Active Community: Message List

Re: My knees don't like the treadmill. Need advice, please!

IGottaRun — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:48:22 GMT

Well, I think the advice I've gotten from you all, and some others have done the trick. I slowed down, and I started varying the incline back and forth from 0% to .5%. I also put a carpet remnant folded in 1/2 under my TM for cushioning. My TM was sitting on the concrete floor of our basement (it has a very old/thin layer of carpet glued directly onto the cement, but no carpet pad - our basement was finished when we bought the house). Anyway, I feel much better. Yesterday I was able to do a 25 minute run on the TM, and no pain afterwards, other than some normal soreness, which I've been trying to stretch gently multiple times/day.

Thank you call for your help!

Re: Kinda Personal -To all women who are older

IGottaRun — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:09:43 GMT

Have you been to the Dr for a UA to rule out a bladder infection? I'm 35, and have had 3 babies (2 c-sections). I went to the Dr last year for "leaking", and told her that even though I wasn't having typical symptoms, I thought I had a UTI. She told me it was b/c I'd had 3 babies, and was going to prescribe a daily medication for me to take forever, for the leaking. I told her I'd rather have a UA done 1st (I don't want to take any meds if I can avoid it, esp. long-term ones). Guess what! I DID have a UTI (even though I didn't have the typical symptoms, and I know what those are, b/c I've had lots of UTI's in the past).

If you don't have an infection, there are meds you can take, and you can do Kegel exercises. Also, you can wear just a regular maxi-pad when you race, to keep your clothes dry - then you could just chg the pad, rather than changing clothes. Good luck!

Running in 0* for 1st time tomorrow - how many layers should I wear?

IGottaRun — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:50:11 GMT

I've never run in anything below 25, but tomorrow I'm going to try to run outdoors, even though the WC will be 0. I don't have any kind of special running suit for super-cold weather, but I do have one pair UA Coldgear running pants, and one LS UA Coldgear shirt. i have some other running pants, and some LS cotton T-shirts. I have wool socks, hats, neck gaiter, etc.

How many layers would be appropriate for this type of weather? Any suggestions or advice would be really appreciated. TIA!

My knees don't like the treadmill. Need advice, please!

IGottaRun — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:46:06 GMT

B/c of the weather, and having 3 kids ages 7 and under, I've resorted to using the TM at home sometimes, if I absolutely can't run outdoors. At first it was awkward, but I started to run at a slightly faster pace and on a 1% incline (I tried 0.5%, but that didn't feel right, either), and that felt a lot more natural for me.

BUT - after about 2 or 3 runs like this, I started to have excruciating muscle tightness kind of on the inside of my legs above my inner ankle (not really my shins, not my calf, not my ankle, but kind of where the 3 come together, for lack of a better way to describe it). I mean, the pain was so bad that I could barely walk the last time I got off the TM.

Today we were lucky, and the weather was nice (43* and sunny), so I took my 3 yr old in the jogging stroller, and got 3 miles in. My legs/knees feel great. But how can I get to where I can run on the TM if I can't go outdoors. There's going to come a point this winter where I just can't run outdoors b/c it'll end up being too icy/snowy.

I really need to figure out a way to run on the TM without having discomfort. My knees started bothering me when I ran without the incline, I think b/c my stride has to be "shorter" on the TM, or something. Not sure exactly what the problem is - my TM has a fairly long belt, so it's not like I'm gonna fall off the end. It just doesn't feel natural to me, for some reason. The incline takes care of that, but then the constant incline hurts my legs (in an area that I can't really figure out how to stretch, at that).

Please help! TIA!

Re: When to Start Running Program?

