new runner - stiff back

hi everyone.

i've been running very intermittantly for the past 3 years, so that i can run the race for life each summer. this year i've decided to keep going on the running and enter the london marathon.

i swim 3 times a week (with a club) and run 2 times a week. one long run (4.5miles) and one short(2.5miles). i run at about 11 minutes a mile. i'm trying to add 0.5miles to my long run each week. this is quite a significant increase in training from 3 months ago when i was swimming once a week and runing 1.5-2 miles once a week. am i overdoing it?

i've started to get a really stiff upper back when i run. it's not painful just uncomfortable. i also get a mild stabbing pain in my left knee which i can run through. any thoughts on what these are caused by?

you should probably know that i'm pretty overweight 5ft 1in, 12st 11lbs and have lost 16lbs in the past 17 weeks and hope to keep going!

Hi there Susannah, from someone who has suffered from a long term back problem I have found that in order to minimise the affects of running on my back I have to take a few precautions.

Stetch properly, thats all your legs muscles and your back muscles.

Only run on roads in races and never more than once a week.

Build up mileage very slowly, follow a hard week with an easy week, a hard day with an easy day.

Make sure you have the correct type of shoes for your running style.

Also the pain in your knee may be caused by the tightnening of your muscles down the side of the leg (ITBS)

Hope this helps, if it gets worst a visit to an oestopath or similar therapist may benefit you.

Jane.

Well done with the weight loss Susannah!

I'm getting really bad stiff back / shoulder pain - and also knee twinges - and was told this morning at the gym that I'm running really crookedly -something I've recently developed. I saw an osteopath in May - which is when all this back pain started - so am seeing a different one on Friday!

Also have a look around this site - as it contains some interesting info re posture and remedial exercises for runners

http://www.peakrun.com/articles/83_1.htm

Keep going - you're doing great with the weight loss - but you may need to do some cross training in the gym to help strengthen your neck / shoulders / back if the exercise above don't help. All the best

Shattered by name - and shattered by nature.

I was at the Dr about a similar upper back problem, although I feel pain when I take a deep breath in and on turning. I was told that it was probably muscular skelitis (I don't know if this is how you spell it), strained muscles inside the back of the chest wall and she said that sometimes pretty fit people who do a lot of exercise, from time to time experience this sort of problem?! I was told not to do anything that aggevates it (it is not actually sore when I am running) and to take pain killers. Incidentally I am about a stone/stone and a half overweight. T

i have seen an osteopath about a different problem so i'll go back and see if he has any ideas, maybe it's related to previous injury?

shattered shins - thanks for the congratulations on the weight loss. it seems like it's taken ages and it's going to take ages more! i'm off on holiday next week so i'm taking a break from dieting and will get back into it when i return