Went rogue and I'm warming the bench

I debated about whether or not to post about my knee(s). I mentioned in my last post about couch-to-5K that my knees had been sore after my runs, so I was going to pull back a bit and really stick with the program as its laid out and intended.

But when I got to the gym on Saturday, two days after I'd run my first mile, I couldn't even make it around the track once. I was hobbling along in terrible pain in both knees, on the inside under the knee cap. The pain was worst in my left leg, though.

Then on Sunday, I ran to beat my mom into the movie theater (or she wouldn't have let me buy the tickets), and I further injured it.

So I haven't run since Thursday, and I've been really depressed about it. I spoke with a coworker who started running last year, and he apparently had the same injury, and it kept him out of the program for two weeks. It's a pretty common injury among first-time runners.

I didn't want to post about this because I don't want to discourage others from trying the program. I still think it's great. But I decided maybe I should mention that I learned the hard way why the program is laid out like it is, with slow progressions made over time, and that it's not a good idea to go rogue and run extra just to see if you can. It's not just about stamina. It's about your body acclimating to a high-impact activity.

So, anyway, I'll be warming the bench if you need me. : ( At least for a while.