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new to running/jogging

jungleman pete

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I've just started jogging in the afternoons at my local park.
Its going ok, i cant really run that far (just a few laps at the moment) but my ankles get a bit sore and yesterday i kinda twinged my left ankle. It hurt for a bit, but i could walk on it. Its a bit better today, but i'm going to take a day off in case.

Anyways, I would like to know from guys who run/jog a lot, is ankle soreness common?, or is it just because my body hasnt done much running.

Also, any tips or pointers for a first time runner?

Thanks alot guys :)
 

AFK Protector

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Um, make sure you're not flat footed....cuz if you are...damn that sucks for your ankles. I bought an elliptical thing. Kinda like a treadmill, but its stationary and you put your feet on there platforms and run on those. kinda like a walking bike/unicycle with handles. Try to get one of those. If not, start off slow and gradually build up your stamina. I think my elliptical time thing is messed up, cuz it took me 30 min to run a mile...wtf. Anyways, I've just decided to improve myself based on its messed up scale and now I can do 3 miles in 30 min. I also run with these extra weight pads on my legs and I feel so friggin light/fast without them. Dont try them unless you're on an elliptical cuz you're get burned...
 

Mr. Latte

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Jogging is definately better t han nothing, but if you're doing it to lose weight, I reccomend HIIT (High intensity interval training) You run full out, 100% for 30 seconds, and then 50 or 60% for 30 seconds, and repeat for 5 minutes, until you can build it up to 20 minutes of such. Do a search for it on johnstonefitness.com forums.
 

prophet123

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Hey, I'm a senior in high school and joined cross-country as a freshman and stuck with it for four years. Besides the incredible interaction and just plain fun I had, I also learned a thing or two about running.

Like AFK Protector said, if you're flat-footed, you probably shouldn't run, and elliptical machines are your best bet. But if you aren't it just sounds like your ankles are a little underdeveloped for running. Here are a couple tips and tricks I picked up along the way.

For starters, shoes are important. Besides getting cool looking shoes, you need to find a cross training or running shoes which are designed for what you’re doing. Basketball shoes are the worst out there to run in because they encompass the ankle, limiting their functionality and weakening them quite a bit.

Besides that though, you could start doing some ankle exercises. Sit on the ground and raise your right leg up off the ground. In a slow, deliberate motion, circle your foot around at the ankle 10 times to the right, stop, then 10 times to the left. Same with your other foot. Simple, right? Also, after your workout, find some stairs or something similar. Grab something for balance, and then put the ball of your foot (the front part) onto the stair, with most of your foot (arch and heel) hanging off. Go up and down 30 times on one leg, switch legs, and then do it 30 times again with both legs. This exercise is pretty hefty, (depending on your weight) and your legs will feel sore as hell the next day, but its worth it. This primarily strengthens calves, but it helps the ankles out quite a bit too.

For general running though, you need to get form down. So much energy is wasted with incorrect arm motion or landing flat-footed instead of on your toes that you can cut miles out of your workout. The very basics are generally to keep your elbows at a 90 degree angle, and move them parallel to each other, no crossing in front of your body. All the muscles in your body are connected to each other, so sloppy arm performance leads to sloppy leg performance.

The easiest way to get good leg performance is to do some drills before and after your workout. The best one I can think of are called walk-overs, in which you bring your heel up to your butt, pull your whole leg through, keeping your thigh parallel to the ground with your knee making a 90 degree angle while your shin is perpendicular to the ground, and your foot is up. Plant the leg and go with your other one. Also, keep your head straight and arms moving at your sides like I mentioned above, alternating your arm out with your leg down. This shouldn’t be done slowly, but at your own pace as you develop as a runner.

This all may be a little confusing, so if you can, find some tapes of sprinters and runners during the Olympics or whatever. Slow down the tape and watch their form. There is no wasted motion at all because their form is so perfect. Good form leads to good running.

Thats the long and the short of it, and keep up with running, especially when you don't feel like it (unless you're hurt, then take a few days off). As an afterthought, if you can find some friends to run with, all the better. It makes running 90% easier.
 

Reto

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I'm not a great runner. Actually, I'm a bad runner. It hurts. My ankles. My knees. Etc. But, it's great cardio.

What I do is start out doing a variation of HIIT. Run at 50% for 1 min, then walk for 30 sec. Build up to it.

I've also found that running too fast (not durring HIIT) tends to hurt my shins. (Shin splints?)

I use to do those extreme endurance races. Me and my team mates would run for 5 min, walk for 1 min. You'd be surprised how far you can go. One of my team mates wanted to run 50 miles on her 50th birthday. She did it doing the 5/1 deal.
 

bogman2121

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Originally posted by prophet123
Like AFK Protector said, if you're flat-footed, you probably shouldn't run, and elliptical machines are your best bet.
That is a completely ignorant statement. I have flat feet and I've been running track for 4 years without any problems. The way to do it is get stability shoes instead of any Shox that you might want because they allow you to overpronate which is bad for your entire body. To find out if you have flat feet do the wet foot test where you get your feet wet and step on concrete or something so you can see the print and if you can see your entire foot without an arch go buy some stability shoes or orthodics to prevent injuring yourself.
 

jungleman pete

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Thanks everyone! This is a unbelievable forum.

I have seen the olyptical trainer at the gym, it seems like a very good workout. I'll give it a try next time i'm there for sure.

