Three week break from running, now in pain

[madeinmanc]

I had a three week break from running in January, I had some kind of virus that saw me in bed for many days with pretty strong fatigue.

I'm quite a "sturdy" build (I don't mean fat) and have been lucky to not have serious injuries or strains (touch wood!) apart from when my leg and arm have mild twinges in the place where I broke them years ago. I know I'm unusual in not having the usual strains and issues.

But going back to it this week, suddenly my knees ache, my hips ache, my calves are sore, even my lower back is aching.
I never had any of this before. It was only three weeks, not three months!

What on earth could be going on? Thanks for any insights.

Generally the first run or two back after a break feels grim; everything feels rusty and unused. While you shouldn't have genuinely lost much fitness in that time, it can take a while to really feel completely normal after a virus like that.

Phase back in. Go gentler than usual while you adjust. I often dig out the C25k podcasts and pick something that should be easy, and build up over a few runs.

Warm up and cool down well. Particularly in grim winter weather, I'll use a short youtube video to mobilise and warm up the muscles in the warmth before heading out which helps with the range of movement.
Some mobility work like yoga is also good for getting moving generally. If you've been ill, you'll have moved around less generally.

Thanks so much for the advice. I did go back in at 10k so maybe that was a mistake. I was expecting more to be slower (which I am 😕) than all these sudden unprecedented pains.

Perhaps I'd better go back to 5K and warm up and down (which I've never had to do) and generally do things properly.