By the way 50K is insane.
nah - only 5ish more than a 26.2. 100 is insane.
Just found out the only dirt trail I could find is riddled with roots. The only options I have right now is asphalt or the beach.
Just found out the only dirt trail I could find is riddled with roots. The only options I have right now is asphalt or the beach.
I don’t want to bulk up. Do you think 135lb barbell squats would be ok along with leg presses on the press machine? I was trying to follow the OCS website data and just use body weight only. I haven’t lifted weights in forever now and I was an avid weight lifter. The tibia still seems to be getting inflamed a lot even if I am running on the grass field, beach or trail. Right when I found a good dirt trail it still gets inflamed to the point of crazy after a 2 mile run on both legs. How common are orthotics? Not that I think I need them, but just curious. I also don’t know the exact exercise to really focus on strengthening the tibialis anterior for running. Although the ones I found look really silly. Thanks guys.
First of all, you need to clarify something for us. You first mentioned the pain was on the "inside" of your tibia, then you mentioned something about your tibialis anterior. Do you have pain forward (anterior) or aft (posterior) of your tibia?
Squat with whatever weight you want, as long as you're doing a FULL squat with the correct form. Those bullshit half squats you did on the football team in high school don't count. Don't worry about bulking. You won't bulk up unless you have a sufficient (and usually large) calorie surplus. In other words, you need to eat big to get big. I'd shoot for somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 reps/set for what you're trying to accomplish. Don't sacrifice form. I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of 'Starting Strength' by Mark Rippetoe if you really want to learn how to do exercises like the squad, deadlift, etc. properly.
This is all assuming you have pain aft of your tibia, like I did:
I did a lot of research into the muscles of the lower leg, and to be honest, that's one confusing area of the body. I'm no doctor, but I remember reading that the tibialis anterior played a role in holding the arch of the foot up. It made sense to me that a flexible, collapsing arch combined with a weak tibialis anterior (and the associated tendons) could cause the pain that I was experiencing. My solution was to rest the area sufficiently, support that arch, and strengthen the lower leg. I can't emphasize the importance of allowing enough rest time before you start training again. Waiting until it's no longer painful to walk is not sufficient---not even close.
I relied on squats and weighted calf extensions to strengthen things up. Make sure you start light, especially with those calf extensions. Don't overdo it.
It could be that you're finding success there because the uneven surfaces are challenging (therefore building) more/different muscles in your feet/legs/back/core than typical vanity muclebuilding weight routines. C240 is right, take it easy and don't short yourself on rest.In all I have found a good dirt trail finally that has been helping and the beach can be good stuff sometimes for me.
When you run on nature trails, do you feel the soleus muscles being worked? For a pavement/track runner, I did a fair amount of natural surface running with roots and uneven surfaces the other day and my soleus muscles on the outer side of the leg down by the ankles are sore. Makes sense they'd be used more to keep the ankles from rolling, but I was just curious.