Should I just endure the pain I get while jogging, or stop and hope to recover?

I think you should stick to your plan and just ask your Doc what is best for you.

@dpworkin, you’re kidding right? lol. I think I go to the toilet enough ;)

There are people in their early 30’s who’s knees go bad for no apparent reason. You shouldn’t push it too much before seeing a doctor. But it could be you’re just weak and need to build up the endurance. Decide for yourself. Does the pain put you off your feet?

Check your stride. If you’re heel-striking then shorten your stride and run on your toes. You will have more rotation so your heart rate will still be getting to your target area. Start slow when changing your stride- it’s harder than it sounds and your muscles and ligaments need a chance to catch up with the new movement.

I also agree that calling the doctor is a good idea as well.

Are you running in boots? Even if that’s what you’ll be doing in training, you should run in good shoes for now. They’ll be better for your legs and let you get ready for the stompers I guess they’ll be making you wear.

I agree only with the sensible answers above. If your knees tend to hurt on and off, even when not jogging, get your thyroids checked as well. It a common symptom of thyroid problems.

I think that one’s head tells one body many things to get it to stop running. Turn off your head and your knees will probably be fine. Check out the Will Smith thing on YouTube about the little man in your head who tells you to QUIT and therefore never allows you to reach your full potential.

What a bunch of baloney. Do not run until your knees burn, and do not run after your knees begin burning. What did you do in the past to hurt your knees? When was the last time you ran?
Do you warm up before you run?
Go to your doctor and have your knees looked at. If your doctor is out of town, go to another doctor.

You cannot take knee problems too seriously. See a doc. If you let it go and ignore it, what could be a small issue can snowball into a major problem requiring surgery.

@davidbetterman Couldn’t have said it better.
@lilikoi Agreed. You do not ignore knee pain

I thought the whole idea of exercising is to get “the burn.” That is when it is actually doing you some good. If I stopped doing any exercise as soon as I felt a burn or felt tired, I would never make it around the block. My knees have been aching for the last 45 years and I am still running. It only aches for the first 40 minutes, then you hit the groove and the pains go away. Sometimes the day after a hard or extra long run I will take a couple of advil, they work very well.

@rooeytoo, I used to jog only about an hour everyday and my knees never had a burning sensation nor did it ever feel exhausted from my knee and under. I try to be cautious and to me, that’s not something I will ignore. If it was something else, and not my knees, then it probably would not bother me.

I went to the doctor today, not only for my knees, but other problems, and she said it was nothing to worry about, and gave me some knee exercises and stretches to do.

@curiouscat – there you go, now keep running and don’t listen to the little guy in your head who gives you excuses to stop!

(that guy just never shuts up! I wish I could find that Will Smith clip on youtube, it was great and so described the inside of my head.)

My trainer tells me repeatedly that if it hurts, don’t do it. He is 27, a former college football player and in fabulous shape. Keeps me in good shape too. But he is adamant on not doing things that hurt.

@rooeytoo, thanks! I’ll keep running of course, kind of have to anyways… for the upcoming military boot camp in the summer. lol ;)

@plethora, good point, maybe I’ll be able to stop the pain by doing those knee exercises or something though, or maybe I can strengthen my knee some more and prevent the ‘pain’.

ummm…..you saw a doc?

@plethora, yes I did. It was no biggie, and told me that I should keep up my exercise as well.