<p>mwc’s advice about proper shoes is spot-on since many knee problems result from incorrect shoes. For example, pronation (arch flattens and foot rolls in during your gait) is particularly hard on the knees since the rolling foot-ankle forces the lower leg to also roll inwards, stressing the knee ligaments.</p>
<p>
Hold on, hold on. Are we delving into Intelligent Design or lack thereof again?? Personally, I think knees were created by a random lightning strike into the primordial goo. No other good explanation.</p>
<p>Permit me to be the sixth (seventh?) to say that proper shoes can make all the difference between a good experience and a poor one. Two miles in the wrong shoes puts me off my feet for a week! Find a runners shop and ask for advice.</p>
<p>actually we stood up too quickly and got dizzy. Our backs are also happier as a tabletop for all-fours rather than a tippy precarious spire,…</p>
<p>Oh I don’t know, I don’t think our knees would be that much happier if they were in full contact with the ground. Perhaps knees evolved before their logical essential support system, the Segway?</p>
<p>no knees. the foot’s pad is the point of contact, distributing the load. like racoons. But these days our underdeveloped arms make fourfootedness cumbersome. although I like how you segued the topic back to wheels.</p>
<p>Questions to ask yourself:</p>
<ol>
<li>What kind of shape am I in? How much overweight? If you’re really out of shape, you should consider talking to your doctor before beginning anything strenuous. If you are obese, you need to talk to a nutritionist because running or any exercise is only part of the equation. </li>
<li>What are my goals? To lose weight? To get in better shape? To become more active? Don’t know? If you want to get somewhere, you need to commit to doing that. Lots of people start running, find it can be hard and give up. You have to commit to get past that stage.</li>
</ol>
<p>As for advice, check your shoes. Go to a runner’s store to get fitted because they’ll be able to tell you if you need shoes for pronation, motion control, etc. They’ll fit you better, too.</p>
<p>Then I suggest writing down what you do in a little notebook. So many miles, so much time. Try keeping track of what you eat, especially if you don’t see a nutritionist, because then you can more easily control your appetite after you work out. Try not to lie to yourself.</p>
<p>Find soft places to run. Sidewalks are usually tilted and that can hurt your hips. Try a local high school track. Treadmills are great because they give and the recovery time is minimal. Concrete is the hardest, asphalt next hardest. </p>
<p>Stretching is not as important as they tell you because cold muscles don’t stretch well. Since you won’t likely be running fast, you’re muscles will loosen as you jog. Stretch then, when you’re done and the muscles are warm.</p>
<p>Ro:
Fourfootedness would ruin the fashion industry, I’m afraid. High heels flatter the female leg, but would look silly at the end of even the most well-developed arms.</p>
<p>actually the ‘lift’ achieved by high heels would already be accomplished through my suggested reversion,…and anyway, with my system, you’d be entitled to twice as many shoe-buying expeditions!</p>
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<p>You get the right shoes and do almost all your running on dirt or grass (never on concrete!), and your knees can hold up pretty well. My knees have finally started to complain a bit after 35 years of running 4-6 days a week. But all that has meant is that I’ve had to cut the mileage back to keep the knees happy - that and liberal applications of the ice bag after running. Ice is a miracle drug. </p>
<p>Hopefully my knees will hold up long enough to see me out.</p>
<p>In 1997, age 40, certainly NOT a competitive runner, I decided to try to run my first marathon, the New York City Marathon. It was the days of the lottery when I could send my application to friends in new York City who then drove the app down to the exact post office to make sure I was in the first come first serve batch of 35,000. I was accepted to the 1998 NYC Marathon.</p>
<p>Then I bought a great book called “How to Train and Run for your Best Marathon” <a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671797271/sr=1-13/qid=1153197012/ref=sr_1_13/002-3106014-5150430?ie=UTF8&s=books[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671797271/sr=1-13/qid=1153197012/ref=sr_1_13/002-3106014-5150430?ie=UTF8&s=books</a>. I had the aerobic base, I simply followed the four month build-up. If the chart said to run twenty minutes or twenty miles–I figured out how and where I could do that and I got it done. I was on my way.</p>
<p>Then, I decided I really hadn’t given my shoes enough thought. I went to the premier running store and the nice lean young runner sold me a pair of light Nike running shoes. I had been running in sturdy Sauconys.</p>
<p>Three weeks later, I was running in the park when I thought I stumbled over a twig. When I resumed running, my left foot hurt. Nevermind, I had seven more miles to run and I got it done with a bit of pain.</p>
