Should I take a break?

I've only run twice in the last week and a half. Yesterday I ran about 2.5 miles and I felt fine, but later in the day my knee started to hurt. Today it's a little worse, but it's not terrible. Kind of like a twinge when I bend my knee, kind of at the upper part of my kneecap. Should I take a few days off? I want to get back in the swing of things, but I also don't want to injure myself. I'm afraid that the more time I take off I will lose my motivation Can I just take it slower?

Re: Should I take a break?

Coming from someone with bad knees, I would do your next run on a rubberized track or boardwalk (gentler on the knees than asphalt or concrete) and take it slow. See how you feel. It may take some time to loosen up. Make sure you ice after workouts and at night. Take nsaids for pain and inflammation.

Re: Should I take a break?

I will tell you..when I started running over a year ago, I had the same thing happen..I was getting nervous that I would injure myself..my knee was hurting me a lot...but I was running on a treadmill and what I did was put the incline down here and there to make the run slightly easier at times. I took advil for inflammation and iced it here and there. It eventually went away and i was able to run normally without one problem. Still going strong with NO knee pain!! It may be something temporary you have to get through but if the pain gets worse, take a break..you know your body best!!

Re: Should I take a break?

I am not a runner but to quote bikram: you can mess with the gods but not with your knees.

I would take a break if I were you.

Re: Should I take a break?

take a day or two off and then try again.

Ibuprofen helps my knee pain. i would also heat the knee before you run, and ice immediately after.

That's the best advice I have to give.

Re: Should I take a break?

Take as much time off as you need! I didn't and now I probably wont be able to run again because I really messed up my knee.

Re: Should I take a break?

Definitely take it slower but keep moving if you can. If the pain were terrible I would say rest for a few days. But from what you are describing I think you would be ok if maybe you did a walk/run for a few days. Then you'll know if this is something you can push through or if you really need to rest it for a few days.