Just started C25K - now have knee pain. Shoes?

bothyhead

I am a slim build (5' 6") male who is overweight (75kg). I want to loose some fat, so I decided to start the C25K program.

A week ago tonight (Thursday) I completed my first session. My quads were a bit sore afterwards, but recovered over night.

On Saturday I did day 2 with only slight calf soreness afterwards, which again recovered quickly.

On Sunday I did a very gentle 3 mile walk.

On Monday I did day 3, and in the middle of the session both of my knees started to pain (anterior, medial, just below the kneecap). I completed the full session. The next morning I was limping a bit, which gradually eased during the day.

I rested both on Tuesday and Wednesday until today. My left knee is fully healed, but there was still a bit of tenderness in my right knee. I decided to try day 3 again this evening. As soon as I started running, I got a dart of pain in my knee and I had to completely give up after about 10 mins. I am absolutely gutted

I have a pair of 5-year-old Asics (which haven't seen that much use). The model is GT-2100, which I believe is for over-pronaters. Judging from the wear pattern on old shoes, and coupled with a wet foot test, I think I might be a neutral runner. Would changing my shoes for a neutral/cushioned pair help with my knee?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I really want to make this work.

discus

To be honest, you're only on day 3, it's unlikely that your trainers are the problem.

discus

How active are you in general? What kind of job, how do you get to work, play 5 a side etc?

bothyhead

That's the problem, I'm not active at all; I have a sedentary lifestyle. I am seated in front of a computer for up to 10 hours a day. I also work from home, so I have no commute. I do, however, cycle in to lunch (1.5 miles each way) and I have been doing this practically every day for the past five years or more.

Thanks for the reply.

discus

I think you haven't put in enough time for footwear to be a problem, unless either your feet are particularly pronative or you trainers are highly corrective. I'd go get a set of generic trainers and give it a good go until you've identified wether your pain is due to your feet or something local at the knee.

My experience with knee pain and running is that unless I have some sort of lower body gym routine, my knees will be painful to run on within weeks. Might be worth considering researching that for yourself.

bothyhead

Yeah. I have a feeling myself that it's more to do with lack of muscle strength than the shoes themselves. I'll look up some exercises. Thanks again.

Magenta

I would check your form is correct.
You should not run the same way as you walk, ie, don't land on your heels while running- it can really jar you. Aim to land on your midfoot- keep things light.