I dont think that i'm flat footed, but i'll try the concrete/wet foot test and find out.

I'll definately invest in some good running shoes. I've seen ones that have the rubber spring shox things in the heel. Has anyone tried these out? They're really expensive, but they seem like they would take some of the impact out of the running.

Prophet,

Excellent response, thank you very much for your help.

I have a few questions,

I pretty sure when I run that I land on my heel mainly. Kind of like i walk. Do you think that it could be a factor in my ankles getting sore? Usually when I run its fine, but the next day my ankles are a bit stiff for a while.

The other day when I hurt my ankle during the running, i think i hit a uneven patch of grass. Would you recommend running perhaps on the road until I get a bit of strength into my legs, or would that be more jarring?

Thanks again everyone :)
 

bogman2121

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Bogman, you're special. yay.
I guess everyone who has enough sense to take care of themselves is special.

I'll definately invest in some good running shoes. I've seen ones that have the rubber spring shox things in the heel. Has anyone tried these out? They're really expensive, but they seem like they would take some of the impact out of the running.
The most expensive running shoes aren't always the best sometimes you're better off with $30 shoes off the clearance rack. I bought some Shox for track sophmore year and only used them in practice for about a week before I went back to my old Asics. It's all personal preference but most of the people on the track and cc team opt for the lighter shoes that don't cost very much I see many of them running in Nike Pegasus' and I see a lot of Asics so take a look at those if you want a good shoe and be sure to try them out before you buy so you get what you're looking for.
 

prophet123

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Do you think that it could be a factor in my ankles getting sore?
I want to say no, but its entirely possible. Running on your heels is bad mojo and you should try to curb it whether or not its hurting your ankles. A good drill for that is Arms and Toes, which is just what it sounds like. While staying on your toes, (or the ball of the foot, whichever definition you prefer) take short, quick, baby steps, trying not to let your forward foot go much further than about 12 inches from its starting point. Keep your knees as straight as possible, and as time goes on, keeping them perfectly locked will be easy. While doing this, pump your arms back and forth at a 90 degree angle, keeping them parallel from each other. Remember, opposite arm, opposite leg all the time.

Would you recommend running perhaps on the road until I get a bit of strength into my legs, or would that be more jarring?
Nah, road runs are definitely more pressure on the body, so try and stay on the grass as much as possible, (you don’t have to avoid pavement like the plague though). During training I would constantly land wrong on my foot, making audible snaps and cracks from my ankle. Luckily I have strong ankles and it didn’t hurt too much after the initial pain. Directly afterwards though, its advisable to stay off your feet for a while, and just sit down and stretch until you can start moving around again. Do some drills and do that ankle rotation exercise whenever it happens before you start running again. Overall, just keep safe, if it hurts too much to run, then don’t.

And ice. Holy crap I can’t believe I forgot about icing. Put a bag of ice on your ankles and just chill out (haha pun) for about 15 minutes after your workout. Very important, don’t know why, but it works.

Shoes also help with a good foot plant, so finding a good pair is key. Try going to a reputable shoe store, I don’t know if this chain is all over, but Jock and Jills is always a good bet here in the northwest. Basically anywhere where they take time to run a couple tests like that wet foot one so they can find your optimum shoe.
 

diablo

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Originally posted by jungleman pete
but they seem like they would take some of the impact out of the running.
Invest in a pair of inline skates, if you want the benefits of running without the impact and stress that running causes on your joints.
 

jungleman pete

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Thanks everyone for responding.

I've been running the last couple of days, doing the warm ups first then making sure to land on the front of my feet when running and keeping my arms at my sides instead of crossing my body.

Its going really good. Its much easier to run and it seemed like there was less soreness. Especially the next day.

I'll leave out running on the road and sidewalks until I get a bit more fit I think!
I'll definately check into getting some new Asic shoes, they seem to be quite well priced over here. I'll also do some research into the inline skates as well.

Cheers to everyone who took the time to respond :)
 

Nightwing

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Originally posted by jungleman pete
I've just started jogging in the afternoons at my local park.
Its going ok, i cant really run that far (just a few laps at the moment) but my ankles get a bit sore and yesterday i kinda twinged my left ankle. It hurt for a bit, but i could walk on it. Its a bit better today, but i'm going to take a day off in case.

Anyways, I would like to know from guys who run/jog a lot, is ankle soreness common?, or is it just because my body hasnt done much running.

Also, any tips or pointers for a first time runner?

Thanks alot guys :)
Try going to a store that sells running gear. When I first started running, the person at the store wanted me to walk to see how my feet hit the pavement and then I was fitted according to the type of shoe that was suited for me. So try getting a pair of shoes that supports your feet correctly so that youre not in pain during and after your running
 

jungleman pete

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Hey Nightwing,

Now that you mention it, I have seen a shop called the Athletes Foot over here, they have computer testing and stuff. I just never knew what it was really for. Maybe they would be able to help with getting the correct shoes.

I'll give them a try this weekend. Thanks alot for that.
 

Nightwing

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Originally posted by jungleman pete
Hey Nightwing,

Now that you mention it, I have seen a shop called the Athletes Foot over here, they have computer testing and stuff. I just never knew what it was really for. Maybe they would be able to help with getting the correct shoes.

I'll give them a try this weekend. Thanks alot for that.
That's where I got my shoes when I started running. They'll take care of you.
 
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