Forums >General Running>Which is better: a shorter continuous run, or walk-run intervals with a longer total time running?
Due to injury problems, running continuously is problematic for me. I'm seeing doctors and everything, but I don't have any solution yet. Taking time off or just running through it have been ineffective so far. It's not so bad that I absolutely can't run for longer periods of time, but I think that's probably just going to make my legs worse (it has before). My legs start to get tight after 5-10 minutes usually, and start to hurt soon after.
I sometimes cross train on a stationary bike, and I can get a great cardio workout but it irritates the area where I had a stress fracture so I don't want to overdo it there. It's possible that I have the bike set up incorrectly.
I'm thinking I might be able to avoid the leg pain if I do walk-run intervals, but am I any better off doing, say, 40 minutes total of running or just doing a 20 minute continuous run? I'd be doing the intervals at my easy run pace, not fast or anything. I could try running doubles too.
I don't know if this makes any difference, but I'd probably stagger the run-walk intervals so the running intervals gradually got longer as I got warmed up. Or I might just run until my legs start to tighten, then stop, walk until they loosen, repeat.
Basically, how do I get my "long, slow distance"/base building training in when I can't run for a long time? Any suggestions are appreciated!
an amazing likeness
"Better" in what way?
Getting healed and healthy is job #1.
For running base, time on your feet beats shorter times running harder, so run + walk which supports #1 is better.
That's my, uninformed, opinion.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Update time! In September I got diagnosed with a stress fracture in my left shin (medial). It was diagnosed through an MRI, and I was surprised since the doctor had ruled out a stress fracture as unlikely, since I didn't have stress fracture symptoms. So I took 6 weeks off. I was disappointed to find that nothing was really better, I felt just like I always had after taking a break and the injury just kept coming back. This week I got tested for compartment syndrome. I have it, in 7 compartments, and I'm going to do a fasciotomy for all 8. So it turns out I was injured, double injured even. I don't feel so bad about not being able to keep up during practice anymore lol. I'm really looking forward to being able to run normally if the surgery is a success, maybe running will start to be fun!
Update time!
In September I got diagnosed with a stress fracture in my left shin (medial). It was diagnosed through an MRI, and I was surprised since the doctor had ruled out a stress fracture as unlikely, since I didn't have stress fracture symptoms.
So I took 6 weeks off. I was disappointed to find that nothing was really better, I felt just like I always had after taking a break and the injury just kept coming back.
This week I got tested for compartment syndrome. I have it, in 7 compartments, and I'm going to do a fasciotomy for all 8.
So it turns out I was injured, double injured even. I don't feel so bad about not being able to keep up during practice anymore lol.
I'm really looking forward to being able to run normally if the surgery is a success, maybe running will start to be fun!
Have you had a fasciotomy yet? If that's the problem as you indicated in your other post over the Health and Nutrition forum, then I would wonder if you should take some time off to get the swelling under control. If you already had the procedure make sure you don't start running too much too soon.
@milketruck: I agree, definitely. Because taking time off has never improved my symptoms I really don't see any reason to take more time off, which is why I'm running through my injury. I was planning on running at the same pace either way. Also, I'm a HS track athlete who primarily runs the 800 and 1600, so it's not as if I'm trying to train for a marathon here.
@Daydreamer1: I have not had a fasciotomy, or any surgery. When I met with the surgeon he wanted to run more tests and was much less optimistic about surgery than the doctor who diagnosed the compartment syndrome. He also said that if I do get surgery, he wouldn't recommend doing all 8. Basically the two doctors told me significantly different things. I think if I do have surgery then it'll probably be in May so I don't miss track season and have summer to recover.
I can manage an alright track season on super low mileage, last year I ran 6:15 in the 1600 on 13 mpw, and I think I can get down to sub-6 on similarly low mileage. Obviously I'm far from making varsity, but I don't think it's crazy to expect my times to drop significantly if I can get my miles up without injury.
runktrun
Where do you live (roughly)? I think you should put some time into researching sports medicine doctors and think about traveling, if necessary. Rothman Institute in Philly has a good sports med group. I personally would have the surgery this winter, and use the crappy late winter/early spring weather as an excuse to stay inside and recover but obviously don't rush into surgery if you're not comfortable with the surgeon. Did you do the invasive pressure test? That must have been awful. The surgery is RELATIVELY simple, with low risks of complications. It's possible that you would not get full relief, but it shouldn't make things worse. Then at least you know you tried.
