Adjusting a jogging routine for sore knees | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. ジョギングを始めましたが、走るたびに膝が痛みます。

   I started jogging, but my knees feel sore after each run.

   ジョギング

   jogging

   始めました

   started

   走る

   run

   たびに

   every time

   膝

   knee(s)

   痛みます

   hurts; feels sore

   More detail

   ジョギング means “jogging” here. It is a loanword used as a noun. In ジョギングを始めました, を marks it as the thing that was started. Example: 毎朝ジョギングをします。 — “I jog every morning.” 始めました is the polite past form of 始める, “to start” or “to begin”: 始める → 始めました. The past form presents the start as completed, while ました gives polite style. The subject is not stated in this sentence, so the form does not by itself identify who started. Example: 勉強を始めました。 — “I started studying.” 走る means “to run.” It is the plain, non-past form of the verb and appears before たびに to form a recurring pattern. 走ります is the polite non-past form when the verb stands as the main predicate. Example: 毎週走ります。 — “I run every week.” たびに means “every time” or “whenever.” The pattern verb plain form + たびに describes something that happens on each occurrence of the action: 走るたびに means “every time I run” or, in the fixed translation, “after each run.” Example: この歌を聞くたびに、母を思い出します。 — “Every time I hear this song, I remember my mother.” 膝 means “knee.” Japanese does not mark ordinary nouns for singular versus plural, so 膝 can refer to one knee or multiple knees; the fixed translation specifies “my knees.” In 膝が痛みます, が marks 膝 as the subject of the pain expression. Example: 膝が痛いです。 — “My knee hurts.” 痛みます means “hurts” or “feels sore” here. It is the polite non-past form of 痛む, “to hurt” or “to ache”: 痛む → 痛みます. This verb describes pain or soreness as an occurring condition. It differs from 痛いです, which uses the adjective 痛い, “painful” or “sore,” rather than the verb 痛む. Example: 長く歩くと、足が痛みます。 — “When I walk for a long time, my legs hurt.” The first clause, ジョギングを始めましたが, combines “started jogging” with が, which links the next clause in contrast: “I started jogging, but …” The second part, 走るたびに膝が痛みます, says that on each occasion of running, the knees experience pain. Together, the utterance means: “I started jogging, but my knees feel sore after each run.”

2. ペースや距離を上げるのが早すぎるのかもしれません。

   You may be increasing your pace or distance too quickly.

   ペース

   pace

   距離

   distance

   上げる

   increase; raise

   早すぎる

   too quickly

   のかもしれません

   may be

   More detail

   ペース means “pace,” especially the speed at which an activity is carried out. It is a noun and can be used in patterns such as ペースを上げる (“increase the pace”) or ペースを落とす (“slow the pace”). Example: ペースを落とします。 — “I will slow my pace.” 距離 means “distance.” It is a noun that can refer to the length of a route or the amount covered. Example: 走る距離を少し増やします。 — “I will increase the distance I run a little.” 上げる is the transitive verb “to raise” or “to increase.” Its base form is 上げる; the form in this utterance is non-past and follows the objects ペースや距離, so it means increasing the pace or distance. A useful contrast is 上がる, “to rise” or “to go up,” which describes something increasing rather than someone increasing it. Example: ペースを上げます。 — “I increase my pace.” 早すぎる combines 早い, “early” or “fast,” with すぎる, “to be excessive” or “too much.” Here it describes the increase as happening too quickly, rather than simply saying that it is fast. The same pattern can attach to other forms: 食べすぎる means “eat too much,” while 遅すぎる means “too late” or “too slow,” depending on context. Example: 距離を増やすのが早すぎます。 — “Increasing the distance is too soon.” のかもしれません expresses a polite possibility: “may be” or “might be.” In this construction, の nominalizes the preceding clause, turning “increasing the pace or distance” into the thing being evaluated; かもしれません then presents the judgment as uncertain rather than definite. The polite form is かもしれません; the plainer form is かもしれない. Example: 今日は休むのかもしれません。 — “I might rest today.” Together, ペースや距離 gives the alternatives “pace or distance,” with や linking the listed nouns. ペースや距離を上げる means “increase the pace or distance.” Adding のが makes that activity the subject of the evaluation, and 早すぎるのかもしれません says that it may be too quick. The whole utterance therefore means: “You may be increasing your pace or distance too quickly.”

