Thinking of taking up running again - am I crazy?

mel.b

10-11yrs ago I started a C25K programme and was able to progress through that and eventually went on to run a 10km fun run, although I was terribly slow.

At the time I was terribly overweight and still am, however I have in the past 4mths lost 15kg through a combination of learning how to eat properly and walking. I would be a similar weight now to what I was when i was running although when I did the 10km I was another 10kg lighter which still puts me hughly overweight.

With the walking now I'm a lot fitter than I was 4mths ago and I'm walking almost as fast as I was when I was running, which has made my mind drift back to the thought of taking up running again.

However, running and I did not agree. Despite custom orthotics I suffered a lot with shin splints. I'd be sitting at home after a run with ice packs on my shins and also having painful myotherapy sessions to get rid of them. I also had patella tracking problems and was allergic to the tape the physio used to strap my knee. When I was 500m from finishing my first ever non stop 5km I put my back out and I still have issues with that 1-2 times a year. Worst of all I suffered from runners trots and that is what eventually made me give it up after an embarrassing accident. Where I live now, i don't have the luxury of calling into public toilets if need be.

On the flip side I enjoyed running and the sense of satisfaction I got from achieving a goal I'd set myself. Running would also be good because I could take my dog out. If I start cycling again I still have to go and walk the dog for 60-90min.

So knowing I am likely to be faced with all of those issues if I take up running again am I crazy to even be considering it? Would I be better to stick with the lower impact activities?

Clearlier

mel.b wrote: »

10-11yrs ago I started a C25K programme and was able to progress through that and eventually went on to run a 10km fun run, although I was terribly slow.

At the time I was terribly overweight and still am, however I have in the past 4mths lost 15kg through a combination of learning how to eat properly and walking. I would be a similar weight now to what I was when i was running although when I did the 10km I was another 10kg lighter which still puts me hughly overweight.

With the walking now I'm a lot fitter than I was 4mths ago and I'm walking almost as fast as I was when I was running, which has made my mind drift back to the thought of taking up running again.

However, running and I did not agree. Despite custom orthotics I suffered a lot with shin splints. I'd be sitting at home after a run with ice packs on my shins and also having painful myotherapy sessions to get rid of them. I also had patella tracking problems and was allergic to the tape the physio used to strap my knee. When I was 500m from finishing my first ever non stop 5km I put my back out and I still have issues with that 1-2 times a year. Worst of all I suffered from runners trots and that is what eventually made me give it up after an embarrassing accident. Where I live now, i don't have the luxury of calling into public toilets if need be.

On the flip side I enjoyed running and the sense of satisfaction I got from achieving a goal I'd set myself. Running would also be good because I could take my dog out. If I start cycling again I still have to go and walk the dog for 60-90min.

So knowing I am likely to be faced with all of those issues if I take up running again am I crazy to even be considering it? Would I be better to stick with the lower impact activities?

Hey Mel,

First off, congratulations on the recent weight loss and activity. The first thought that strikes me is that you don't mention shin splints and your current walking in the same breath. Assuming that is the case perhaps your gait has modified slightly and you won't get them any more?

Why not give a C25k program a go and see how you get on? If you're getting shin pains then you don't need to continue (shouldn't in fact). Alternatively why don't you start jogging a couple of short sections and see how you get on? Over time you can gradually increase the amount of time that you spend running. Take your time, don't rush things and focus on enjoying the activity.

The other option is to go back to the orthotics. They get a bad press in many quarters and often for a good reason. The vast majority of operators out there are shysters who don't know what they're doing but have a good sales pitch (I may have fallen to the sales pitch of 5 or 6 of them). What you need to look for is an orthotist or a podiatrist. They spend several years studying in order to be able to prescribe orthotics and if necessary they will adjust endlessly until you're satisfied. In an ideal world you would avoid orthotics as they do alter your body mechanics not just those of your feet but sometimes that's what's needed for a short period and then you can ditch the orthotics.

