Fast Running Blog

This is something I have been thinking about for a while, and it has now come to a head.  I did a 12-mile downhill run on pavement on Saturday (normal runs are flat and on dirt), and I am in serious pain.  I'm trying to be discreet, but even my coworkers have commented on my gait today.  I'm pretty sure I didn't injure anything, but my shins (among other things) REALLY hurt.  How do I know I'm just sore, or on my way to injury if I run today?  What's a good rule of thumb in general?  Assuming I can get a running shoe on (from my toe injury yesterday), I REALLY don't want to skip today!

If it hurts to walk, you shouldn't run. Try biking, elliptical, or going on a short hike instead when you are like this.

I agree with Paul,  but make sure you do something it will help get the soreness out.  You should also ice your legs and rub them out.

If it hurts to walk and you still run, does that just mean you are stubborn?

Just agreeing with the other comments. The best way to help your muscles recover is to get the blood flowing without pounding like what happens with running.

I must be stubborn then!  How about if it is just down stairs?

You're running down stairs???

I have run on several occasions when it hurt to walk. And it hurt less to run. Less ground contact time, less time to experience the pain, no pain while airborne. And after a month it did not hurt either to walk or to run. However, nothing wrong with a hard bike ride or elliptical instead of a run for a couple of days if running hurts, do not feel like you have to run through this.

Thanks for all the helpful comments.  Now I have to decide: would it be worse to run while in pain, or to be bored out of my mind on the cardio machines without any music?!  Running outside is now out of the question today (110 degrees), and we're still replacing iPods from the burglary.

This is in response to you saying that you have no music. While I agree that it can become boring without music as a distraction, I have found it just as nice to just think about things that I usually don't think about on days that are normally busy.

Much greater impact forces, though.

Yes I definitely agree. In terms of stress on your body, walking is a lot lower impact, which means less stress on your legs.

Less contact is the key so if you can do pool running that's another option, or like other's said about the exercise equipment.

Along with pool running, a good way to have moderate impact exercise is to run on the grass. I ahve found that running on grass is a lot easier on my legs than running on roads or dirt like I usually do. There may not always be grass everywhere to run on, but you don't necessarily always just have to run. I find that playing ultimate frisbee on the grass is a good way to "cross-train" for running.