Should You Run Through It or Should You Rest It?
By: Val Zeps
It’s the age-old question every runner struggles to answer correctly. The daily grind has led to aches and niggles that we’re all used to dealing with. It’s just par for the course, right? All those days of training provide added pressure to keep up the miles at all cost. You know that easing off now will lead to a backslide of weeks, if not months, of work.
So when do you push through those aches, and when should you relent to taking time off from running and letting your body heal? It’s not an easy question to answer. There are so many small injuries that one incurs. Some can be run through and will heal on their own with proper maintenance work (stretching, massage, targeted exercise), while others will only get worse with the persistent pounding. Ultimately, a trained professional (who understands runners) should be able to provide the best advice for any specific issue.
Mind you, I'm not pretending to be a doctor; I'm just a runner who has been around the block a few times. But here are some general rules of thumb:
If the pain is sharp and acute, making it difficult to move, there is probably no point in running. Your body is begging you to rest.
For other pain, start out for an easy jog. After about a mile, if the pain abates, you’re probably OK to continue running. If it doesn't, you need to stop and deal with whatever is ailing you.
These simple rules don’t solve every issue, but the idea is that some pain is just muscle soreness or stiffness. This is pretty normal stuff. It will usually loosen up and the pain will diminish as your body warms up. On the other hand, if you've actually injured something (like an inflamed tendon, a muscle tear, or even a stress fracture), those injuries only tend to get worse as you run on them.
Persistent or sharp pain signals that it is time to stop what you are doing and try something different. You might be able to switch up your training - backing off the miles, getting off the roads, or incorporating some cross-training, for example. Or you might be best advised to stop all together, allowing yourself to heal properly. In either case, following the R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compress, elevate) formula is a good first step, and employing targeted exercises that will correct whatever caused the break-down in the first place, is your best next step to running pain-free.
Here’s a nice article from Runner’s World that offers some more specifics. Also, here's a respected trainer's take on how to run pain-free. A book many veteran runners swear by is Pain-Free by Pete Egoscue (If you have a favorite book on the topic, please chime in with a comment).
So whether you can run through your pain, or whether you need to rest it, respect your body enough to do what it needs. Running is meant to be a joy that enhances your life, not something to suffer through. Since it took you many miles to get where you’re at, you should also take the long view when it comes to injuries. Ask yourself this question: What’s more important to you, getting that run in tomorrow at all costs or being able to run pain-free a year from now? I think the choice is clear.