IGottaRun — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:22:59 GMT

Congratulations to you for getting started. I am a newbie, too, and at 35 yrs old, I need to lose about 80 lbs. I started a walk/run program in August, since I finally had two kids (out of 3) in school full-time. I began by walking, and when I got up to 4-5 miles walking about 4 days/week, I started adding very short (like 30-40 second) running segments here and there. When I first started, I could run only 3 or 4 minutes out of an entire 4 mile session. Now, about 12 weeks later, I've lost 8 lbs and am running 26 minutes out of a 4 mile session. I'm trying to build up to running 30 minutes without walking. I'm gradually getting there. Just take it slow and listen to your body. I run 3x/week (never 2 days in a row), and stretch a little after I warm up, and a lot after I run. So far, I've had very little discomfort. My knees started to bother me early on, until I read this article: http://www.chirunning.com/shop/pages.php?tab=r&pageid=18&id=37 I haven't had any knee problems since.

Good luck and have fun with it!

What do you do when your shins are sore? Ice, massage, stretch???

IGottaRun — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:16:36 GMT

My shin muscles are sore for the first time since I started running about 12 weeks ago. I've increased my time running substantially, but gradually. I can still run, but was wondering, what's the best way to ease the sore muscles in my shins? Today I stretched them more than usual (after my run), then I massaged the heck out of them, which hurt, but felt a lot better afterwards. So I'm not so sore now, but I'm wondering if anyone else has better ways to relieve sore shins?

Any input would be greatly appreciated! TIA!

Re: Soak in jacuzzi before a run? After?

IGottaRun — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:46:14 GMT

"Caveat: I'm not a doctor, blah, blah, blah"

LOL - Mark, that was very complicated legalese. Can you please use layman's terms? LOL - Just kidding! Seriously, thanks for the input. I definitely understand what you're saying, and I won't use the hot tub for warm up or after a run. It wasn't really something I was planning to do, but I just got to wondering about it. I kind of figured after a run would be bad, as so many people recommend ice baths, instead. I didn't think about the cardio aspect of the warm-up though, or feeling lethargic (did you actually get so relaxed you didn't want to run when you tried it?).

Thanks again for the insight! I learn something on this board every day!

Soak in jacuzzi before a run? After?

IGottaRun — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:26:52 GMT

I saw a chiro yesterday for a very painful, inflammated muscle in my hip. After having an adjustment, it feels much better, and she recommended moist heat. Today I soaked in the hottest water in the jacuzzi that I could stand, and all my muscles feel great. That got me to thinking - Can you "warm up" your muscles before running, by soaking in the tub or hot shower? Is it better to do that afterwards (which would be the opposite of an ice bath, so maybe hot bath is a bad idea - I'm not sure)? what do you all think? Has anyone tried it? Would heat before a run and cold afterwards be better (I'm talking just "in general", not for treating a specific injury)?

Enlighten me, peeps! TIA!

Strained sartorius muscle - how to stretch it? (and someone called me a runner! gasp!)-

IGottaRun — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:18:41 GMT

I've had soreness in my left hip for weeks, and more recently pain. Not enough to stop me from running, but it's been getting worse in spite of lots of stretching/ice, etc. I finally went to a chiro today, and she said my hips were out of alignment, and gave me an adjustment. And I finally found out what is hurting so bad (didn't think it was IT band), and it's my sartorius muscle.

Anyway, she said that she sees that in a lot of runners. OMG - did someone just call me a runner? Holy s**t! I almost fell off the table, pain forgotten. That comment made all the pain worthwhile....and hopefully after a couple more visits, I'll be pain free. I certainly feel like a runner now - my first running injury. But I was so focused on finding out what was causing the pain, that I didn't even think to ask her about stretches. Has anyone here had a strained sartorius, and if so, how did you treat it? (I've been working out a lot on the elliptical on my non-running days, and I think I'll cut that out for a week or so and see if that helps). She didn't tell me NOT to run, so I'm not cutting back on that, as I'm just now starting to get into the groove - finally!

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Can preventing inflammation prevent injury/tissue damage?

IGottaRun — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 02:44:42 GMT

I was thinking that somewhere I read that if you overdo it while running, if you can prevent inflammation, you will prevent injury/damage to the tissue? (For example, runners taking ice baths). Is this true? If so, is it a good idea to ice knees, for example, after running a longer than usual distance? What about anti-inflammatory medication? Do runners ever take these for preventive measures?