by Adolfo Salgueiro | Jul 30, 2024 | Article, Science
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
This is a broad question that all runners have asked themselves at one point or another. Running and pain have a complex relationship. It is a rare occasion when there’s not a little pain here or a kink there that worries us after a hard workout, or as a race approaches. Most of these come with the territory of being a runner. Comedian Dana Carvey wisely said: “If I only ran when nothing hurts, I would never run”.
By the way: I am stating here that I am not a medical doctor, nor a physical therapist, nor a practitioner of any of the medical sciences. These are just suggestions based on 40+ years of experience as a runner. Consult your physician before making any health decision. Don’t base them on what you read here. With that out of the way, I continue.
Be smart when dealing with pain and you will avoid injuries (Photo Pexels: Kindel Media)
Most of our daily aches and pains are usually a product of the normal wear and tear from practicing our sport, and many times it is OK to run through them. But beware. The era of the “no pain, no gain” approach to running is long gone. The “nothing can stop me” macho attitude is not conducive to a long or a healthy running career. It is not the same to finish a marathon when you started limping at mile 25, than running through that same limp since mile 7. Aches and pains can be red flags and we must be able to identify them on the fly.
Most running injuries happen from a combination of repetitive movement and/or not enough recovery. When we approach this place in our training, our body usually provides us with warning signs. The more in tune we are with our bodies, the clearer we receive such communications. And the only way to be in tune with your body’s signals is to acquire more experience by running more.
When can we run through pain?
1 – When your pain is a product of basic muscle soreness: By running we put an extraordinary amount of stress into our musculoskeletal structure. Muscle soreness is a natural byproduct of it. The more experience you gain as a runner, the more you will be able to discern on the source and type of your pains. Some muscle soreness if normal. If you don’t have to compensate and/or change your form, you should be ok by running through minor discomfort.
2 – If pain subsides or decreases as you warm up: It is normal to feel some pain and discomfort as you initiate your run. If you just woke up or spent an extended period sitting down, this is normal. Muscles, tendons and ligaments need to get back into shape to carry you through. Resetting your range of motion with exercises such as the lunge matrix, and/or warming up properly should help you accomplish this, and allow you to have a good session.
If you have determined that you will run through the pain and discomfort, don’t be afraid to adjust your training session to the current situation. Don’t be afraid to go slower, cut the run short, or dial back the intensity if needed. Always have in mind that no one training session will make you or break you. It is the small, consistent gains what’s will make you better. And you won’t be able to compile them if you are out of commission with a preventable injury.
When should we not run through pain?
1 – If there is excessive fatigue: It is normal to be tired from training, especially when you are increasing your mileage, add weight training, or you approach the peak portion of your race program. What is not normal is to wake up so beat up that you are not sure if you can complete your session for the day. This is a clear sign that it is time to dial back and recover before you get overtrained or injured.
2 – When it forces you to alter your form: Minor aches or discomfort is one thing, altering and adjusting your form because pain is too severe is a red flag and you should stop immediately. If you keep going, you could damage something else by moving in a way your body wasn’t designed for or by adding stress to structures unprepared to sustain it at the time.
3 – If it gets worse as you run: If whatever you feel increases as you go through your training session, stop immediately. It is not going to get better by running further. Assess the situation and figure out if it needs professional consultation.
4 – Through intense pain: Regardless of how seasoned you are as a runner, you should be able to discern what intense pain is. You know what a normal nuisance is. Use common sense to identify the types and levels of pain you are not supposed to run through. If it hurts that bad, something must be wrong. Stop. Assess. Consult a professional.
Have in mind that running is an impact sport. You are hitting the ground with about 300% of your body weight about 800 times per leg, per mile. This causse muscle and soft tissue damage. So, something is usually going to ache or be sore. It is when the body repairs itself from that stress that you become fitter and stronger.
Be smart. Make sure you live to run another day.
by Adolfo Salgueiro | Oct 3, 2023 | Article, Guest Perspective, Opinion, Reflection
In my last blog post, I wrote about learning the hard way. Within the same theme, today I bring you the story of Javier Mota, a journalist and friend who despite going out of his way to not consider himself a runner, put together a 1000+ day running streak. Given his accepted stubbornness, he is currently paying the consequences of not listening to his body. With his permission, I am publishing an article he wrote about his experience.
Good and bad consequences after running every day for 3 years and 21 days.
By Javier Mota
August 24, 2023
The diagnosis by Dr. Luis Valenzuela from the Meds Clinic in Santiago de Chile, which stopped my 3 years and 21 days of running every day, was forceful:
“You obviously have internal femorotibial osteoarthritis, with a degenerative tear of the internal meniscus. Also, chondral lesions in the patella. There is bone edema of the medial femoral condyle and medial tibial plateau due to joint wear and overload.”
Javier Mota is a renowned automotive journalist and a friend. (Photo: courtesy of Javier Mota)
In simple words, the MRI results showed how badly I messed up my left knee, mainly due to a clear case of the fine line between stubbornness and stupidity.
