knee problems?

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hey everyone,

i've just recently started running in the past few weeks, consistently. i'm basically running 5 days a week about 2 - 3 km. i have some friends who have been telling me about knee joints going bad if i over-do it, i've had friends who did infact overdo it and screwed up their knees, ankles, etc. because they ran like crazy (10+ km every day).

what i'd like to know is, when is it really too much? i mean i know it's different for every person but like...is there any kind of rule of thumb that can be followed in this kind of situation to prevent permanent injury? because i feel fine running this often, but at the same time i don't want to risk injury.. thanks for any comments.
 
when your body tells you to stop, stop! Running 5 days/week is actually quite a bit if you have only just started. I would've started with about 3x/week and slowly progress over a 2 month period ... but, everyone is different.
 
The concern with running, and particularly with people who start up running from one day to the next, is form. Running biomechanics need to be practically perfect if you want to run frequently and long term. I would do as suggested by AllCdnBoy and start slowly to progress your way up. This will also prevent shin splints, which I'm sure you've also heard of. If your knees don't give you problems as you progress to more runs per week, great! I have been running many, many years and have never had any knee problems (knock on wood). Unfortunately, running is not for everyone, meaning not everyone can run, even recreationally, without problems. If you feel fine right now, that's a good sign. ;)
 
it really depends on how hard you push yourself when you run. five times a week is a lot for a person just starting out, you might want to take it easy for a coupla weeks, but then again, i started out running every day with cross country because of practice. if you do start to hurt it might be just shin splins or muscle pains, for this a good way to get rid of the pain is to fill up a dixie or any paper cup with water, freeze it, then rub the cup where it hurts, this massages it and ices it.
 
thx for the replies everyone...i think i'll tone it down a bit for the first little while after reading these comments. my knees have that bow-legged structure, and i've been reading that ppl with this type of biomechanics are more prone to shin splints...that and i desperately need new shoes :D
 
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