Pain when you run?
If you’re a runner, you've might well have been in a situation where pain has hampered your training.
We all know that, whatever the sport, consistency of practice is key to sustained improvement.
That's why it's so frustrating when something starts hurting.
Tell me if this sounds familiar...
You're on a good training steak, everything feels great.
Runs are getting longer, pace is getting quicker.
But damn, something starts hurting. Hips, knees, shins, feet, whatever.
A week off it is, then! Maybe 2 weeks. Maybe more...
Then back to it, and so the cycle continues. You can carry on like this forever, if you like, or you can figure out what's going on. Strap in, because this could be the fix you’ve been waiting for.
I’ve got 2 points to make and the 2nd might surprise you!
Whether you’re dealing with shin splints, or just shin pain. Plantar fasciitis, or just foot pain. Hip or knee pain.
It’s tempting to put the blame on a lot of things. Weak glutes and tibialis anteriors. Old injuries playing up. Wonky technique. Wrong shoes. Dodgy this, substandard that.
But here’s the thing; your glutes probably aren’t weak.
Injuries heal, so why would it be that?
The nervous system remembers, so the area could be more sensitive, yes...
But that information probably won't change your approach to the fix.
Whilst your running technique might have an impact on how efficient you are, it is unlikely that this matters for pain (although there is a bit of nuance that I won't go into here).
Your body will adapt to almost anything, given the dosage is right, so it’s probably not the shoes.
So what is it!?
It’s far more likely to be a VOLUME issue.
Volume is the amount of running you’re doing - miles or minutes per week.
Wherever the blame lies, wherever it hurts, it’s still likely a volume issue, which could be improved with some smart volume management.
Basically, it means that you’re doing too much. You’ve either picked the wrong starting point or pushed a bit far too soon.
Maybe you progressed too quickly from zero to 5K, or from 5K to 15K.
The solution is to scale it back until you find an amount of running that doesn’t cause pain, then build it back up slowly, giving your body time to adapt.
Unfortunately, it does take TIME.
My second point, which tends to surprise most people, is that it’s okay to feel some pain sometimes!
Pain doesn't doesn’t always mean damage or that you’re making something worse.
It doesn’t even mean that you need to change anything about what you're currently doing, unless it’s consistently messing with your training.
I help people manage their training so they can be consistent.
And I help people incorporate strength work to prepare their bodies for what they want to use them for.
If this sounds like something you’d benefit from, drop me a message!
Got goals for 2023?
You may or may not have set some goals for 2023…
And those goals may or may not be fitness related!
But I can tell you this…
Writing down, “I want to run 10K this year” or “I want to deadlift 100kg”, probably isn’t going to cut the mustard.
Which is why I’ve built a goal setting document and I’m offering it to you lovely people for free.
Now, goal setting can seem a little cheesy sometimes, can’t it…
But there’s no denying that there’s power in it, when done properly.
‘Your 2023 Goals’ isn’t the easiest thing in the world to complete…
It’ll take a bit of thought and a bit of effort from you (but doesn’t that go for all things worth doing?)
I guarantee that it will put you in a better position to take what you want from 2023 than you would have been in before receiving it.
If you want it, you can either send me a message with the word ‘GOALS’, or hit this link.
And if you do get it, but you need a little help completing it, please do not hesitate - ask me for some help!
You can find me on Instagram at @coachtomhales, or email me on tom@thpt.info!