My first team practice with Team in Training is this Wednesday from 6:30-8pm and I’m worried. I’m afraid that I’m not going to be able to do this walk, and I think this is more than just nerves.
As I’ve mentioned before, I have a real problem with walking. Not walking around on a normal, daily basis, but fitness walking. Whenever I try to go at a good pace (say 3.3 or more on the treadmill pace), I get terrible cramps in my calves, pain in my shins, and a numbness that starts in my toes and travels up to my legs. And it’s not because of a lack of hydration or a lack of potassium; this happens no matter how many bananas I eat or how much water I drink. When I did the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, the pain I was in was almost as bad as the frustration I felt.
What I mean is, I have the DESIRE to do more, to go faster, to push farther, but my body simply CAN’T when I’m walking. If I’m biking or on the elliptical machine or doing workout DVDs, I can push hard. I’m not saying I’m athletic by any means, but I am getting fitter and fitter every day.
Except when I walk. When I walk I feel as if I weigh 100 pounds more than I do and am at least 25 years older than I am. I feel helpless, useless, and so out of shape. It’s not that I’m out of breath, because I can’t walk fast enough to really get my heart pumping or my breath to quicken.
So does it make sense for me to sign up to walk a half marathon? I know that Team in Training offers tons of support in the form of mentors and coaches, but is this really something I can do? Am I setting myself up for failure before I even begin?
I absolutely hate failing at things. I can’t stand it. I love to challenge myself and am used to being able to complete the tasks I set before myself. Hard work and perseverance are my trademarks. But with fitness walking, all my hard work and perseverance don’t seem to help one bit.
I was talking all of this over with my parents tonight, and my dad said that he thinks I may have some sort of nerve damage that shows up with my heel is impacted. He said the reason I don’t feel this pain, cramping, and numbness when I bike or do the elliptical machine is because it doesn’t impact my heels.
Right now my plan is to go to the team practice on Wednesday and see what happens. But if it’s just not realistic for me to complete even a simple practice, I’m going to allow myself to bow out of this gracefully. I will consider the $100 registration fee that I have already paid out to be a donation to a very worthy cause and move on.
Thoughts? Ideas? I’m not really looking for words of encouragement, because I’m really motivated. I’m looking for any tips or information you may have to share that might give me some insight into why this is happening.
Bella on the Beach 
I would go on Wednesday and see what it’s like. Have you gone to a really good shoe store? Maybe its as simple as getting a better fitting sneaker?
I agree with what Skinny said – possibly the shoes! When I started at the gym, the treadmill used to kill my lower legs and then I got some different shoes. World of difference!
Also – have you discussed this with the TNT trainers? Perhaps they would have an idea of what is causing it and give you some tips to alleviate or HOPEFULLY eliminate the pain.
Is walking slower an option? Can you go at a pace that doesn’t cause pain? I only ask because if I read correctly, it’s speeds of over 3.3 mph that make you hurt….so maybe a slightly slower pace would work?
Whatever you do, good luck! I do hope you can do it!
Walking was the only exercise I did for the first 50 lbs or so of my weightloss. When I first started walking, I had a very similar problem, which occurred only when I pushed my pace over 3.0 mph or so. It eventually did go away as I continued to walk.
I’m no expert on this stuff, but this is what I did:
— Got a checkup from a podiatric surgeon. After taking X-rays, etc. he told me that we use muscles differently depending on the speed we walk, and that in his opinion I simply needed to train my muscles for this new activity. He suggested that an elastic support bandage around my ankle/foot might or might not help during the training period – I tried one and did not find it helpful.
— Made sure I had good-fitting shoes that corrected for pronation – I got a fitting at a good running shoe store.
— Stretched thoroughly before each walk.
— Warmed up thoroughly at a slower/comfortable pace before I began to pick up the speed – when I started, this meant walking at least the first mile of my 5 mile walk at around 3.0 mph.
— Alternated between my comfortable pace and the faster pace for the rest of my walk as necessary for me to be able to complete the 5 miles.
In my case, I began to see improvement after the first week or so (I could walk faster for longer periods before the my shins began to hurt), and after about 6 weeks the problem had disappeared.
Good luck with the training!
The right shoes make a world of difference! My cross trainers are great for walking outside but inside exercise they hurt my feet…weird.
good luck with your training
I thought I had the answer, but it looks like everyone else does too! Get good shoes, professionally selected for you based on your gait. And then slow it down. I hope you stick with it. Good luck!
here are my suggestions (as i have suffered through very similar problems)
1) the right shoes. They are ESSENTIAL.
2) see if you need orthotics. A podiatrist can help you with that.
3) if its possible, see a doctor about a possible bulging of disk in your spine. Particularly around the L5-S1 area. The disk bulges out and presses against your sciatic nerve causing all sorts of weird and painful things down your leg to your toes. Its common in people who are overweight and can lead to a disk rupture (something you DON”T want). Alot of CORE exercises will help with that.
4) Talk with the trainers. Let them know what is happening and see what they have to say!
I really hope this works out for you!!
xo
Bella says: Lisa, as always, you are awesome! My dad had mentioned something about the disks last night. He had back surgery about 15 years ago, so he’s pretty well versed on all of that stuff. I’m hoping it is a problem with the fit of the shoes and not something more serious, but I’ll see what the coaches say at our first practice tomorrow night.
Hi Bella,
Let me chime in too: good shoes are critical, but also – surprisingly – good socks! I can’t believe what a difference this makes. Yes, they are expensive. Look at hiking stores (I like Smartwool light hiking socks). EMS has a good selection. Think about footwear for people who hike and carry a backpack. Here’s what I learned: after about thirty years on the planet (and lots of heal and lower leg pain), I learned that I have wide feet (!). Who knew? I always knew I had high arches (they are really high) and this combined with wide feet makes fitting my shoes a challenge. Now I have really good orthotic arch supports (not custom made — I couldn;t afford it). I remove the inner soles from my shoes and put the plastic arch support in. I use them in all my shoes. They work great! Now, that is particular to my chubby feet. So, because of this revelation, I now buy my shoes a half size-smaller and in the correct (wide) width. I have since had years of pain-free walking. I walk about 2 miles three days a week and I really enjoy it!
Bella says: Rie, thanks for the tips on the socks. I know that I have wide feet, but I’m not sure about the arches. I’ll find out and look into buying better shoes for my personal needs.