Hi all,

I am new to running, and recently started doing short bursts (5 minutes) as part of a circuit that my trainer put me on. Lately, as I am increasing my speed little by little, I am noticing that my arms get tired and sometimes even cramp up! What it does is distract me from how good the rest of me feels and makes me feel tired and frustrated.

Any idea why this might be happening or how to fix it?

Any advice would be gratly appreciated! Thanks.

weightlifting. Even if you are a runner, you need strength. do some weightlifting and it will help increase your strength and your arms won't feel so tired.....

It will also help you run faster

cheers
Diane

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I already do weightlifting! Should I be lifting more?

How are they getting tired and where is the cramping?

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The tiredness is rather general... They start to just feel REALLY heavy. I would say that, if anywhere, the cramping and fatigue is generally in my biceps and shoulders, with occasional tiredness in my lower arms as well.

Welcome to the world of running, Jessica!

Arm pain when you first start running is not uncommon. Lifting helps, but no, you don't need to lift more if you already are doing some lifting. What does your form look like? What are your arms doing when you run? What are your hands doing?

When you run you want everything moving forward. Your arms should swing easily from the shoulder in natural arcs, not over-exaggerated or too stiff. For your hands pretend like you are holding a butterfly in your hand. If you clamp your fist shut, you're going to crush the little buddy and we don't want butterfly carnage! That will help you relax your hands. If you feel like you need something to "hang on to" tuck your thumb into your hands and gently hold it.

Your arm swing should be forward, not across your body. If you're crossing your midline, you're using too much energy on arm swing, energy that should be reserved for running.

How about your shoulders? Before you start your run shake your arms out, then lift your shoulders up as HIGH as you can right up to your ears and let them drop. Shake it like a Polaroid picture baby!

Finally, are you running too hard? I have had the crampy feeling when I was trying to go out much faster than I should have. I one time lined up at the start of a 5k with the teenage track stars. I am NOT a teenage track star. I am an adult non-track star who runs an 8 minute mile on a good day. I was running so fast (for me) that my arms cramped up and I felt like I was having a freaking heart attack! I slowed my pace to MY pace and let the track stars leave me in their dust and immediately felt better. A lot of new runners feel like they have to go fast, but that's not so. Running, unless you truly ARE a track star, should be enjoyable. Speed can come AFTER you've built a good physical and mental base. (Let's face it, if it hurts every time you do it, after awhile you won't want to do it!)

Incidentally, I took first in my age group on that race, and ran my fastest 5k ever, even with a well-meaning volunteer who made us all stop at the crosswalk because it SAID "don't walk"! (No, I'm not kidding.) Maybe I should line up with the teenage track stars more often!

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Hey MsTeecher,

Thanks for all the good advice. The truth is that I never saw myself as a runner. It's always been uncomfortable for me, probably because of my stature (tall, large frame, lots of muscle, and at times lots of fat - though not lately! ). What I can tell you is that I'm not a "butterfly crusher" nor are my arms particularly stiff. They swing from the shoulder, although I'm not 100% sure that they don't cross the midline. I'm going to say that they don't, but tomorrow I will double check.

Also, in regards to running faster than I should, sometimes I find that if I run SLOWER it's more uncomfortable. The truth is that I started with the speed at 9.0 on the treadmill and have been upping it gradually over the last few weeks. I now feel comfortable at about 9.7.

It's just so uncomfortable for me. Sometimes I find that I have to stop and walk for a minute or so, not because of being tired or out of breath, but because my arms are so tired. It's so frustrating!

I will definitely get back to you with the arms-crossing-the-midline thing tomorrow.