Sore Shoulders/ Running
 

I started the Couch to 5K program last night and my shoulders are so sore. I did the program before up through week 5 and always had an issue with shoulder pain. In fact, a next/ shoulder injury is what caused me to drop after week 5 the first time.

Do you have any advice on how to alleviate the pain/ help me see what I'm doing wrong? I try to keep my shoulders loose before I start the run and stretch them afterwards. I know I hold tension in my shoulders when I run and when I'm aware of it I try to relax them.

If you've had a neck/shoulder injury, that could definitely show up as soreness or pain when running. Have you met with a doc and/or physical therapist to find out what's going on with the neck/shoulders?

I have a neck/shoulder injury, and it limits my running to once a week - more than that and it just hurts too much. Bouncing + arm swinging seems to trigger issues for me.

If normal measures (like ensuring you run with shoulders relaxed, etc) don't make a difference, you may want to check in with a PT or other professional to look at resolving the neck/shoulder issue.

Maybe you don't do this but how stiff are your hands/arms when you run? Have you tried dropping your arms more and letting them swing back and forth more losely? I remember when I used to run cross country/track that many runners would have this problems because they would tense up too much when they were trying to run quickly. Also deep breathing vs. short quick breaths can help too.

But if it's something more serious definitely get it checked!

Thanks! I haven't been to my chiropractor since it was really messed up about 2 years ago. I tried to be mindful of it this morning and relax when I noticed I was tensing up. If it hurts tomorrow, I am gonna go get it checked.

Make a conscious effort to lower your shoulders--many people have tension in the neck and shoulder area without even realizing it.
Also, I think I read some where that if you lean your upper body too far forward during a run, it can cause neck and shoulder pain (I could be misremembering, though).