1) High impact. Even with running only about a mile every other day my knees are not happy. I do still carry a lot of weight, and beyond that one issue I have is that I don't have a lot of level ground to work with given the way my streets are laid out. I could drive 1/2 mile and then have a really nice place to run along a flat and on packed dirt instead of pavement, but it feels stupid to me to get in my car to drive 1/2 mile to get to a place to run. How much of a help do you guys think it would be to ditch the hills until my body really gets used to running? I'm talking grades from 3 to 12 degrees. I got a full fitment at a running store so I'm not really worried about my shoes being a problem. Any other strategies to avoid the knee pain?
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I have considered switching to a treadmill at the gym instead of running outside, but of course one of the advantages of running is that you can be outside and see things and not being completely bored out of your fucking skull like I am when I am on a treadmill.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Smas:
Can't help on the asthma but I had really painful knees during and after running for years. I was so frustrated at the pain that I considered quitting running, which I absolutely love. After a bunch of research I came upon two things that have helped me tremendously, one of which I absolutely recommend, the other one you might want to just give it a think: 1) midfoot/forefoot strike gait; and 2) barefoot.
The mid/forefoot gait was the key for me. I had been a heel-strike runner forever, and that gait was sending all of the shock of the foot strike straight up into the knees and hips, which was the problem. The midfoot/forefoot strike has you landing on the front part of the foot, where the force the landing is absorbed by your feet (which are surprisingly elastic), your achilles and your soleus muscle. A study done at Harvard last year demonstrated that the midfoot/forefoot strike actually reduces leg injuries. If you are a traditional heel-strike runner you should do some research on the midfoot/forefoot strike. There are two specific commercial courses that teach it (Chi running and Pose running), or you can do it yourself. It means you really change your running style and posture entirely, but I have found it to be both faster and more comfortable, and I don't get injured anymore.
Barefoot running (or running in Vibram Five Fingers) is something to consider as well. I have converted to barefoot and love it. But it's not for everyone. The main advantage from my POV is that running without shoes forces you to focus on perfecting your technique and to use your body's natural shock absorbers rather that a heavily padded shoe. Barefoot geeks claim that the more padding you have in the shoes, the more likely you are to run with poor technique and get hurt. It's hard to recommend it because it is a difficult transition, but now that I have converted I love it.
And if you are a cyclist but want to continue working out in the winter, why not try a bike trainer. You can pick one up on eBay pretty cheaply. Put it in front of the TV, put the bike in it and you can have really effective workouts with a trainer.
For what it is worth, I try to stay off treadmills as much as possible. I seem to get minor tweaks and pulls and strains on those machines - there's something unnatural about running on them. Stay outside - just bundle up.
Good luck. Hope this is helpful.