3. 早く上達したかったので、無理をしすぎました。

   I wanted to improve fast, so I pushed myself too hard.

   早く

   quickly; fast

   上達したかった

   wanted to improve

   ので

   because; so

   無理

   overexertion

   しすぎました

   did too much; overdid it

   More detail

   早く modifies 上達したかった, so it means wanting to improve quickly or make rapid progress. It is the adverbial form of 早い (“early; fast”), used here for speed rather than an early time. Example: 早く覚えたい。 — “I want to learn it quickly.” 上達したかった means “wanted to improve.” The useful base expression is 上達する (“to improve; to make progress”), and したかった is its past-desire form: する → したい (“want to do”) → したかった (“wanted to do”). The past form presents that desire as belonging to the earlier situation; it does not by itself say whether the speaker eventually improved. ので links the reason to the result that follows. In this sentence, the desire to improve quickly is the reason for what happened next. ので commonly gives a relatively explanatory or gentle “because” connection. A reusable pattern is Aので、B — “Because A, B” or “A, so B.” 無理 here means pushing beyond a reasonable limit or overexertion. In the common construction 無理をする, it is used with する to mean “to push oneself” or “to overdo it.” The noun 無理 itself is the quoted element; the following を marks it as the object of する. しすぎました combines する (“do”) with すぎる (“exceed; do too much”) and polite past marking. Thus しすぎる means “do too much,” and しすぎました means “did too much” in a polite past form. In 無理をしすぎました, the repeated activity is overexertion: the speaker pushed themself too hard. The ました ending marks the completed past event and adds polite style. Together, 無理をする gives “push oneself,” while 無理をしすぎました says that this was done excessively and happened in the past. The full structure is 早く上達したかったので、無理をしすぎました: “Because I wanted to improve quickly, I pushed myself too hard.” The sentence presents the wish for rapid improvement as the reason and the past overexertion as its result.

4. 体がまだ慣れていないと、けがにつながることがあります。

   That can lead to injury if your body has not adapted.

   体

   body

   まだ

   still; not yet

   慣れていないと

   if ... has not adapted

   けが

   injury

   につながる

   lead to; result in

   ことがあります

   can happen; sometimes occurs

   More detail

   体 means “body” here. It is a noun and can be reused in compounds such as 体力 (physical strength) and 体調 (physical condition). Example: 体を休めます。 — “I rest my body.” まだ marks a situation that has not changed by the relevant time: “still” in an affirmative statement and often “not yet” with a negative form. Here it combines with 慣れていない, so the meaning is “has not yet adapted.” Example: まだ準備ができていません。 — “I am not ready yet.” 慣れていないと comes from 慣れる, “to get used to; to adapt.” The observed form 慣れていない is the negative nonpast form, describing a state of not being accustomed or adapted. と marks a condition with a regular or expected result, similar to “if/when.” The subject of this form is 体, so the condition is that the body has not adapted, not that an unspecified person has failed to practice. Example: 新しい靴に慣れていないと、足が痛くなることがあります。 — “If your feet are not used to new shoes, they can sometimes hurt.” けが is the noun “injury.” In this sentence it is the result that may occur. Example: けがを防ぎます。 — “I prevent injuries.” につながる uses に to mark the result or destination and つながる, “to connect” or, in this pattern, “to lead to/result in.” The form is nonpast and polite style is supplied later by ことがあります, not by this verb itself. AがBにつながる can mean “A leads to B,” as in 睡眠不足はミスにつながります。 — “Lack of sleep leads to mistakes.” ことがあります literally uses こと (“matter” or “event”) with あります (“exists”), but after a verb it is a useful pattern for saying that an event can occur or sometimes occurs. Here it presents injury as a possible result, rather than asserting that injury definitely happens. Example: この道は混むことがあります。 — “This road can sometimes get busy.” Together, 体がまだ慣れていないと sets the condition “if your body has not yet adapted.” けがにつながる gives the result “lead to injury,” and ことがあります makes that result possible rather than certain. The whole utterance therefore means: “That can lead to injury if your body has not adapted.”

5. 練習を軽くして、ストレッチも加えたほうがいいですか。

   Should I make the routine lighter and add stretching?

