Beginner jogging and sore feet

feileacan

Ive recently started doing some basic jogging / running.

I walk and run for 1 minute intervals (remember im only just starting !) and have 5 minute walking warm up and cool down. i do this 2-3 times a week and currently doing 8.5 - 10k over 1 hour.

the problem i have is that the next morning my right foot feels like it has been through a mangle and is sore to walk on. its sore for a couple of hours and slowly disappears. my left is fine.

i wear asics (gel kayano?) runners

im aware people are not meant to give out medical advice (and im not looking for any) but i wonder if someone could give advice.

is it my runners / technique etc?

thanks

cormie

Do you run on grass or concrete? Concrete can hurt even experienced joggers, especially without the right footwear.

feileacan

its road.

would it be worth going to the shop in galway and getting 'fitted' for a pair of runners. the ones i have i thought were good.

cormie

I don't know really, it's probably the fact it's road, even some of the best runners wont stop you from sore feet if you're running on road. Also, if you're quite heavy, you'll feel it a lot more. I'm getting back into cycling (used to do 100 miles a week for a long time and haven't been on a bike properly for an even longer time). Cycling can be much easier on the joints and a good place to start increasing fitness.

someothername

there are prob 2 reasons why your feet are sore
firstly - as you said yourself , your new and therefore the soles of your feet arent used to the type of constant impact on them and are probably more sensitive than they will be in a few month s time..
also you said your thought your runners were good - did you buy a new pair or just use your old ones?
if its the latetr id invest in a new pair tbh
well done on taking it up by the way

feileacan

ive always been very poor at running so it might be partially technique - im a bit of a plodder but only a beginner so hopefully that'll improve

im slightly overweight (the belly is bought and paid for) - but BMI is under 30 so im not concerned

probably overdoing it a bit - never done the running and im doing 8-10k

the runners are about 2.5 years old but hardly ever get used - i think i might head to the shop in bray one day and invest in a new pair.

i took it up as im doing a charity trek to everest base camp next march for fighting blindness - need to get the fitness level up and the heart used to working - the effects of years of playstation & 360 have taken there toll...

thanks for your comments everyone - it seems to get a new pair of runners and keep on going...

eclectichoney

If you're just starting, maybe you could try the couch 2 5k plan (google it). Even if you think they first few weeks are too easy for you, you could start at week 4 or 5. I've used it in the past and it's worth a shot

cormie

Do neither of you think it's the fact he's on concrete? I've heard from so many people that this really effects your ankles and feet. Especially since he's "slightly overweight". It's just too much pressure on muscles and bones he hasn't used in ages.

Feileacan, would you think about cycling for a while instead, until you increase your fitness and lose a bit of weight? Then when you get back jogging you wont be putting so much weight on your joints and you'll also be fitter. If not, is there a green, beach or park anywhere you could run on instead?

feileacan

I work in a medical field (infertility) and we're forever telling people not to google for medical conditions but (!) i think i might have whats wrong

plantar fasciitis

quote "When your first few steps out of bed in the morning cause severe pain in the heel of your foot, you may have plantar fasciitis"

History:

* The patient reports inferior heel pain with the first few steps taken in the morning or after other long periods of nonweightbearing.

* A limp may be present, and patients may prefer to walk on their toes.

* Initially, the pain decreases with ambulation but then increases throughout the day as activity increases. Pain is worsened by walking barefoot on hard surfaces or by walking up stairs.

* Associated paresthesias, nocturnal pain, or systemic symptoms should raise suspicion of other causes of heel pain (ie, neoplastic, infectious, neurologic causes).

* Patients may report that before the onset of pain, they had increased the amount or intensity of activity including, but not limited to, running or walking. They may have also started exercising on a different type of surface, or they may have recently changed footwear.

Physical:

* The patient may have tenderness upon palpation of the anteromedial aspect of the heel.

* Ankle dorsiflexion may be limited due to tightness of the Achilles tendon.

* Pain may be exacerbated by passive dorsiflexion of the toes or by having the patient stand on his or her toes.

Causes:

* The cause of plantar fasciitis is unclear and may be multifactorial. Because of the high incidence in runners, it is best postulated to be caused by repetitive microtrauma. Possible risk factors include obesity, occupations requiring prolonged standing, heel spurs, pes planus (excessive pronation of the foot), and reduced dorsiflexion of the ankle.



only problem is the pain is across the front of the foot not the back

very painful when i got up this morning so im booking in to a podiatrist

sobriquet

feileacan wrote: »

I work in a medical field (infertility) and we're forever telling people not to google for medical conditions but (!) i think i might have whats wrong plantar fasciitis

Go to the podiatrist by all means, you may be correct in your self diagnosis. Then again, you might not be. You're overweight, only recently started running and are doing 8-10k on the road. That's a lot.

I did the Galway Bay 10 last weekend, it's a 10 mile charity run, longest distance I've ever done. It's taken me about two years on and off to get to that point. When I started I could cycle big distances easily, so thought it'd transfer handily. The first time I went out I ran 400m and nearly collapsed. I spent three days with aches all over my body (seriously: back, shoulders, hips, everywhere). I honestly thought I was incapable of running and shouldn't do it again.

As cormie said, given you've only started recently, you're running on all sorts of muscles in your legs, feet and elsewhere that are sorely underused. Running on concrete amplifies the effect. If you're taking in hills, this with amplify it further, making the muscles in your ankles and feet work harder. Every so often, I'll not run for a few weeks, then go for a decent distance run, and the aches will come back, in a minor way though.

I even find that once I stick to training on a particular surface for any length of time, then switch to something else I get the same effect recurring until I adapt to it.

No harm in seeing the podiatrist, but as cormie said, you'd probably see massive improvement in using a non-concrete surface (assuming no medical condition is present of course). I know folk doing serious training who avoid running on the road until absolutely necessary.

Fair play on the charity trek btw, best of luck with it.

Quote tags don't seem to work...

BossArky

feileacan wrote: »

is it my runners / technique etc?

No, the reason for your pain is that you are not used to running 8km+ at the moment.

When I started running 2 years ago I had the same problem after 3 sessions of approx 5.6km per week. The next morning the middle to front of my right foot was pretty sore. I laid of the running for a while and cut the distances down to 2km, then 3km.

I'd recommend trying a few 3kms. If these are ok after 2 weeks, up the distance to 4km for another few weeks. Gradually add extra km's if no pain comes along.

You have heaps of time before your trek so don't try to run before you can walk (sorry )

Good luck and well done for starting out!

feileacan

so maybe the tortoise approach rather than the hare is going to be better. sounds identical problem to what i have.

i also think it might be the runners.

dilemmas

nesf

Your self diagnosis could be right but you're running on tarmac, not used to it and overweight. It'd be very unusual for your feet not to be hurting you.

Rule out the simpler causes first, cut down on the distance and see if the pain continues etc.

Red Hand

I don't know how people jog on tarmac and on footpaths. I found it hard on my joints so I switched to jogging on grass. I think its better for the long run to jog on such a surface.

feileacan

went to amphibian king in bray last weekend and got new runners (cant recommend the shop and staff enough, they took there time, looked at the feet, offered different brands and never discussed prices - shame there in a nightmare place to get to)

trying the tortoise approach seems to be working. the left foot is still sore but not as bad (i am doing some flexing exercises for the foot).

im going to keep plodding along, slowly increasing the distance instead of going mental.

the marathons on just now and i can see everyone running past the office window - its very inspiring - might give it a go once i come back from everest...

again, i would like to thank everyone for there advice.