Today I did a stupid thing...

[El Gordo]

I often have trouble with an ache at the top of my back and around my shoulders on long runs. It kicks in after about 6 miles. I talked to a masseuse about it who said that I had a big build-up of lactic acid (?) up there which she 'massaged away'. Said that in my case it was caused by two things: 1. (probably) bad running posture. Not running upright enough, and 2. not stretching enough. Said I should lie on my back and raise my head and neck as though I was craning to see something beyond my feet.

Not sure why I'm mentioning this because it's not the same problem as yours by the sound of it.

Is it an old problem? Or just since you returned to running? Are you running on different surfaces from previously?

It might be worth getting a sports massage, and/or trying to find out if you're running style may be contributing to the problem.

Another suggestion is to look at the possibility of a Pilates class. I'm doing one at the moment on Tuesday evenings, and find it very helpful for running as it's all about stretching.

Let us know how it goes.

Andy