Do you think running is painful? (Read 1059 times)

Running for me is painful. I've got circulation problems in my legs and I get cramps quickly. Its' a catch 22 it hurts to run but running will help improve circulation and hurt less. So I just keep going till I can't stand it anymore. I've ran 5 miles at 14 mm but still can't finish a 5k without walking at 11mm.

I don't find training or racing to be painful in any way.

 

Someone said that if racing doesn't hurt you're not really racing. I'll have to think about this. I am not a very experienced racer.

I am apparently unable, or unwilling, to race hard enough to cause myself pain. I don't feel pain when I race - physical discomfort, yes, and I do suffer greatly from mental anxiety over fear of failure, and that is a huge emotional pain, but physical pain? Nope. And I routinely race hard enough to collapse and even pass out at the finish line, and I usually finish first or second  in my A/G. Pain is when you break something, tear something, get a huge muscle cramp, or have an injury that is telling you that you should not be running. Pain is what I felt in my feet and ankles and legs last summer when my arches had collapsed over time, and every running step became somewhat painful to everything from my hips down. I gave up running for a while when that happened, because running should not be painful.  I don't equate voluntary extreme physical exertion to pain. Pain, to me, is involuntary. 

Not every run is painful to me, but every race at some point is if I really race.  Sometimes it's because I'm not trained well, but even in the best shape, I think if you push to the edge of your limits, you will feel pain.

Chris McCormack (Professional Triathlete, and two time Ironman World Champion including a 2:42 marathon) said this:

"You have to be honest with yourself about suffering: It’s going to come, it’s part of the wholeness of being a triathlete, and it’s totally real. It’s you versus you. If you can be at peace in your mind and accept the pain, then you can see it as part of the whole amazing experience. But if you’re dreading the suffering because you approach it from a negative frame of mind, when it finally comes you’re going to check out.”

^^This.

Ditto

I just ran my fastest of my 5 Honolulu marathons. Negative split and beat last year's time by about 15 minutes. Yes, I was sick last year but Im a little bleh this year too. It hurt like hell.

Nice Job srlopez!

Yesterday's race was painful for me in the last few miles. At first I ignored it and kept going but there came a point where I had to succumb to the pain and back off. I finished, but I was definitely hurting. Lesson learned...train harder, longer, and more often. I am determined to finish a half in under 2 hours...and pain free at that.

So if we simply define the feeling you get when you're running and it hurts as being labeled one of two different labels, subject to the following rules:

 - pain if you shouldn't be running

 - just discomfort if you should be running

I'm pretty confident that we can conclude that you will only feel the feeling we define by "pain" if you shouldn't be running.

Circular reasoning to the rescue!