Ososlo

No, not crazy at all imo. Why not give it a go. You won't know until you do. You might not necessarily have the same issues this time round.
As was said already, C25k is the way to go. Maybe do the jogging parts on grass to lessen impact and go as slowly as possible starting out. Make sure you have correctly fitted runners, get gait analysis done by a reputable store and don't concern yourself with pace at all. If it doesn't work out then move on, but you owe it to yourself to give it another good shot.
You'll find it all a lot easier I'm sure if you continue to lose the weight and get down to an average healthy weight for your height.
Best of luck if you decide to go ahead.

mel.b

Thanks clearlier - I hadn't even connected the walking and lack of shin splints. I'm walking around 35km a week at the moment comprising of 4-5km walks on week nights and longer ones on weekends. And no shin pain. I'm not wearing my orthotics as I lost them a number of years ago. They were prescribed by a podiatrist in Australia.

Thanks Ososlo for the support too - I will give it a go and if it doesn't work then at least I know I have given it a go.

oinkely

I'd echo the comments above. Give it a try, Jog some sections of your walk if you feel like it, walk the whole lot if you don't. build up slowly and enjoy it. Don't put yourself under any pressure and see where you end up.

The_Shotz

mel.b wrote: »

10-11yrs ago I started a C25K programme and was able to progress through that and eventually went on to run a 10km fun run, although I was terribly slow.

At the time I was terribly overweight and still am, however I have in the past 4mths lost 15kg through a combination of learning how to eat properly and walking. I would be a similar weight now to what I was when i was running although when I did the 10km I was another 10kg lighter which still puts me hughly overweight.

With the walking now I'm a lot fitter than I was 4mths ago and I'm walking almost as fast as I was when I was running, which has made my mind drift back to the thought of taking up running again.

However, running and I did not agree. Despite custom orthotics I suffered a lot with shin splints. I'd be sitting at home after a run with ice packs on my shins and also having painful myotherapy sessions to get rid of them. I also had patella tracking problems and was allergic to the tape the physio used to strap my knee. When I was 500m from finishing my first ever non stop 5km I put my back out and I still have issues with that 1-2 times a year. Worst of all I suffered from runners trots and that is what eventually made me give it up after an embarrassing accident. Where I live now, i don't have the luxury of calling into public toilets if need be.

On the flip side I enjoyed running and the sense of satisfaction I got from achieving a goal I'd set myself. Running would also be good because I could take my dog out. If I start cycling again I still have to go and walk the dog for 60-90min.

So knowing I am likely to be faced with all of those issues if I take up running again am I crazy to even be considering it? Would I be better to stick with the lower impact activities?

Well done on the weight loss and improving your fitness Mel.

I can relate to two of your issues, shin splints and the runners trots. I suffered from shin splints in the past and a change of runners fixed the problem. Thankfully I never have the issue when using adidas, it might be be just something simple as changing your runner type. As previous posters suggest run small distances at the start, another little exercise which I found to help was raising my foot towards my shins and down towards the floor.

As for the runners trots, I really feel you pain here. This used to happen me at the 3 mile mark and I'd be hiding in a bush or behind a wall, and then would face a 3 mile walk home holding my stomach with cramps and pains, it stopped me running for two years.

I slightly changed my diet at the beginning of this year, having porridge every morning, a banana a day, and eating more veg and restricting the amount of dairy that I take in and thankfully I haven't had an episode this year and I am back to running 10 miles now.

A good solution there would be to contact a dietitian or try change your diet yourself.

Hopefully you can resolve the issues above and you will be back running.

Dubgal72

+1 to all the well-wishes. It sounds like you really want to run, so I hope it works out for you. If I don't eat anything for at least three hours before a run, I avoid runners trots. It works wonders for stopping pre-run nibbling too
Best of luck!

RoyMcC

Well done Mel, you have great persistence, and that is impressive mileage by just walking. With better eating habits you'll find yourself getting to a healthier sort of weight and physical activity generally will become easier and more enjoyable.

Some very good advice above. I also agree C25k is the way to go, repeating weeks if necessary. But even before that, why not continue what you're doing and power-walk the odd 50-metre section? This will work your lungs a bit more, and may flag up any shin splint issues that remain.

Best of luck.

mel.b

Thanks all for the messages and support here and via pm i did the first day if the c25k today while walking the dog. It went went but the dog has a bit to learn about being a good running partner!