Forums >General Running>What Percentage of Your Runs Hurt?
Well it's a question of what you mean by "hurt". Of course there's the difference between the discomfort of a hard workout and actual, injury-related pain: But I can't operate the way kilkee does here. If I waited until nothing injury-related hurt, at all, I would literally never run. As you get older, if you still want to be competitive, it's about finding the right balance. It's hard to know sometimes whether something hurts too much or at a level that is sustainable for training; I do the best I can. Currently it's Achilles pain on the left and peroneal pain on the right. I think neither will completely go away without surgery. But I'm able to be competitive by managing the injuries. Yes that does involve PT, strength, etc.
Well it's a question of what you mean by "hurt". Of course there's the difference between the discomfort of a hard workout and actual, injury-related pain:
But I can't operate the way kilkee does here. If I waited until nothing injury-related hurt, at all, I would literally never run. As you get older, if you still want to be competitive, it's about finding the right balance. It's hard to know sometimes whether something hurts too much or at a level that is sustainable for training; I do the best I can. Currently it's Achilles pain on the left and peroneal pain on the right. I think neither will completely go away without surgery. But I'm able to be competitive by managing the injuries. Yes that does involve PT, strength, etc.
You have got to have a lot of pain tolerance to run ultras Ha!
Chronic achilles injuries suck. The good thing is that sometimes the running itself is so enjoyable or painful that you can forget about the achilles for a while. It gets overruled by other types of pain on a bad day or endorphins on a good day.
"Shut up Legs!" Jens Voigt
Strict WTF adherent
Also close to 100%.
I'm talking about pain that comes with injury and age, as opposed to the discomfort of a workout. I always kind of assumed it was normal. Most of it isn't too bad. It's usually worth it. But not always.
The good thing is that sometimes the running itself is so enjoyable or painful that you can forget about the achilles for a while. It gets overruled by other types of pain on a bad day or endorphins on a good day.
Yeah definitely. My Achilles is worst in the first mile or two; after that it's rarely an issue at all. A few years ago I tore my hamstring tendons; for a couple of years after that, I would get pain and tightness there after running around 10 miles, but it would always disappear by around 30 in a race. Whether it loosened up, or was drowned out by other sensations, or I got used to it, I'm not sure.
Slower but happier
If training is in part a process of breakdown and suprarecovery I would think some hurting (transient aches and pains) could be a sign of more effective training and likewise no unpleasant sensations stagnation. Tendons and ligaments don’t breakdown and recover from what I understand just break and scar, but muscles do. We are talking just musculoskeletal hurt. After a VO2Max workout I have brain fog it can last the day. Weight lifters describe similar effects. I usually have echoes of old injuries toward the end of long runs such as a little posterior tibial tendinitis or ITB which is fleeting. Usually only LR, Tempo or faster runs is a pain is around by the next day, but not alway. If easy runs hurt me that would be a for me sign of something wrong with what I’m doing (usually too much or too soon or inadequate rest).
2020 goal: couch to 5K, currently working on the couch block
Before my meniscus tear and knee surgery, and age, ha, I would have said 0% of my runs hurt. Now I would say around 20% of them make me sore on the knees.
Damaris
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Like all the others said, it's so hard to answer this question, because "pain" and "discomfort" and "sore" are so self-defined.
If you go by a strict definition of pain, then it's 100% of the time. Those omnipresent aches are like white noise - I'm used to them, and disregard them. I'm always amused when I take Tylenol for a headache, and my body goes silent.
It's just part of age, and being a runner, and past injuries from riding horses. As a PT I used to work with said: "our bodies tell the stories of our lives"
I also have the usual nagging things that I note for the first mile or two, and then "work out of" to use a horse term. Or sometimes something weird will pop up, and then disappear a few minutes later, never to return.
But new, different, sharp pain that persists? I shut it down. So as close to 0% as I can get in that regard.
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0% - you shouldn't run while you are hurt. Maybe you mean hurt in the sense of effort, like extra hard runs? Then that's 2 out of the 5 weekly runs.
Old , Ugly and slow
I am fat and out of shape right now. I ran twice this week and was hurting on both. Hopefully in a few months this Will change
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes