OP reporting back.
I have been able to finally work up to running six miles, pain free - the limiting factor is no longer my knees but my lungs/general cardio conditioning.
Running six miles was an amazing achievement for me, as when I made my original post, running for just a few minutes put my knees in excruciating pain.
How did I solve the knee pain? I went very slowly and tried to maintain the mindset that I am not competing with anyone but myself. My running sessions were basically long walks with brief interval runs, days of rest, then rinse & repeat, slightly longer distance each time until I felt pain coming on. After each run I foam-rolled and spent a lot of time stretching (I don't do either now that I'm better). I also take orange-triad vitamins, and they have some joint-healing supplements which helped with knee clicking during prior squat sessions. Finally, I also did various bodyweight / yoga-type exercises to strengthen the small muscles around my quads, hips, knees.
I don't know what really helped the most, but I was able to slowly build up to two miles pain free after a few weeks, and then the rest is history. The most important things seemed to be rest, and really listening to my body. I probably should have gone to a doctor, at least to understand what the cause of the problem was, but I decided not to.
All in all the rewards of persevering and taking the time to heal my knees without giving up have been fantastic. I love being outside and the hormones from running, especially after being cooked up in an office stressed out all day. I feel like I am doing amazing things for my heart, lungs, and skin. Running has also been meditative and allows me to turn off y brain for 30 minutes to meditate - I don't feel the same meditation from weight lifting, due to breaks between sets.
I plan to run 5k and 10ks this year, and really push myself to see what I can achieve. Looking forward to a great 2018!
p.s. - Yes, there have been some downsides as well, however - I gave up squatting/deadlifting, and limited my general lifting to one day a week, sometimes less. I've lost a lot of strength and size, especially in my chest and lower body (maybe a good thing - my legs were too big when I look at pictures). People have been telling me I look good. My plan is to really hit running hard these next 6-8 months, and then return to lifting for 50-90% of the time.
I have been able to finally work up to running six miles, pain free - the limiting factor is no longer my knees but my lungs/general cardio conditioning.
Running six miles was an amazing achievement for me, as when I made my original post, running for just a few minutes put my knees in excruciating pain.
How did I solve the knee pain? I went very slowly and tried to maintain the mindset that I am not competing with anyone but myself. My running sessions were basically long walks with brief interval runs, days of rest, then rinse & repeat, slightly longer distance each time until I felt pain coming on. After each run I foam-rolled and spent a lot of time stretching (I don't do either now that I'm better). I also take orange-triad vitamins, and they have some joint-healing supplements which helped with knee clicking during prior squat sessions. Finally, I also did various bodyweight / yoga-type exercises to strengthen the small muscles around my quads, hips, knees.
I don't know what really helped the most, but I was able to slowly build up to two miles pain free after a few weeks, and then the rest is history. The most important things seemed to be rest, and really listening to my body. I probably should have gone to a doctor, at least to understand what the cause of the problem was, but I decided not to.
All in all the rewards of persevering and taking the time to heal my knees without giving up have been fantastic. I love being outside and the hormones from running, especially after being cooked up in an office stressed out all day. I feel like I am doing amazing things for my heart, lungs, and skin. Running has also been meditative and allows me to turn off y brain for 30 minutes to meditate - I don't feel the same meditation from weight lifting, due to breaks between sets.
I plan to run 5k and 10ks this year, and really push myself to see what I can achieve. Looking forward to a great 2018!
p.s. - Yes, there have been some downsides as well, however - I gave up squatting/deadlifting, and limited my general lifting to one day a week, sometimes less. I've lost a lot of strength and size, especially in my chest and lower body (maybe a good thing - my legs were too big when I look at pictures). People have been telling me I look good. My plan is to really hit running hard these next 6-8 months, and then return to lifting for 50-90% of the time.