Help! I don't want to be derailed
 

Hello! I am quite proud of myself tonight because when the rest of my family sat and watched 2 movies tonight, I chose to go to the gym and walk/jog 5km instead of not moving. My problem is, I am new to running (I have to work on the track and I often walk 1 lap/ jog the next and continue in such manner). Tonight , my right foot along the top above my toes, but below the ankle, is aching when pressure is put on it. I was wondering if anyone else experienced soarness in the feet when they started a running or walking program? Any suggestions on how to treat the achiness? I am planning on taking tomorrow off or doing a light walk instead of pushing myself. I really want to keep up with my running as I am training for a 5k in October.
I am serious about winning this war with my weight this time! Another thing that happens when I jog is my feet go numb! It is worse in my right foot, and I often have to stop and shake my foot to get the circulation going again. It can be annoying when you are working hard at a Heart Rate of 165 to have to slow down and tend to tingly feet!!! I was fitted at the running room for a good pair of NewBalance runners, so I know it is not a shoe problem!!! Any help/advice you all could give on this matter would be very much appreciated because I don't want to have to give up my running training. Thanks for your help! P.S. Do you think this will get better as I start to get under 200lbs? I truly hope so!! :(
Marie :)

The soreness on the top of your foot COULD be from the laces pressing into the top of your arch. It might be enough to lace your shoes differently or to wear a sock with more padding at the top. The staff at the running room should be able to show you a different way to lace. As for the numb toes, are you sure the shoes are big enough? Are you maybe wearing too-thick socks? Remember running shoes should be one half to one size bigger than your other shoes.

Don't overdo it with the running. You shouldn't increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% a week. And you still have lots of time to prep for an Oct race. I highly recommend the RR clinics (if you're not already in one) for info, training schedule, and running companions. I started running several years ago with a Learn to Run Clinic, and actually progressed to a marathon before a foot injury made me stop.

And yes, your feet will be happier if you lose weight. Mine would be too.

Good luck with your training!

carla

I experienced both of these at first. The numbness went after I'd covered the distance a couple of times. I didn't change shoes, although I did lose weight. I don't know what was causing it, but it did improve. For me anyway.

I also had a big problem where my foot swelled up completely and I had a lot of pain in the area you're describing (top of the foot). I got it checked out at the hospital because it was so bad, and they said that I'd got inflamed metatarsals which can happen if you increase the amount of pressure you put on your foot too quickly. The advice to me was to keep it up as much as possible, put some ice on it from time to time, and not to do weight bearing exercise for a while. I asked and they said swimming and cycling would probably be OK, so I stuck to that for a week or two.

Hello!
Thanks for your replies so far :) . I wanted to answer a couple questions that Carla pointed out, as she made good points, but sadly I've made sure to cover all those bases and am still stumped!!! :?: First, I have had the running room re-lace my shoes in a pattern designed to take off pressure. I also made sure to buy the running room's special 2 layer/ no blister system thin running socks. Also They fitted me for my shoes, so there is ample room and they really do feel nice. I think what the second poster pointed out (I'm sorry I've forgotten your user name!), Could be part of the problem. I may be trying to jump into too much too fast. I have gone from completely sedentary to 5km walks and interval walk/jogs in 1 week. allthough, I am careful to wear a heart rate monitor and stay between 152-165 beats per minute (about 70% my age predicted max) My bones and feet may not be able to handle the new pounding I am throwing at them!! I sometimes try to slow down to a walk and I feel like I am not going fast enough to make a difference... remember I have BIG goals this year with wanting to join the military!!! And I HAVE to be able to run in basic training with no feet problems that could possibly have me put back and re-coursed! Back to the walking.... when I slow to a walk I feel like I must be going too slow (it feels under 4mph).... My heart rate drops to my lower end ( about 145 BPM). and I feel like I am not pushing myself hard enough. I know I am capable aerobically of the walk/jog intervals.... my feet just keep stalling my progress!! My feet are sore along the bottom this morning ( forcing me to walk timidly/ not quite a limp) so I may have to take today off completely and do what was mentioned (switch to the stationary bike) for my next cardio workout on Monday. I truly hope this works itself out because now that I've decided to move, I do not want ANY excuse to pop in my head and make me procrastinate any longer! Any more thoughts out there? Thanks for all your help!
Sincerely,
Marie

You are trying to do too much too soon. You're focusing on your heart rate and you should be focusing on getting your joints, muscles and bones prepared. You are running the risk of sabataging all of your goals by being overeager.

Go to a site like coolrunners or thewalkingsite or exrx.net and look for a beginners training program. Google on couch-to-5k which has a great training program.

If you screw up your feet, they won't let you in the military.

Hi Chimo.

check your PM box, I sent you a message.