‘Running is like mouthwash; if you can feel the burn, it’s working.’
– Brian Tackett
I like this quote. If I don’t feel a bit of pain (physical or mental) from a run than I don’t feel that I’ve worked hard enough. I want to feel that my body has been put through a tough training session; that I’ve sweated profusely; and, that I won’t be able to run another meter. Sure, easy runs are great too but if I have them too often I get bored. It’s like I need the challenge for my body and mind to stay motivated and interested. At the end of my run I like to feel a combination of exhaustion, relief and refreshment that’s why even if I have an easy training session I like to finish it hard.
‘Go hard or go home’ isn’t always the most beneficial way to attain success and meet your goals as it can lead to overtraining and injury. There are exceptions though –rest, fitness level, age, and diet.
As a kid I swam, ran, and played touch football. I remember being in the pool five afternoons a week for an hour and a half at a time. Training in the swim squad was tough everyday –it didn’t matter if we were doing intervals, distance, or using different strokes. Sometimes there were early morning sessions too which meant training twice a day. I loved and hated it at the same time (till this day I don’t know why I stopped). I ate clean, slept through the night, studied well, and was young and I didn’t suffer from any injuries.
Now as an oldie, okay, as an adult in my late twenties I’m starting to feel aches and pains when I train too hard or train too much. My knees are always bugging me and recently my hip caught my attention. It’s a worry because while I call myself an oldie I am young and never expected to have these issues before forty or fifty. What I’ve discovered though is, -the more sport I do, the better I feel, and that pain isn’t necessary a sign of trouble.
Yesterday, I went for a long run. I was going to cancel it because my hip joint felt uncomfortable –it hurt a bit. I started the run thinking that I’d stop if I felt any sharp pain or strong discomfort. About half way through the run I stopped for a walk to ease the ache –a minute or two later I returned to an easy running pace. I was worried that I’d pay for it but today, I don’t feel a thing –it’s like my hip joint never hurt. I woke up and it was as if the pain in my hip or knees was never there. Strange. Could training have helped?
Running when it hurts is okay if you feel it’s right – you have to listen to your body and trust your instincts. Muscle aches are natural if you train regularly and push yourself. The weather can affect the way your joints feel and you might be aware of them more in the winter than in the summer. If pain persists though it’s best to take a break for a day or two. The only reason I kept on running was because the pain had subsided, if it had persisted or worsened I would have ended the training session quickly.
Running when it hurts should be avoided in the following cases;
Stomach ache
Migraine
Throbbing or chronic pain
Fever
What do you do when pain appears –stop or keep running? What does it take for you to say ‘no’ and forgo the running shoes and put your feet up?
