Ready to Run by Kelly Starrett

Author:Kelly Starrett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joosr Ltd

Running through pain almost guarantees lasting injury, so listen to your body and treat pain at the source

“No pain, no gain” is the old adage often referenced by runners, but it is crucial to respond quickly and effectively to pain before injury occurs. Burning, throbbing, or stabbing pain is your body’s way of screaming out for you to stop and listen to it.

On completing 27 marathons in 27 days, British comedian Eddie Izzard commented, “I’ve been through hell and now it’s about true grit, getting it done and mind over body.” This attitude is not a wise one, and all runners need to get past this kind of bravado, unless they want to seriously damage their bodies, with lasting consequences. The truth is that whenever you feel pain as a runner, the best thing to do is to act quickly—look at where the problem stems from and work to fix it.

At the first sign of pain, immediately begin your cool-down, lessen the intensity of your run, and head homeward. Once at home, you need to focus on restoring the damaged tissues and healing whatever hurts. What you should not do (contrary to popular belief) is ice the injury. Ice leads to the shutting down of communication between the area of injury and the rest of the body, when actually you need them to communicate. While it may be tempting to reduce inflammation, it is important to remember that inflammation is part of the body’s healing process.

Instead of ice, you should be using compression to encourage blood flow to the area. This will direct oxygen and nutrients there and get you on the road to recovery more quickly. Wrapping the injured area, as well as two inches below and two inches above the pain hotspot, with a compression band is recommended. You can also use a bicycle inner tube, cut lengthways in half. Wrap the band like a bandage around the area, keeping it bound tight for several minutes, and move the joint through its full range of motions, before releasing it.

Repeating this around five times per day is the best way to help your body recover from injury. Once you have healed the area, you can then start to look at the causes of the injury, by refocusing on posture, committing to flat shoes, and improving power in the posterior chain by practicing your squats.

If you feel pain, do not run through it; head home and use compression to help heal the damaged area instead. Do this consistently several times a day over a few days until the area feels strong again, and then work to ensure that you do not repeat this injury.

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