As I announced a few weeks ago, Eric and I are currently training for a 5K. We have been doing our own version of the "couch" to 5k, alternating runs on the treadmill on days when we can match up our schedules with runs together at the track.
If you've been reading my blog for awhile you may know- I was diagnosed with patella tendonitis in June 2009. Aside from a crazy sprint triathlon, I did not run for over a year after that in attempt to get rid of the knee pain. Even with PT, exercises, icing, and excessive amounts of rest, the pain only stayed away when I didn't run at all.
Earlier this summer Eric and I had probably our 100th conversation about my frustration over not being able to run. I find it hard to comprehend how people have literally recovered from surgery and been able to run and I am sidelined by a little tendonitis. Which brings me to my question of today's post...
How much pain will you tolerate and still say you had a "pain free" run?
When I was doing PT for my knee last summer they used to ask me how much pain I felt on a scale of 1 to 10. I always found this question to be a challenge, as I have to assume that I have never in my life felt a 10 or even close. At that point I think my pain was a 5, 10 being the pain someone might feel if they say, fractured a part of their knee or tore something. Now, a year later I'd say my pain is a 1 or 2 when I run, and usually is at a 2 after a run. This leaves me to wonder.
Is the reason why I am the one who still cannot run "pain free" because I have a different definition of pain than others? When Caitlin (who has had a lot of trouble with her knees, but now can run marathons) says it doesn't hurt her knee, does she mean AT ALL, or just compared to when things were really bad? Does she simply mean that she can tolerate the amount of pain in her knees or is it really NOT THERE AT ALL?
It's really impossible to know another's feeling of pain, so I have decided to assume that a small amount of pain is okay, as long as it doesn't get worse. I am on a strict regime of foam rolling, stretching and icing and I don't run on anything except a treadmill and a cork track. Hopefully that will allow me to run, within reason, I am not going to be doing any marathons any time soon :)
I'd love to know your thoughts. Just how much pain will you tolerate before you get concerned? Do you think your past history with sports/athletics influences how much pain you tolerate?
Posts
i have had severe neck/back pain so i know whaty ou mean. it feels like it is always there but it varies on the pain scale.. but i dont know if i can recall a day in the last 3 years where it was completely gone.
ReplyDeleteI have had knee pain that bothered me all the time. Then it got better and didn't hurt AT ALL. Then it started to hurt again. When I say pain free, I mean without pain. At least without the bad pain. There is sometimes some muscle soreness pain that I don't count, but pain free to me means no injury type pain.
ReplyDeleteGood post topic, Kelly. I know that when I say that I just finished a run pain free, it's usually at least 90% pain free. Sometimes, I will run and things will feel a little "out of sorts" for parts of the run, but once I get into my stride, all is good. However, if things persist or get worse, then I do not consider it pain free... I haven't had pain like I did a year ago, so I am thinking most of my runs have been pain free for the past 9 months. :)
ReplyDeleteReally interesting post! Because I am so susceptible to injury, I only consider a run to be pain free if it truly was pain free. As in, no pain at all.
ReplyDeleteI think one of my biggest mistakes, though, is to have a series of pain free runs and the relax on my injury prevention regimen: icing, foam rolling, good stretching, etc. I'm working on that though!
a very good post! i tend to run through just about anything. which shows my determination i guess? i wish i had that internal voice that told me when too much pain was a bad thing.
ReplyDeletehey did you ever find a cork track on cape cod?
ReplyDeleteThis post is very insightful. If the pain is weak but consistent and doesn't go away for mmm a week maybe? I'd be concerned. If it was awful I'd be concerned right away. I think I'm on your level. Not that I have knee injury or anything, but as far as tolerance and what feels ok / what does not.
Great post, I'm definitely returning to see what everyone else says on this topic.
ReplyDeleteFor me, when I say "pain free" I mean NO pain. Zip. Nothing. No feeling.
That being said, I sometimes run through non "pain free" feelings. Some days, my shins and knees just don't cooperate. Maybe I forgot to ice the night before or maybe I didn't warm up enough before a fast paced run. I run those these types of aches and pains (I call it "awareness" - I know it's there, but it doesn't really HURT).
But then there are the aches and pains that you know just doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel like you simply forgot to ice, it either hurts more, or in a different place, or just over all different. I don't run through these kinds of pains.
