ground first if you are indeed "heel-striking"
- Get shoes that correct for under/over pronation if you are under/over pronating
- Strengthen the muscles and tendons in the front of your lower leg. One exercise for this is to stand with your back against a wall. Move your heels so they are ~1 foot away from the wall. Raise your toes/front of your foot as high as you can while keeping your heels on the ground and hold for several seconds, then lower them back to an inch or so above the ground (do NOT lower your foot all the way back to resting on the ground). Repeat for 5-8 repetitions and try to work your way up to 20-30 repetitions.
What worked for me was a combination of a 2 month break from running and the exercise described above.
posted by de void at 12:00 PM on June 20, 2011
Response by poster: My roommate (who's a runner) is adamant that they're not shin splints (since it doesn't hurt when I flex, only when I walk) and because they started to hurt two days after my last run, not the morning after.
Nonetheless, point taken. I am going to try and start running on a wood chip trail at a park near my apartment, and I'll do the exercises. After analyzing my footprint, I am pretty flat-footed :) So as soon as I get home I'll buy some fancy pronation-correction shoes.
posted by queens86 at 1:09 PM on June 20, 2011
Nonetheless, point taken. I am going to try and start running on a wood chip trail at a park near my apartment, and I'll do the exercises. After analyzing my footprint, I am pretty flat-footed :) So as soon as I get home I'll buy some fancy pronation-correction shoes.
posted by queens86 at 1:09 PM on June 20, 2011
They sound like they might be shin splints to me (I remember a jarring pain when running, maybe tenderness when walking, and I think also tenderness if I rubbed just beside & behind the bone about half way up the shin). I used to get them as a teenager when I ran a lot (on the roads) as fitness training for rugby.
In my case, they were easily solved with some orthotic inner soles in my running shoes, to correct the overpronation or whatever was happening. This took me one visit to a sports doctor, who got down low to examine how my feet fell on the ground, then moulded some orthotics with a hairdryer on the spot. Maybe $100 all up, but the problem went away completely.
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:41 PM on June 20, 2011
In my case, they were easily solved with some orthotic inner soles in my running shoes, to correct the overpronation or whatever was happening. This took me one visit to a sports doctor, who got down low to examine how my feet fell on the ground, then moulded some orthotics with a hairdryer on the spot. Maybe $100 all up, but the problem went away completely.
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:41 PM on June 20, 2011
I've had two kinds of shin splints. One was years ago in college when I wasn't even really doing anything particularly athletic. I don't know why it happened but it felt like I had been hit hard with a hammer right in the middle of each shin bone where you describe. It throbbed with pain and I had to put ice on them and lay down. The worst of it lasted for what seemed like a couple hours. God it hurt. WTF! That happened once really bad and once somewhat less bad.
Ever since then in fits and starts I've had what I bet is the more normal kind. It is a similar feeling and location but with less intensity and is aggravated by running. I feel it as I run and have to back off, and I guess maybe I feel it for a while after that but it winds up fading away. It only happens sometimes and I'm not sure why. Same beach, same sand packedness, same shoes, same warm up, slightly different weight maybe. But when it happens I know to take it easy.
posted by Askr at 5:43 PM on June 20, 2011
Ever since then in fits and starts I've had what I bet is the more normal kind. It is a similar feeling and location but with less intensity and is aggravated by running. I feel it as I run and have to back off, and I guess maybe I feel it for a while after that but it winds up fading away. It only happens sometimes and I'm not sure why. Same beach, same sand packedness, same shoes, same warm up, slightly different weight maybe. But when it happens I know to take it easy.
posted by Askr at 5:43 PM on June 20, 2011
Take shorter strides.
I was having shin-pain that sounds pretty similar. A better runner than I suggested taking shorter strides, and the problem went away toot sweet. Give 'er a try.
On preview & re-reading: in my case, I was having the pain only while running. If you're having it with regular old walking, maybe that's something different. Nevertheless, I'd be interested to know if the shorter strides halp.
posted by TangoCharlie at 12:39 AM on June 21, 2011
I was having shin-pain that sounds pretty similar. A better runner than I suggested taking shorter strides, and the problem went away toot sweet. Give 'er a try.
On preview & re-reading: in my case, I was having the pain only while running. If you're having it with regular old walking, maybe that's something different. Nevertheless, I'd be interested to know if the shorter strides halp.
posted by TangoCharlie at 12:39 AM on June 21, 2011
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Running on concrete is the worst culprit.
posted by fire&wings at 10:30 AM on June 20, 2011 [1 favorite]