   練習

   practice; routine

   軽くして

   make lighter

   ストレッチ

   stretching

   加えた

   added

   ほうがいいですか

   should I...?

   More detail

   練習 is a noun meaning practice or training; here, with the fixed translation, it refers to the training routine. It can also appear in compounds such as 練習時間 (practice time). Example: 毎日、発音の練習をします。 — “I practice pronunciation every day.” 軽くして expresses “make it lighter” and is the linking form of 軽くする (“to make light/lighter”). The adjective 軽い becomes 軽く before する, and して connects this action to the next one. In this sentence, “lighter” concerns the training, not necessarily its physical weight. Example: 荷物を軽くして、出かけます。 — “I make the luggage lighter and go out.” ストレッチ is a noun meaning stretching. Japanese commonly uses this loanword for stretching exercises. The particle も after it adds this item to the previous action: “stretching too/as well.” Example: 運動の前にストレッチをします。 — “I stretch before exercising.” 加えた is the plain past form of the verb 加える (“to add”). In the pattern V-たほうがいい, this past-shaped form does not mean that the adding already happened; the pattern recommends that it be done. Example: 水分を加えたほうがいいです。 — “It would be better to add fluids.” ほうがいいですか asks whether one option is advisable: “would it be better to ...?” Here, ですか makes the recommendation into a question. The reusable pattern is V-たほうがいいですか (“Should I ...?”). This is different from simply asking whether an event happened: the recommendation meaning comes from V-たほうがいい as a whole. Together, 練習を軽くして gives the first proposed action, “make the training lighter,” and ストレッチも加えたほうがいいですか asks whether adding stretching as well would be advisable. The complete meaning is: “Should I make the routine lighter and add stretching?”

6. 休む日を作って、短い距離を走れば、体が回復する時間を取れます。

   Rest days and shorter runs would give your body time to recover.

   休む

   rest

   日

   day

   作って

   make

   短い

   short

   距離

   distance

   走れば

   if you run

   体

   body

   回復する

   recover

   時間

   time

   取れます

   can take

   More detail

   休む means “to rest” here and is the dictionary form. Before a noun, a verb in this form can modify that noun: 休む日 means “days for resting” or “rest days.” This is a noun-modifying pattern, not a special adjective form. 日 means “day.” In 休む日, it identifies the kind of day being discussed. The phrase does not by itself state how many days there are. 作って is the て-form of 作る, “to make” or “create.” The て-form links this action to what follows: 休む日を作って means “make rest days and …” or “by making rest days …,” with the exact connection supplied by the larger sentence. を marks 休む日 as the object of 作る. 短い means “short.” It is the attributive form of the i-adjective 短い, used directly before a noun: 短い距離 means “a short distance.” Its opposite is 長い, “long.” 距離 means “distance.” In this sentence it is the object-like measure associated with running: 短い距離を走る means “run a short distance.” を marks that distance as the thing traversed by the running activity. 走れば is the conditional form of 走る, “to run.” The -ば form presents a condition: 走れば means “if you run” or “when you run,” here as part of the condition leading to the result. The subject is understood from the sentence and is not explicitly stated in this form. 体 means “body.” In 体が回復する, it is marked by が as the grammatical subject of 回復する; the sentence therefore presents the body as the thing that recovers. 体 itself does not specify a particular person unless the surrounding context does so. 回復する means “to recover” or “return to a recovered condition.” It is the dictionary form of 回復する, a verb that uses する as part of its form. In 体が回復する時間, the clause 体が回復する modifies 時間, giving “time in which the body recovers” or “time for the body to recover.” 時間 means “time.” Here it is the object of 取れます: the sentence says that this time can be secured or obtained. The phrase 体が回復する時間 is therefore not simply “recovery time” as a fixed compound; it is a noun modified by the clause describing what happens during that time. 取れます is the polite non-past potential form of 取る, “to take” or “secure.” It means “can take” or, in this context, “can secure/obtain.” The polite ending ます makes the statement suitable for a polite conversation. The potential form presents the result as possible rather than as a command. Together, 休む日を作って introduces creating rest days, and 短い距離を走れば gives the condition of running shorter distances. The result, 体が回復する時間を取れます, says that this makes it possible to secure time for the body to recover. Thus the whole utterance means: “Rest days and shorter runs would give your body time to recover.”

