Any runners out there? Starting back up...

Steph0925

I know this is going to end up being a very long post - bear with me.

Last Memorial Day I ran a 10 mile run - it was my first race and I was fairly new to running but in love with it.  Right after, I started training to do 2 half-marathons during the summer.  I ended up hurting a groin muscle which took forever to heal.  The pain made it impossible to run for at least a month.  I was finally given approval by my doctor and phsyical therapist to continue my training doing run/walk (5 min run/1 min walk intervals).  It worked at well - the 1 minute "break" was enough to not aggrivate my injury.  I was able to complete the first half marathon like this (August 2). 

During all this I was starting to get really sick - unexplained weight gain, muscle pain/cramps, irritability, edema, fatigue despite 8-hour sleep, brain fog, etc.  I had a couple of crappy doctor's visits before finally finding one that was willing to listen to me.  The diagnosis isn't important but I was put on medication and rest - I recovered physically. 

I am now super out of shape.  I started back up with a muscle toning class (months ago) but never started back up with cardio.  I am now totally scared to start running again.  I want to be able to - I loved it and it was a great way to get in shape but I cannot bring myself to start.  I don't even know how I would begin.  I know this sounds stupid but I am just so scared that I'm gonna cause another injury, overdo it or (worse) not be able to get more than a block from my house. 

Any words of advice?

dondraandluis

Me! Although, not lately, I've been lazy lately. It's so therapeutic! I would suggest starting a running program like Couch to 5k or another one you like. You can adjust it to fit how you are feeling, so go forward if it isn't enough or redo weeks if you aren't ready to move on. I would definitely ease back into though so you don't injure yourself and definitely make sure you stretch, etc so as not to aggravate your injury. GL! I hope you can get back to enjoying it soon!

ColindaP

 

I think any exercise program needs balance. Too often, people decide they want to become "runners" and this becomes the only athletic activity they will do. As you experienced, this most often results in chronic overuse injuries. I have yet to meet a single person who runs marathons and half-marathons who doesn't get overuse injuries. I used to get them from running too much.

You can run if you want, but I'd stick to distances under 10k to prevent overuse injuries. Add heavy weight training with compound weights for muscle strength and balance, and do intervals for your cardio sessions. This is essentially all I do, other than soccer, and I can run a 10k, no sweat - without doing a single solitary "distance" run. But with weight training and sprints, you'll still be perfectly fine for doing moderate distance running, you'll burn more fat, build more muscle, have fewer injuries, and increase your aerobic capacity way more than just running alone.

KatInTheHat28

Congrats for wanting to get back into running!  I'm a big runner and I love it...good way to de-stress.  I've done a few marathons, half marathons and some shorter races.  Best advice is to start slow!  It's so hard to get back into running after a break and if you start doing too much too soon then you will definitely aggravate your injury.  Maybe try an easy 5k training program to start.  Also, do the run/walk thing when you're starting out again.  Run for a few minutes then walk for a few minutes.  Don't run every day either.  Just start out a few days a week.  It's so easy to get injured running.  I've been nursing a knee injury for months and it just won't go away.  Good luck!!

GuppyAmy

I run, but I'm never going to be a competitive runner but I can finish just about any race I do. That being said I would start off with walking half an hour at a pace that increase your heart rate. After doing that a couple of times, I start running for 1 min and walking for 5 and then start increasing to 2 min to 4 minutes...

This is what I would do. I had a problem with colitis this summer, the doctor thought it was from running and he wanted me to give up running, but I decided that it wasn't running, it was eating Kentucky Grilled chicken in Dover, Delaware on the way to NC. Never again will I eat at a KFC. But in the process I learned something interesting:

Side stiches are your bodies way of trying to get you to slow down. You get them when your blood leaves your organs and goes to your legs. (Thats why they go away when your raise your arms, blood from your arms goes to your organs). Anyway, now, if I get one, I walk. I don't push through. It's not worth it for me. So this is what I would do. Hope it helps. Any other questions feel free to ask. 

Pixiestx

I use to run 4-5 days a week and the best thing I did for myself was drop down to 2 days (3 max back then) before I sustained an injury.  I would say to get back into the cardio, do something else as well along with running.  Variety can make a big difference.  I never did the couch 5k thing, but when I was getting back into shape I started out with short slow intervals of running, maybe 1-2 min at a time, and just slowly built up based on how I felt. 

Also, make sure you've got some good running shoes b/c nothing will make you want to stop more than not having the right support.