Pushing through isn't the same as being tough
Most runners we see have run through pain at some point. A niggle in the calf, an ache in the knee, a hip that complains on the long run. It's easy to treat it as a test, as if stopping means you're soft.
Pain isn't a character flaw. It's feedback. Your body is telling you that something is under more strain than it can comfortably handle right now. Listening early is usually what stops a small niggle turning into weeks off.
What pain is telling you
Not all discomfort means something is wrong. Some of it is just part of training:
- Burning legs and heavy breathing during a hard session.
- General muscle soreness for a day or two after a long run, a race or a new kind of session.
- Tired, heavy legs at the end of a big week.
That kind of discomfort is spread across the muscles you worked, and it eases as you warm up or recover.
The signs worth paying attention to are different:
- Sharp or stabbing pain, or pain you can point to with one finger.
- Pain that builds as you keep running instead of easing off.
- Pain that changes how you run, even slightly.
- Pain that's still there the next morning, or gets worse from one run to the next.
Why it happens
Most running pain comes down to load. Muscles, tendons and bones get stronger when the load goes up gradually and they get enough recovery in between. Pain tends to show up when the load climbs faster than the body can adapt. That might be more miles, faster sessions, more hills or a race block, or simply less sleep and more stress than usual.
Pain doesn't always mean damage. It's a protective signal, and it can turn up before anything is actually injured. That's what makes it useful: it gives you a chance to adjust before you're forced to stop.
Where training zones come in
One of the most common things we see is runners doing their easy runs too fast. When every run is moderately hard, your body never gets a proper easy day. Fatigue builds, recovery falls behind, and that's when niggles start.
Your training zones are the heart rate and pace ranges that match what your body is actually doing, from genuinely easy running up to your threshold and beyond. Endurance athletes at the top level do most of their training at an easy intensity, and their easy is properly easy. Knowing your zones lets you keep your easy days easy and make your hard sessions count. That gives your body a fighting chance to recover and adapt.
Zones worked out from a formula, like 220 minus your age, are only a rough guess. A lactate and VO₂ test measures them from your own body.
How to train with pain
- Score it out of 10 during and after your run. Mild pain, around 3 out of 10 or less, that has settled by the next morning is usually fine. Pain that's climbing, or still there the next day, means back off more.
- Change one thing rather than everything. Shorten the run, drop the pace or swap a session for the bike or the pool before you stop altogether.
- Keep easy days easy. You should be able to hold a conversation. If you know your zones, stay in them.
- Don't make up for missed sessions. Squeezing them into the next few days is how load spikes happen.
- Count recovery as training. Sleep, food and rest days are when your body adapts.
When to get it checked
Book in if the pain changes how you run, if it's sharp or in one spot, if there's swelling, if it wakes you at night, or if it hasn't eased after a week or two of lighter training. The same goes for anything that started with a fall or a twist.
If you'd like us to take a look, you can book an assessment online at our Sandymount clinic.
Know your zones
Our lactate and VO₂ test measures your training zones in one 40 to 60 minute appointment at our Sandymount lab. You get a written report with your zones and training recommendations, and a 40-minute debrief call to plan your training. It's €165 until 30 November (normally €300). See the autumn offer.
This article is general information, not a diagnosis.