<p>Well, that was no twig, my foot snapped! Those shoes broke my foot!!! When I showed those shoes to my competitive runner friends they laughed! Those were not middle aged mommy running her first marathon shoes (ie lots of stability and cushion)–those were Olympic athlete runner shoes. The store never should have sold them to me.</p>
<p>The moral of this story is: buy really really good shoes but make sure the nice young running man sells you shoes that are meant for middle aged ladies who are running seriously for the first time.</p>
<p>The borken foot meant that I had to give the 1998 marathon a pass, but I made it to the 1999 NYC marathon and had the time of my life! </p>
<p>By the way, limping on my foot for a few months threw my other hip out of joint. I finally cured that muscle strain with six weeks of acupuncture. Acupuncture is my miracle cure.</p>
<p>Also, I have given this book to a number of other middle aged mommies who also used it to train for their first marathons. Good luck! You can do it!</p>
<p>Steel > Concrete > Asphalt > Packed Dirt > Grass > Treadmill > Bark Chips
(in order from worst to best to run on… also: indoor tracks are bad, lead to many injuries, try to avoid them)</p>
<p>Definitely go to a running store (not sports authority or other general sports store) to get sneakers</p>
<p>betcha can’t wait to get out there now, eh. see how simple running is?</p>
<p>Women actually tend to have more hip/pelvic bone problems than knee problems due to the wider pelvic structure.<br>
Start slow and build up gradually and you’ll do fine.</p>
<p>Wow, what a tremendous response! Thanks everybody! I stand in total awe of you runners here. I know it’s going to take some time to build up to actually running. Despite what I said earlier, I really am ok with walking to start out. But running is what I really want to do. I’ve gotten such good and prudent advice from you all.</p>
<p>I have a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. At that time, I will consult her about starting an excercise routine, and eventually running. I’ve been a diagnosed diabetic for about a year and a half, and am about 50lbs heavier than I was twenty years ago :(. I’ve decided that I will to give myself the birthday present of beginning to turn back my “real age” clock. I hope to have seen real improvement in both my health (blood sugar no.s ) and vitality in six months. And I hope to see my thirty year old figure in the mirror in a year or so.</p>
<p>I’ve got a pair of cross-trainers, but I suspect that I’ll need to buy a better pair. Has anyone got any suggestions as to brand and price range? I totally believe those of you who admonish that shoes are a very important component in the fitness equation, especially when it comes to reducing the possibility of injury. </p>
<p>I know it took years to get to my current sorry state. So reversing it will not happen overnight. I’m basicly looking to make a lifestyle change that will last a lifetime (well, what’s left of it, anyway :o.</p>
<p>Poetsheart, very best wishes for your success, and you WILL succeed, and it will be fun. About ten years ago I accepted an executive level promotion for a traditional employer. Had all these people reporting to me and suddenly was working very long hours, not eating right, stress, etc. Not sure what happened but after about three years of this I was suddenly about 40 pounds overweight, and just simply looked horrible. </p>
<p>Woke up one day and said “this HAS to change” - I didn’t even recognize myself in the mirror anymore. Long story but lots of exercise and sport, drastically improved diet, and lost all the weight and then some in under six months, and have looked fantastic ever since. </p>
<p>The physical change was so dramatic that I had to get a new drivers license - I didn’t even look anything like the same person any more and it was causing significant problems for me at airports, etc., especially just after 9/11. </p>
<p>When I got the new license? The nice person at the DMV cut my picture off my old license for me - I kept it, and still carry it in my wallet where I have to see it every day - a constant reminder so that I am never tempted to allow that to happen again. </p>
<p>Kluge once posted in another thread on another matter “the hardest part is…getting out of the chair” - and that is so true also re this thread. The hardest part of the whole thing was getting out of my car in the parking lot of the YMCA, etc. Early in my efforts I would drive there, sit in the car, and try to think of every excuse in the world why I didn’t really have time to go in, change clothes, etc. A couple of times I even went there, drove through the parking lot, and left without even parking. But once I got inside the Y and changed, it got better, and of course once the results started showing - just a couple of weeks - the almost overwhelming desire to “stay in the chair” disappeared. </p>
