LOLZLetter Edition 32| How to Tell if it's Running Fatigue or an Injury
Welcome!
One of the most common topic requests for the newsletter has been an injury. Is it because I’m injured? Who knows! While my personal injury is one of my less severe (but still a real pain in the butt), injury stinks. I’ve had had everything from stress fractures to pulled muscles.
There have been many times I’ve wondered, am I injured? Am I just tired? How do you know?
Distance running is not always comfortable. One of the biggest myths about running is one day you wake up and it’s easy. Whether you are training for your first marathon or you’re a professional, at some point you’ll ask yourself: Am I tired or am I hurt?
Most runners have Type A personalities. We like the data, the exact mileage, and everything screaming at us. We like a schedule and to follow a plan. When a part of the plan falls apart, we fall apart.
With running, there are so many different issues and injuries ranging from a painful blister to a severe stress fracture requiring months or years after surgery. Every injury and every person is different and just like there is no exact shoe for everyone, there is also no exact recovery method.
How Can You Distinguish an Injury from Regular Training Fatigue?
First, be honest with yourself. Only you can determine how you feel.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself?
(This same questions asked myself before the marathon when determining if running was worth it).
The Obvious: Is it bruised, swollen, or red? Does it hurt more when you poke at it?
Was there a specific time you remember hearing something pop or a sensation in your body?
Does your issue hurt more or less with running? Does it hurt the same? Does it even hurt less with running?
Does your issue need your undivided attention? Do you think about your pain with every stride?
Does your stride feel off? If your stride or gait is off, that is a red flag to stop. If I have to alter my stride to be pain-free, I stop running.
Is your pain sharp or dull? Shooting pain is another red flag. Dull pain, all of the time, including when you are laying in pain, can be a sign of a stress fracture.
Should you Run through Pain?
Generally, the answer is no. Ask yourself this. Is running through the pain worth it? Is it worth a slow, miserable run? Or is resting and recovering from your injury better? Not running isn’t fun, but I can tell you running through an injury never makes the injury better. I’ve learned the hard way that you cannot outrun an injury.
Sometimes, you might experience tight muscles and associated pain at the beginning of a run that goes away after a mile. That’s a good sign. If your pain gets worse during a run (or any activity), you should stop and go to a doctor.
Finally, ask yourself, do you still want to be running decades from now?
Ask yourself: “If you are still running in 20 years, will you look back and regret running through an injury? Was that race worth it?
It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you’re training for a goal race (I know I have). You lie to yourself that it’s “not really that painful” when it’s something more serious. Sometimes being healthy means changing a goal race and taking extra rest days when you need to. You will never regret taking a rest day, but you will regret running through an issue and making it more serious.
Things Keeping Me Entertained:
How Treadmill Training Helped This North Dakota Runner Qualify for Trials
Chasing the One Percent—Lessons from the INEOS 1:59 Challenge: “First get the fundamentals, then worry about the Vaporfly, the beet juice, depletion diets and so on—for the most part, people are better training well, getting an extra hour’s sleep and forgetting the compression boots.” —Brad Hudson
Shoe Review of the Week: Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%
Giveaway Time:
This week, I'll be giving away a pair of CEP Compression Sleeves. Compression has been something that has helped me recover faster from workouts, races, and running. In fact, I wrote about it here.
All you need to do is share the newsletter and tag me (so I know). You can share and tag me anywhere:
Or email me.
Winner will be announced next week.
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