Running Club- getting injuries when always running on pavements and concrete

[fluffythecat1]

Just wondering how other clubs manage it. I’ve been with a running club for a couple of years. Just recently upped my attendance as want to lose some weight. I am 52 and have had to cut back because my back and hip are causing me pain. Almost all of our sessions are on concrete and for training runs we are often running at full pelt between lampposts doing interval training, that sort of thing, however I am then feeling the affects the next day. I don’t want to cause myself a long term injury and wonder how other clubs manage to have sessions surfaces which are better on the back and joints.

Our club is all pavement based. Are you doing strength and conditioning exercises in-between runs? Running is notoriously hard on joints, and if you are a bit overweight that's even more the case, making strengthening the muscular support around joints even more important. Also does increased attendance mean you've drastically increased your mileage? As this will be a big factor.

Yeah, I gave up running when I worked out that it was really not doing my body any good. I had hoped that it would help me loose weight and was surprised to discover that it didn’t by itself.

lost weight with attention to diet and nutrition and switched to walking got getting out with some gentle exercise that didn’t leave me feeling hungry and that I deserved to eat more.

Doctor pointed out that walking everyday could be better for me than running three times a week with longish periods out due to injury. I just don’t think we are designed to run on very hard surfaces. The shoes we wear to cushion our feet don’t help with natural movement either. Feet end up as if in a splint immobilised.

not sure any of that helps you, it just sounded as if we had had a very similar experience with running hope you found what works for you.

Agree with the above - you can't out exercise a high calorie diet. And irritatingly running (unlike swimming for instance) is one of those sports that is just so so much easier when you are thin.

Get a gait analysis done. They may be able to recommend better/more supportive footwear.

I run regularly on pavement. Granted I'm not overweight though. For me the important thing is to get new running shoes fairly frequently as they wear out quickly. Choose ones that are best for you by getting a gait analysis.

Honestly? Avoid pavement running at all costs even with specialist trainers. I used to love running but lived in a city centre so did all my running on pavements. I now cant run at all..not even a light jog for a bus. Walking and stairs cause me a lot of pain too.

Drs have told me the worst thing I could have done was run on concrete. This is my experience. Im sure others will come on to say they can run with no problems , but I couldnt ever recommend it given the pain Ive been in.

And i really, really miss running!

My BMI is is the healthy range already, however I would just like to lose a stone so slimmer and my blood pressure and cholesterol has gone down with previous weight loss, so I’d like to lose a bit more. What sort of strength and conditioning exercises are good? I’ve joined a gym.

I’m in a running club and also an England Athletics trained Leader in Running Fitness. It sounds like you are just pushing yourself a bit too hard having increased the amount of running you are doing. Your speedy intervals can be great training providing you are warmed up enough when you do them. They should be about a mile in to your session, or after you have done warm up stretches and drills. I agree that having the right shoes can make a big difference.

You need to be also doing mobilty type work so think Yoga or pilates, stretching well before and after. Maybe if you can get a PT for a few sessions in the gym to advise on some strength/resistance workouts that can strengthen your body.

The trainers/gait analysis is a good shout too

Our running club is good at doing a mix of pavement runs and more off road in the woods runs. We do live near a couple of large areas of woodland in a fairly rural town so it’s a bit easier. The club run tonight is in the woods.

II mix up my running a lot and avoid pavement running. Plus do bit of body weight & dumbbells strength workouts at home. Get some trail shoes and walk run on grass, trails, beach whatever is local that’s not pavement. I had a few niggles in the summer - I’m same age early 50s- so focused on walking further with the dog instead on trails and added in some slow running. I came back to bit of pavement running in Oct and did my fastest ever Parkrun with no special training. Honestly just mix it up, build strength and avoid concrete.

An increase in work is going to make things a bit more sore as you adapt but you need to be careful increasing volume and work at the same time.
It might be worth seeing a sports physio to check if you have any specific imbalances or areas of weakness. For example, I need to keep on top of core strength otherwise I get a sore back as I have a long term back injury.

Our running club only runs on pavements, and Ive never heard anyone mention any issues with impact injuries.

But I will add that I ran regularly for 2 decades and it didn't make the slightest bit of difference to my weight or body shape. Its obviously great for your cardiovascular fitness though.

Now I've switched to strength training, walking and HIIT, I've lost so much weight that I'm struggling to avoid looking too thin, and am currently eating 2,000 calories a day to see if I can gain a few pounds (at 5ft4 and 8st8). I think I'm going to need to increase that to something closer to 2,200.