7. 目標は速さではなく、続けることにしたほうがよいかもしれません。

   Maybe my goal should be consistency, not speed.

   目標

   goal

   速さ

   speed

   ではなく

   rather than; not

   続けること

   continuing; consistency

   したほうがよい

   it would be better to do

   かもしれません

   maybe

   More detail

   目標 means “goal” here. It is a noun and can be used in reusable patterns such as 目標を決める (“set a goal”) and 目標は〜です (“the goal is …”). In this sentence, は makes the goal the topic. 速さ means “speed.” It is formed from the adjective 速い (“fast”) with さ, which turns a quality into a noun: 速い → 速さ. Compare 速さ (“speed”) with 速い (“fast”). Example: 速さより正確さが大切です。 — “Accuracy is more important than speed.” ではなく connects a rejected description to the preferred one. ではない is the negative form of です, and ではなく is its linking form, meaning “not … but/rather …” in a contrast. Here, speed is presented as the option being set aside, not as the goal. 続けること means “continuing” or “the act of continuing.” 続ける is the dictionary form “to continue,” and こと nominalizes the verb so it can function as a noun-like goal. The pattern V-ること commonly means “doing V” or “the act of V.” Example: 毎日読むことが大切です。 — “Reading every day is important.” したほうがよい expresses advice: “it is better to do it” or “one should do it.” The verb form した is the past form of する, but in the fixed pattern V-たほうがよい, it gives advice about choosing that action; it does not simply report a completed past action. With the preceding ことに, 続けることにしたほうがよい literally has the pattern “it would be better to decide on continuing.” The useful related contrast is V-ないほうがよい, “it is better not to V.” かもしれません softens the statement to “maybe” or “might.” かもしれない is the plain form, while かもしれません is the polite form. It marks uncertainty about the recommendation, rather than making the recommendation definite. Example: 明日は雨かもしれません。 — “It might rain tomorrow.” Taken together, 目標は introduces the goal, 速さではなく contrasts speed with another choice, and 続けることにしたほうがよい presents continuing as the better choice. The final かもしれません makes the whole recommendation tentative. With the supplied translation, the intended meaning is: “Maybe my goal should be consistency, not speed.”

8. それは走り始めたばかりの人にとって、より現実的です。

   That is more realistic for a new runner.

   それは

   that

   走り始めた

   started running

   ばかりの

   just ...; newly ...

   人

   person

   にとって

   for

   より現実的

   more realistic

   More detail

   それは presents something as the topic and means “that” here. それ is a demonstrative pronoun; its specific referent is not identified by the supplied sentence. The topic marker は frames it as the thing being evaluated. 走り始めた means “started running.” It combines 走る (“to run”) with 始める (“to begin”), forming 走り始める (“to start running”); 始めた is its past form. The past form is needed because the starting event has already occurred. For example, 彼は勉強を始めた。 means “He started studying.” ばかりの marks something as having happened only recently and links that description to the following noun. In 走り始めたばかりの人, it means “a person who has only just started running.” After a past verb, V-たばかり is a reusable pattern for “have just V-ed,” though the exact sense of “just” depends on context. 人 means “person.” Here it is the person described by the preceding clause, so the whole modifier is “a person who has just started running.” にとって gives the viewpoint or group for which something is being judged: “for” or “from the perspective of.” The pattern Nにとって is useful when an evaluation applies specifically to a person or group. For example, 初心者にとって難しい means “difficult for beginners.” より現実的 means “more realistic.” 現実的 is a な-adjective meaning “realistic,” and より marks comparison with an understood alternative or reference point. Its basic comparison pattern is AよりBのほうが…, “B is more … than A.” The predicate is completed by the polite form です at the end of the sentence. Together, 走り始めたばかりの人にとって means “for a person who has only just started running,” and より現実的です says that the topic is more realistic than an understood alternative. The complete utterance means: “That is more realistic for a new runner.”

9. 歩く時間をはさみながら、もっとゆっくりしたペースで走るほうがよい計画です。

   An easier pace, with walking breaks, would be a better plan.

