Running for beginners- achy legs?

Question

Hi Everyone!!!

Ive recently started running, 4 times a week.

I do 2 mins of walking a 1 min of running, repeated for about 25 minutes. this is until i get better and can run for longer.

However sometimes i have achy legs, thighs in particular?

I do stretch before and after, so is it just because my muscles are still weak?

also will i lose weight this way?

thanks! xxxx

Answer 1

Runners who competed in track during high school and university were lucky to have a coach early in their running career, critiquing form and offering pointers for more efficient running. Those who didn’t run competitively may have never received any tips on form from a coach or a professional runner.

Actually, one of the reasons that so many people pick up running as a sport is because it can be done virtually anywhere without lessons and requires minimal equipment. Plunk down the dough for a pair of sporty-looking running shoes in your favorite color, and poof, you’re a runner, right?

Not necessarily, according to Randy Accetta, running coach at Craftsbury Running Camp in Craftsbury, Vt.

“Good runners should practice good form,” says Accetta, who teaches all ages and all types of runners to become more efficient and successful.

So, how do you know what your form looks like? At the summer running camp (yes, a camp for adults) in Craftsbury, instructors videotape the campers running the full length of a tennis court and back at an easy conversational pace. They also tape a sprint the width of the court.

You can do this at home by asking a friend to take a few minutes to videotape you running a path similar to the one mentioned above. That way you can watch yourself running from front and back, as well as in a sprint, running harder than usual, causing your form to be somewhat magnified.

Craftsbury runners who had never seen themselves running were surprised and sometimes horrified at their own running form. Some of the more common mistakes seen in the video are saggy shoulders, arms hanging too loosely by the runner’s sides or moving too far across the chest, the dreaded knock-kneed syndrome, or a runner actually sticking both thumbs straight up (affectionately known as “The Fonz”).

Many people assume proper running form begins with the feet, but the opposite is true.

“Proper running form is from head to toe,” Accetta says. “Since you run in a straight line with your energy thrust out in front of you, when you run, your hands and arms are in front, guiding you.”

Accetta suggests the way to become most energy-efficient is to realize that form affects pace and the amount of energy that is conserved or expended. He advises sticking to the following guidelines for proper running form:

Head: Keep your head tilted down slightly, three to five degrees from your torso. Look forward at the ground in front of you, 10 to 20 feet ahead, and concentrate on trying to run in a straight line. Your jaw and neck should be relaxed.

Torso: Bend slightly forward from the waist to create a bit of a forward lean. (You want gravity on your side.) If you lean back, it creates pulling from the hips and is inefficient. Keep your upper body “open,” which will permit easier breathing.

Hips: Hips should be in line with head and shoulders. Your foot should strike directly under your hips, your center of gravity.

Shoulders: Keep them relaxed and square, and do not hunch over because this tends to restrict the breathing passage, allowing less oxygen to get to working muscles.

Arms: Arms should be held low, bent at a 90-degree angle and relaxed. As you run, swing your arms up and down, bringing your hands to your sternum at the top of the swing, and brush them past your waistband on the downswing, bringing them back behind your body. The arm movement should be just that — arm movement — and should minimize the rotation of the torso. Arms should move in conjunction with your legs. Remember that fast arms equal fast feet, so they should be used to propel you forward.

Hands: Your thumbs should gently touch the top half of your index fingers with your hand cupped, as though you are holding a small egg that you don’t want to break. If you clench your hands together too tightly, or stick your thumbs straight up, it could cause tightness in your arms, which may drift into your shoulders, neck, and lower back, causing an unproductive and uncomfortable stride. Don’t let your hands cross over the middle of your chest. Imagine a line drawn down your body separating you in half vertically. Your hands should not cross that line.

Remember, it’s not easy to break old habits, and you run the way you do because your body has found it efficient, and it’s now probably become a habit. To make your new effort a habit, practice concentrating on your new running style for a few minutes at a time.

“Try to make a conscious effort to change only one thing about your form for brief periods of regular easy runs,” Accetta says.

Changing your form can make a major difference in the way you feel and the efficiency of your run.

Anne Kymalainen is a freelance writer specializing in outdoor recreation. She may be reached at [e-mail]

Have Fun and Best of Luck from your friends at Myicoach.com!

Answer 2

hi.  im  14 . every year when i start track and field over again i get the same problem. its extremely important that you stretch for at least 2 mins before you run. because 25 mins is quite a long time, you might want to stretch for 5 mins. if u are having pains in ur thighs then u should do touching your toes and  grab your foot and pull it up so it is paralell with ur thigh. anoth er problem may be that u drink too much before running . when i drink more than 1 big gulp of drink before a long run, i ALLWAYS  get cramps in my chest but thats not your prob .  if u do have that problem also then my advice would be to drink ALOT after ur runs. if none of this helps then the problem is deff that your muscles just arent trained for such a workout yet.   i promise the aching will be gone in a week however.

                                 for yourother question, you will lose weight but only if u get to the point where u start sweating.  you shoulb be sweating for like five minutes to start losing weight and if your entire body starts hurting and you just choose to stop that is the worst because that means that the next day you can go even farther.          

    

   -aiden lavannah macabee raimbow watching praires harris feron

Answer 3

Your legs are achy because your muscles are not used to the exercise.

The idea of walking and running is a good one and in a month or so you should be able to run most of the time.

Losing weight depends on how many calories you consume, because it doesn't matter how much you exercise you can still eat more calories than you burn.

Eat healthy, exercise regularly and you will get to the weight you should be at, and feel much better.

Besides stretching walk around for about 10 minutes to cool down and massage can help you recover from this achy feeling.

Answer 4

take it slowly, your body isnt use to running or working out on a daily basis, make sure you drink plenty of fluids..esp water.

your achy legs-thighs will go away after you get in shape

achy is a good thing, it tells you- u are working out and not sitting on your rear end and you will lose weight

my college coach always told me " it how often you run and how long- 30 mins example - what matters..not how far "

Answer 5

as your legs get stronger the achy-ness will go away.

you will lose weight running, but you should increase your running vs. walking times as you get better.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

youll probably be sore at first bc your body isnt used to running that much.

but after a while you wont be sore right now your muscles are weaker so yeah its gonna hurtt.

Answer 7

your muscles ARE going to hurt--especially if you are not used to running. stetching out before &&after is really good, but your muscles are still going to be sore.i suggest just keep running--i know it sucks right now, but it will really help in the long run. if it gets too bad then you might want to reduce your workout to maybe 2-3 times a week.

&&yes you will lose some weight [esp. water weight] but if you keep running you also might gain some because you are building muscle &&muscle weighs more then fat.

good luck hope it helped(:

p.s. and warm baths could also help temporarily relieve the pain.