You know the phrase “no pain, no gain.” But what does it mean?
Trainers tell you that you need to feel some pain as you push your muscles to work harder so that they create new muscle fibres and thus increase their strength. However, are you sure that it is a good pain? If you have joint problems and you start running more than usual then you could develop pain that is not good for you.
Going longer and/or faster than you ever have before involves getting out of your comfort zone to reach a previously unattained level of performance. Learning to deal with discomfort in training and racing is a necessary ingredient for improvement in running. This is the welcome “pain” of pushing yourself to be able to run faster – but really it is a ‘hurt’. It should not involve pain.
If you are experiencing mild to moderate muscle soreness that lingers for 12-48 hours after a tough workout or race, not to worry. This is normal! As you increase your running volume and experiment with different training intensities, your body will need to adapt to the new stresses that are being placed upon it.
Soreness is your body’s way of telling you that it’s repairing and rebuilding itself to come back stronger over the coming days, weeks and months. Thus you ‘gain’ from it. BUT – be careful not to do too much too soon and take your rest and recovery days seriously so that you’re able to absorb all the hard work that you are putting in. Running easy on a set of sore muscles is fine, but save the long runs and faster workouts for when the soreness has subsided. If you’re unsure whether you should run or not, aerobic cross-training in the form of swimming, spinning or water running can be a great way to flush out metabolic waste without the impact on your legs.
Pain is an entirely different type of discomfort. This is an unwelcome “hurt” that will prevent improvement rather than promote it. Pain is usually discomfort that comes on quickly, lasts for a prolonged period of time and ranges from tolerable to severe on any given day. Unlike the normal discomfort of training and racing, pain is something to be taken seriously and addressed quickly.
Sharp, sudden pain that seemingly comes on out of nowhere in the middle of a workout or race, unwelcome “pops” that force you to alter your stride or deep soreness that lingers for more than 48 hours are symptoms that should not be ignored. Don’t try to run through it. Stop running immediately, evaluate the situation and come in to see one of the Chiropractors at the Avenue Clinic so that we can check out what you have done and advise you accordingly.
Be especially careful with joints and tendon pain, and unusual swelling or bruising—these are signs that something isn’t right and needs to be addressed right away. Start by taking a few days off from running, cross-train to maintain fitness while your body heals (as long as it doesn’t aggravate the injury site), perform corrective exercises to strengthen your weak spots (you should be doing this anyway!) and only attempt to run again once you’re able to go about your daily activities without pain.
Not sure whether it is good or bad pain, call us now for advice.
Happy running!