I am noticing on my long runs that my shoulders are getting tired and sore so I
have been doing push ups and general upper body strength training. But I am now
also noticing that my wrists and forearms are starting to ache. Is there
anything I can do to alleviate this and what causes it? Thank you.
Kelly, it is quite common for people with poor posture to have shoulder/arm
and/or upper back pain when they start running. Your idea of increasing your
upper body strength is a good one, and I suggest you continue to work on
increasing your overall upper body strength. Your overall concern raises the
issue of cross training for runners. As you have discovered, you need more than
strong legs and aerobic endurance to be a runner. While push ups offer one group
of activities, you might do any number of exercises with free weights to
increase your upper body tolerance for distance running. In previous responses I
have described a variety of exercises, but the one thing you need to consider is
that overhead work will increase your arm strength more than just lifting to the
shoulders. Try and use your whole body during cross training, and remember not
to isolate muscles when y