My advice: Keep running, keep icing, keep strengthening/balancing your quad muscles, don't be afraid of a little "awareness" every once in a while, and run the 5k with me : )
* run THROUGH those types of aches
ReplyDeleteI learned the hard way, there's a difference between pain and sore. Pain is your body's way of saying "Stop!" And if you don't the pain only gets worse. Trust me. Have you talked to your dr about kinesio tape? Worked wonders for my knee pain (caused by hip pain) while I rehabbed. Worth a shot!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your raining - what a great thing to do as a couple!
I'm famous for running through pain. Then I got pregnant and had to be a little smarter about it. I think that if the pain is a soreness that goes away quickly, then its okay. But anything persistent, I've learned, just gets worse. So frustrating!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are able to continue with the training. But be careful. Maybe space out the runs more???
I'm sure there are some die hard runners out there who run through the pain (and pain meaning 2-3 on a 10 point scale). They have just ignored it for so long that they don't even consider it pain. My opinion is that that is BAD. If you have pain you shouldn't run through it OR mask it with drugs. If our body is creating pain that means it's sending signal for us to stop so it can heal (or so you just don't do that particular exercise again). I don't know what your doctor said, but I Think pain is pain, no matter what the number or intensity. I just wouldn't run, that's my honest opinion, and I'm sure it's not the one you wanted to hear.......
ReplyDeleteI SO relate to this post. I have a lot of pain in my neck and upper back no matter what sort of exercise I do. When I run, my legs get SUPER sore no matter the distance. I feel at a loss as to what I should do.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how to answer the pain scale either. How do I even know what a 10 is? Obviously I'm at the doctors because it f*cking hurts. Just fix me!! Good luck Kelly!
That is tough... I was diagnosed w/ Patella Femoral this winter and I really thought I would never get back to running like I have. The pain kind of comes and goes. In the spring, the pain was pretty bad at certain points during my runs. Now, I rarely feel pain in my knees during the run, but my knee is usually a bit 'achey' afterwards... It's manageable if I am good about foam rolling and icing.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about how everyone's pain tolerance is different so it's tough to know when it's 'too much' pain...
I hope training continues to go ok for you!! I know you are SO ready to get back to running!
I think that I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, so I often exercise through a bit of pain. But I think the key is that it's ok as long as it doesn't get worse. As my gym teacher used to say, "push to the pain, not through the pain." Haha... But I think when anyone puts that sort of stress on their body, there is bound to be some sort of pain associated with it. I hope the rest of your training plan goes smoothly! :-)
ReplyDeleteI think a little bit of pain is normal as our bodies adapt, especially when trying something new (or building back up). In three years of consistent long distance running, I like to think I have learned to guage when "pain" is just a normal part of a run VS something to worry about.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this - I have often wondered the exact same thing.
ReplyDeleteI've always tried to differentiate between soreness and pain. Soreness is something I can usually work out, whereas pain continues to linger throughout whatever it is I'm doing...and then some. When it hits that point, I stop.
When I say I had a pain-free run it means NO pain to me at all. BUT, that being said, my shin still tends to be ache-y and tender after runs, whether they are pain-free or not. And I usually feel a bit of "pressure" in my shin while running, but it's not so bad I need to stop.
ReplyDeleteI am reading Born to Run right now and I'm wondering if you've had your stride analyzed? I've heard that shortening your stride can help A LOT with common running injuries so it might be something to try! Here's an article I read about it yesterday: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/running/bare-your-sole-just-shorten-your-stride/article1677848/
Before I was injured this winter (torn hip flexor) I would tolerate a lot of pain. Now, much less. I listen to my body a lot more even though it does frustrate me immensely.
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering about that pain scale, too, since I don't think my worst pain would count as a 10 on most scales. (Maybe a 3 or 4...)
ReplyDeleteI think there's aches and pains of running...and then pain that's hurting YOU. If regular icing doesn't help it, it might be harming you in a way. I hope I'm making any sense. :)
When I say "no pain" I mean a zero. That being said, I will keep running until my stride is affected, which normally happens around a... five? Or something? Right now I'm dealing with a hip injury, but my PT says I can keep running. When I do run I would say the pain I feel in it is like a one or a two. I can feel it, but it doesn't bother me that much
ReplyDelete