Last night I started training to jog in the race for the cure. I did 5 minutes walking on the threadmill to warm up and then 90 seconds jogging, 2 minutes walking for 20 minutes (suggested training program). Well during and especially today, my ankles hurt and my calves. They feel kind of restless, I guess that's the best way to describe the feeling. Is that normal? I'm also thinking the shoes I wore last night were too heavy and am going to look for lighter running shoes. Any insight from you runners out there?
This is the running plan that I used when I started running a few years ago...it's to prep you for a 10k in 13 weeks. I imagine it could be modified for shorter/longer distances.
I don't have answers, necessarily but you should check out www.coolrunning.com. It's got a couch-to-5k running plan and the forums on the site have a lot of great information. They'll probably know the answers to your questions. Good luck!
That's the plan that I used when I "learned" how to run. I started doing that program about two years ago...then I ran a half marathon...now I'm training for a marathon. So yeah, it works. :)
You didn't mention it, but did you stretch afterwards? Stretching is super important and can help alleviate some (not all) muscle soreness. Also... a suggestion for your ankles. Before working out, or right after your warm up do some ankle rotations. It might help with the pain a bit. It's just like it sounds... hold your foot and slowly rotate it in circles (both ways) going a bit deeper with the rotation that you could do without using your hand to assist. It sort of prepares your ankles for the movement. It can also help prevent a twisted ankle should you misstep on your treadmill.
You didn't mention it, but did you stretch afterwards? Stretching is super important and can help alleviate some (not all) muscle soreness. Also... a suggestion for your ankles. Before working out, or right after your warm up do some ankle rotations. It might help with the pain a bit. It's just like it sounds... hold your foot and slowly rotate it in circles (both ways) going a bit deeper with the rotation that you could do without using your hand to assist. It sort of prepares your ankles for the movement. It can also help prevent a twisted ankle should you misstep on your treadmill.
-- Edited by hotcocoa at 09:59, 2008-03-07
Oh, thanks for the tip! I didn't stretch afterwards that first time, but I have since then. I also got some different running shoes and that has made a world of difference.
And thanks for the links, I haven't had time to check them out yet but plan to this weekend.
Cool running is a great website for all runners. I highly recommend it. I also would suggest stretching before AND after each workout. It really helps. I used have burning in my ankles when I ran, but with the ankle rotations, that is no longer a problem.
SUPER IMPORTANT - Make sure you get fitted for shoes. Go to your nearest specialty running store, like Fleet Feet, Road Runner Sports, or something along those lines, where the sales staff is trained to fit you with the right kind of shoes for your feet/stride. This is EXTREMELY important to prevent injuries (knee, ankle, shin splints, hip, back, etc). I can't stress the importance of this enough.
SUPER IMPORTANT - Make sure you get fitted for shoes. Go to your nearest specialty running store, like Fleet Feet, Road Runner Sports, or something along those lines, where the sales staff is trained to fit you with the right kind of shoes for your feet/stride. This is EXTREMELY important to prevent injuries (knee, ankle, shin splints, hip, back, etc). I can't stress the importance of this enough.
Good point... and bring your old shoes with you when you go! A testimonial to that is a personal story. Many years ago I noticed that my knees were aching and I had a lot of sharp pain in them when I was running. It was odd because I had never had problems with my knees. I had a new-ish pair of running shoes that was a different brand that what I normally ran in. After I switched back to my old model the pain literally disappeared. The painful shoes were giving me too much support in the wrong places which in turn put unusual pressure on my knees. I say bring in your old shoes because they will be able to look at the soles and determine what type of shoe/support you'll need based on how the tread is worn.