   歩く

   to walk

   時間

   time

   はさみながら

   while interspersing

   もっと

   more

   ゆっくりした

   slower

   ペース

   pace

   走る

   to run

   ほうがよい

   it is better to

   More detail

   歩く means “to walk.” It is the plain form of the verb and can modify a noun directly: 歩く時間 means “time for walking.” The same form can also be used as the dictionary-form predicate in a sentence. 時間 means “time” or “a period of time.” Here it refers to a period allocated to walking, not to a stated number of minutes or hours. はさみながら comes from the verb はさむ, “to insert” or “to place between,” plus ながら. In this sentence, 歩く時間をはさむ means “insert walking periods,” and 歩く時間をはさみながら means “while interspersing walking periods.” ながら connects this accompanying action with the main action that follows. The observed form is inflected for this connecting use; it is not the plain form はさむ. もっと means “more” or “to a greater degree.” It increases the degree of the following description. Here it makes the pace more relaxed than the comparison point supplied by the situation. ゆっくりした describes something as slow, unhurried, or relaxed. In ゆっくりしたペース, it describes the pace as slower or easier. The attributive form is ゆっくりした; do not treat ペース as its base form. A related adverbial use is ゆっくり走る, “run slowly.” ペース means “pace,” the rate at which an activity proceeds. In this sentence it is the rate of running, and もっとゆっくりしたペース is “a slower/easier pace.” 走る means “to run.” It is the plain form of the verb and appears here before ほうがよい, a pattern that compares this option with alternatives. For example, 歩くほうがよい means “it is better to walk.” ほうがよい literally uses ほう (“the side/option”) with よい (“good”) to express that one option is preferable: V-plain form + ほうがよい means “it is better to V” or “one should V.” In this sentence, 走るほうがよい means that running is the preferable option. The adjective よい has the related form いい in many ordinary expressions, but the fixed text uses よい. Together, 歩く時間をはさみながら sets the accompanying arrangement: walking periods are inserted during the activity. もっとゆっくりしたペースで gives the manner and rate, with で marking the manner or means. 走るほうがよい says that running in that way is preferable. Finally, 計画です identifies the whole proposal as a plan. The complete meaning is: “A plan in which one runs at a slower/easier pace while including walking breaks would be better.”

10. 趣味は健康を支えるものであって、害を与えるものではありません。

    A hobby should support your health, not damage it.

    趣味

    hobby

    健康

    health

    支える

    support

    ものであって

    being something that…

    害

    harm; damage

    与える

    give; cause

    ものではありません

    is not something that…

    More detail

    趣味 means “hobby” here. It is a noun, and は marks it as the topic: “as for a hobby.” The sentence therefore presents a general standard for a hobby, rather than identifying a particular hobby. 健康 means “health.” With the following を, it is the object affected by the verb: 健康を支える means “support health.” The translation’s “your health” gives the intended context; Japanese does not mark that possessive in this noun itself. 支える is the dictionary form meaning “to support” or “to sustain.” In 健康を支える, it describes the beneficial function expected of the hobby. A useful contrasting verb is 害する, “to harm,” but the fixed sentence uses 害を与える for the harmful idea instead. ものであって contains もの, “thing,” followed by であって, the linking form of である. After a verb, 支えるもの means “something that supports,” so 支えるものであって presents the first side of a contrast: “being something that supports…” This pattern can connect a positive description to a later contrasting description. 害 means “harm” or “damage.” In this sentence it is the harmful result, not the person or thing receiving the harm. The pattern 害を与える literally treats harm as something given and means “cause harm” or “do damage.” 与える is the dictionary form “to give” or “to cause.” Here its object is 害, so its meaning is specifically “cause harm,” not ordinary physical giving. The form remains dictionary-form because it appears inside the noun-modifying expression 害を与えるもの, “something that causes harm.” ものではありません means “is not something that…” In this sentence, ではありません is the polite negative of the linking expression である, and it negates the classification introduced by もの: 害を与えるものではありません means “is not something that causes harm.” Together with ものであって, it creates the reusable contrast pattern Aものであって、Bものではありません: “it is something that A, and not something that B.” Putting the parts together, 趣味は sets “a hobby” as the topic; 健康を支えるものであって describes it as something that supports health; and 害を与えるものではありません rejects the contrasting description of something that causes harm. The whole utterance means: “A hobby should support your health, not damage it.”