Also, I think run/walk intervals would be more fun and feel more satisfying, by letting you work out longer with less pain. If your legs tighten up after 5-10mins, you could do 4 x 5:00 run/5:00 walk for a total of 40:00 and even pick up the pace in the middle of your run segments. Stretching out the total duration will get you a bit more aerobic benefit, but if you still want to focus on the 800m in track, you're right, high mileage is less important.
Not running for my health, but in spite of it.
@kilkee: I'm in the western United States, so nowhere near Philly unfortunately. We have very mild weather here, so if anything the "winter" weather is more fun to run in
Yes, I did the pressure test, honestly it wasn't that bad. The numbing shots hurt (it's either 6 or 8, I can't remember) but the actual pressure testing didn't hurt after that. The testing wasn't nearly as painful as the injury can be tbh.
The surgeon basically wasn't sure of the diagnosis which is why he advised against surgery right now. For most of the compartments, the resting pressure was abnormally elevated but didn't actually increase much if it all after exercise. The surgeon also noted that pressing on my shin hurts, even though I rarely, if ever, have shin pain while running.
I can try getting a second opinion from a different surgeon, but at the same time I don't want to be only looking for a surgeon that validates my opinions, since they're the doctors, not me.
He said 8 weeks-3 months until I can start running again. If I did the surgery in May then I'd miss most of the preseason training but be able to run the whole season for XC. After having to miss essentially all of the XC season this year I really don't want to miss track season. Also, that way I'll be going into surgery in good shape (for me).
Thank you so much for all your help!
Still sounds unpleasant! I had an EMG, similar concept but to test nerve conduction - stick needles into your (hurting) muscles and send a shock of electricity through. It says a lot about your injury if 18g needles didn't hurt as much as running
^Absolutely, but also, if the information doesn't sit well with you, get a 3rd opinion.
One thing you can do if/when you get a second opinion is be as informed as possible through case studies and medical journal articles -- and make sure your parent(s) understand as well. For example,
"In the presence of appropriate clinical findings, we consider one or more of the following intramuscular pressure criteria to be diagnostic of chronic compartment syndrome of the leg: 1) a preexercise pressure ≥15 mm Hg, 2) a 1 minute postexercise pressure of ≥30 mm Hg, or 3) a 5 minute postexercise pressure ≥20 mm Hg."
https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0025169804&origin=inward&txGid=4886ADC0A0032AA17445D59AAC9EF749.wsnAw8kcdt7IPYLO0V48gA%3a2
"This is a case of a high school soccer player who stopped competing due to chronic exertional compartment syndrome. She had a fascial hernia, resting intramuscular pressure of 30 mmHg, and postexercise intramuscular pressure of 99 mmHg. Following fasciotomy she experienced considerable life improvement and is once again training and playing soccer without symptoms."
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/crior/2015/965257/#B1
It is always possible that this may resolve with rest, but given the success rate that the surgery has, it would be good to have a second opinion that rules out surgery as a short term option.
Yes, I did the pressure test, honestly it wasn't that bad. The numbing shots hurt (it's either 6 or 8, I can't remember) but the actual pressure testing didn't hurt after that. The testing wasn't nearly as painful as the injury can be tbh. The surgeon basically wasn't sure of the diagnosis which is why he advised against surgery right now. For most of the compartments, the resting pressure was abnormally elevated but didn't actually increase much if it all after exercise. The surgeon also noted that pressing on my shin hurts, even though I rarely, if ever, have shin pain while running. I can try getting a second opinion from a different surgeon, but at the same time I don't want to be only looking for a surgeon that validates my opinions, since they're the doctors, not me.
Thanks, I have been trying to read a lot of studies. My pre-exercise pressures were 18-23 in 4 compartments, which is above the 15 mmHg criteria but not by much. Immediately after exercise one went from 8 to 45. The rest were 13-26, and for all but one of them the doctor who performed the pressure test put them in the 5 minute category.
I think I saw one study that indicated post exercise pressures didn't really correlate with symptoms (people without symptoms had high pressures). I'll try to find it when I get home.