Three Months Into Running: My Developer Body Has Changed
Sitting all day used to leave my back and neck hurting every day, but after I started running for 30 minutes three times a week, the pain has almost disappeared.
At first, even 5 minutes was tough, but now I run 5 km at a 6-minute-per-kilometer pace. Seeing my records improve is fun in a way that feels similar to developing. I also surprisingly enjoy watching the data build up in my running app.
One tip: shoes. At first I ran in cheap shoes and my knees hurt, but when I changed only my shoes that same day, the pain dropped dramatically. Don't skimp on shoes.
9 answers
Agreed, shoes really matter. I also wore cheap shoes while running and ended up with foot pain—it was rough.
5km at a 6-minute pace in 3 months is pretty fast, isn't it? It's a bit hard to believe that someone who said the first 5 minutes were tough could hit that pace in just 3 months. If you have a screenshot of the record, that would make it more convincing.
It's great that running made your back and neck pain go away, but shouldn't you first figure out whether the cause was "lack of exercise" or "posture"? In my case, running made my back worse, so I ended up switching to Pilates. I think cutting down on sitting time itself is the root fix.