I originally wrote the majority of this for a friend but considering that it has a fair amount of information that could actually be useful to anyone else, I decided to share some of it. Please keep in mind that I started the program back in October so I have some other notes about the program and gear intended for another post).
To start with, I've had bad knees since I was a teenager. I don't really know what brought it about, but the pain would arrive in waves so I never really got into sports much. I remembered that I really liked running when I was younger, but my knees and ankles gave out really quickly. It wasn't a matter of strength because the pain was different. Sure, I could walk through the pain, but I couldn't "run" past it. I couldn't do much except for put on a brace and keep going. So when I decided to try to start running, this wasn't a decision made lightly nor could I view it as a real commitment. After all, at any point my knees could give out and create a resting state for a while. I could always pick it up again, but committing was different.
Making the leap to running or even jogging was a long stretch for me. For the longest time I eyed runDisney from afar. For a while I tried running with my boyfriend and our housemate but my knee acted up so I had to stop. That doesn't mean I can't dream. Anyhow, in my attempts to find another activity in between yoga (I use Hulu, Chromecast to project from Do Yoga With Me, 42 Yogis, Yoga with Adrienne, Yoga with Adriene, and the hopes that one day I'll be disciplined enough to make it into a studio), I needed something else. I had been taking the dog for extra walks throughout the day, but I still needed something. After checking a few subreddits, that led me to the Couch to 5K (or C25K, for short) program.
I did as much research as I could which included checking with others about how they manage pain with running, specifically focusing on knee issues. Preparing is a weird kind of beast because I wasn't just preparing for running. I was preparing for the inevitable bad feelings that would surface when I started running. I get really depressed when I do any kind of exercise (yes, weird, I know, but not unlike me either). I was hesitant about the first run but the first week seems pretty short (here's the training schedule and visual of the schedule).
The next step was sneakers (or running shoes) so I checked around on Groupon and Woot for deals. Sadly most of them that were available didn't quite suite my tastes. You might able be snag a pair that you like on either site so I encourage you to check there. As for myself, I ended up getting the Merrell Women's All Out Fuse Trail Running Shoe which came out to just under $70. While I waited for those to arrive, I started looking into the C25K apps. There are a lot out there and I'm picky about apps. So I downloaded a few, ran them for a bit, but settled on C25K - 5K Trainer FREE for my first two runs (I ended up getting the Pro version shortly after). I had the headphones already along with my mp3 player, my phone with the app, and then when I went out for my first run (without my mp3 player), I realized how clunky it was all going to be. I decided to get this sports armband, nix the mp3 player and just use my phone with the Spotify and C25K app.
I still get knee pains so a friend of mine suggested that I run with my cloth brace on those days that I think it will hurt. So far that has only happened on one day and it worked out okay.
So I guess the last thing to mention is running clothes. Because apparently running clothes isn't quite the same as yoga clothes which has more flexibility. I have a few pieces from Nike (a running tank, mesh shirt, and pants), but I got a few more items from Old Navy. I don't know why but Old Navy's sports bras have been way better to me than Nike's. I ended up picking out a few more things from ON.
About the depression while I run (and not my regular old depression), the program is in such short intervals that it forces me to pay attention at this point so my mind can't drift which is great. Week 5 and onward worries me though. When the stretches of running become longer and my mind will inevitably drift. But I'll worry about that then. Does it mean I'll see Week 9? I don't know, but at least I tried and that's what matters. So if you're on the fence about giving it a shot, no matter what the reason is, I'd say that you should try, even if that's all you can tell yourself. But the attempt is worth it.