<p>Today, people are shocked when they learn I have a college-age child - I’m not bragging but I look about mid-30’s. However, when I was in my mid-30’s, I looked 50-ish!!! (I quit the job too eventually lol.)</p>
<p>My point is don’t give up - getting started is the hardest part; get past that and the rest is easy, then it becomes fun, then it becomes priceless. :)</p>
<p>latetoschool-- Bravo!</p>
<p>There is no one brand of shoes that’s best for everyone; you just have to try the shoes on and see what fits. A good salesperson can narrow your choices. Orthotics are another way to improve fit. </p>
<p>I agree you should run on the softest surface available (though you would never get me on a treadmill.) I’m not much of a biker, but I did ride a stationary bike when I was doing physical therapy for an ankle injury last year. Now I sometimes ride to the running path near my house; it’s a nice warmup and does a good job of loosening up my ankle. I am also an believer in the ten percent rule-- never increase your weekly mileage (or minutes) by more than 10 percent over the previous week.</p>
<p>I would encourage you to sign up for a 5K race as soon as you can string a few miles together. It will help you stay motivated and the atmosphere on race day is exhilarating. And when you’re ready for a bigger goal, I’m a big fan of the half marathon; the training is manageable and you’ll bounce back in just a day or two.</p>
<p>Good luck!!!</p>
<p>Poestheart, let us know how it goes and best wishes! I come from a family of aging athletes (dad skiied and did lake swimming and bicycling into his 70s; brother is a snowboard instructor and competitor and turned 60 this year; I’m following behind at 54, winning medals in 5Ks, for my age group that is!!</p>
<p>I started running at age 26, and here is what I have to suggest:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Buy an ipod shuffle and load it with the songs that make you want to move…my current song list includes about 12-13 good running songs for me, yours may well vary:
Dixie Chicks–The Long Way
Usher–yeah
Kelly Clarkson–walk away
Temptations–Ain’t too proud to beg
White Wedding
Romantics–what I like about you
Jackson 5–I want you back
Prince–When Doves Cry
Outkast–Hey ya</p></li>
<li><p>For shoes–go to a running store, not a generic shoe or sports store. They’ll watch you walk/run and look at the wear on the soles of your shoes and find you the right shoe. I wear Brooks Adrenaline and a lot of my friends do too. They cost $89 I think where I buy them, but I get a 10% discount. Don’t skimp.</p></li>
<li><p>I like Moving Comfort (?) running clothes for women. </p></li>
<li><p>Good that you’re getting the checkup.</p></li>
<li><p>Walk/run/walk/run a bit until you feel comfortable. You’ll actually be surprised how quickly you can ramp up. I started running primarily in a park with a running path, and on a cushioned track. Now I do road running alternating with a treadmill, about 20 miles a week usually. I had an ACL replacement in my knee when I was 44 (ski injury, not running!), and did a half-marathon when I was 50, and still run 20 miles a week–same with my brother except that he recovered faster than I did. </p></li>
<li><p>That “winded” feeling you get when you first start a run is normal, just keep running. It is just your body adjusting to the sudden increase in exertion and gradually your breathing will settle into a comfortable pattern. You have to get through a bit of that initial discomfort.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t go too hard too fast–it’s the easiest way to get too sore and too discouraged.</p></li>
<li><p>Stretch quads, hamstrings, calves before and after every run. Hold the stretches. Stretch achilles too. If you get too sore, ice. </p></li>
<li><p>Buy Runners’ World for a few months. Even the ads can get you hooked, and they have great articles for every aspect of running.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yea grass is really good. I used to get a lot of shin splints running on road. If you can, don’t run on hard surfaces. No matter what you think now, injuries will turn you off from running. If you get splints, you will lose the will to run for a while. Guaranteed.</p>
<p>what inspirational stories.
Unfortunately even my daughters track coach was forced to have kids run on the sidewalk ( they don’t have a track)-
She has had shin splints ( as I have) and they are pretty painful
Shoes can make a huge difference in alignment- I supinate, so my foot doesn’t absorb shock well, I have already had surgery on one foot, and it didn’t turn out well so while I like walking, I keep my aerobic exercise off my feet.
I also hasn’t helped that I cracked my sacrum and ever since my piriformis is just really tight.
But I really love the rowing machine and am looking forward to paddling the water trails in our area.</p>
<p>Oh I forgot, the track teams PT recommended these for my daughter and they have helped her a lot ( she has some sort of mild deformity/injury that makes her knees prone to injury)<a href=“http://www.superfeet.com/content/index.html[/url]”>http://www.superfeet.com/content/index.html</a></p>