In hindsight, I should have stopped running when the pain and discomfort began on March 15, 2023, but out of my stubbornness, rather than determination or discipline, I ran 5 additional months in pain, first trying to reach the 1,000-day mark and then, 3 years.
The additional 21 days only confirmed my lack of good sense and probably made things worse.
“Pain is not normal”, another orthopedic doctor once told me during a casual conversation in a bar in St. George, Utah, after I insisted on running for a couple of months despite the discomfort.
Long before that, when I reached the 2-year mark, in August 2022, Dr. Scott Lang, University of Central Florida´s Professor of Family Medicine, warned me: “Never run in pain. If you have muscle pain or joint pain when you run, ice it and rest. If the pain persists for more than a week, see your doctor”.
Obviously, I did not pay attention and on August 21, 2023, at the end of my annual ski trip to Chile, I finally decided to have my left knee checked by Dr. Valenzuela, who after a quick visual and tactile examination, immediately determined that an MRI was necessary.
Of course, between the time that passed from the end of the MRI and the time I received the diagnosis, I went out for the last run (2.75 miles in 30:36) because I sensed the end of the streak was approaching, under medical prescription.
The truth is that the discomfort never reached the point of paralyzing me, although, between March 15 and August 21, 2023, I reduced the distance and speed of each run, thinking that the pain would be reduced. That didn’t happen, but it didn’t get worse either.
This is Javier’s messed up left knee (Foto: Courtesy of Javier Mota)
Dr. Valenzuela attributed this to the fact that through constant exercise for 1,115 days in a row, I was able to build enough muscle mass to absorb most of the impact on my knee.
Now, the next challenge is to dedicate myself with the same intensity to a rehabilitation program and incorporate other athletic activities, without impacting the knees to maintain the physical condition and weight (165 pounds).
Those last two were undoubtedly the biggest benefits of the running streak, which began on August 1, 2020, during the Covid pandemic, thanks to a private Facebook group, to get out of lockdown.
In all, I ran 3,257.3 miles, an average of almost 90 miles per month. The equivalent of driving from Miami to Seattle.
All this, despite the fact that I have never felt like a “real runner”. If I was, I would have followed the 3R advice of the experts to replenish, rest, and recover, and not become a “slave to the streak”, as Running Coach Adolfo Salgueiro warned me. But that’s exactly what I did.
I never warmed up before a run, nor did I stretch at the end. I have never undergone a serious training program to achieve a specific goal. Nor did I pay much attention to the advice not to wear old and worn-out shoes or to buy ones specially molded for my feet. As a consequence, I never improved my time or distance in these 3 years.
And as I said before and I repeat now, I don’t like to run. I think it’s boring, so much so that for the last few months of the streak I tried to entertain myself by picking up trash on the road, sometimes at an astonishing rate of 10+ pieces per mile. Thanks to that, and in a very unscientific way, I verified that the Modelo Especial has indeed become the most popular beer in the United States, given the number of empty cans I have found in recent months during my runs.
I also started stopping to say hello to all the dogs I saw on the trail, perhaps to justify my slower pace and to give my knee a rest, until one of them bit me on the left thigh, something unrelated to the injury, which eventually ended the streak.
Now the benefits
I always appreciated what happens when you run every day. You feel better physically and mentally, you sleep and work better, and you can eat and drink more. And you always feel good after every run, unless you get bitten by a dog.
Also, it was great to receive encouragement from other runners, non-runners and even from companies like New Balance and Apple who sent me products as an incentive to keep the streak alive; and from car brands that celebrated some of the streak’s milestones when they coincided with some of their test driving programs around the world.
One of the 1,021 consecutive runs that lead to the devastating injury (Foto: Courtesy of Javier Mota)
It was also a pleasure to run in 16 countries and over 100 cities.
But what I enjoyed the most was the daily challenge of finding the time and place to run every day, despite the complications of constant travel as part of my job as an automotive journalist.
The longest run (almost 9 miles) was in Munich, Germany, on September 2021, not because I wanted to run that distance, but because I got lost. The fastest run was a 10K at a pace of 7:58 minutes per mile, at home.
On December 31, 2022, I checked out at 11:30 p.m. to complete the daily 5k and then did another one starting right at midnight and ending on January 1st. 2023 to start the New Year.
Several times, I landed at an airport and got out of the car on the way to the hotel so I could run before the end of the day. I also ran inside various airports, before and after flights.
So, in the end, it was a good run while it lasted, but I have a few points to consider now that this is all over:
First, I do not recommend it to anyone! It’s easy to become addicted, even a slave to personal achievement like this one.
And most importantly, as I’ve learned the hard way, it’s essential to recognize that running every day for an extended period, not only can, but surely will cause injury sooner or later.
In conclusion, listen to the experts and to your body; take adequate rest when necessary to prevent exhaustion and possible long-term health problems.
Without a doubt, this streak of three years and 21 days was an extraordinary journey, which some have called “an example of determination, discipline and the pursuit of personal goals”, but it is also important to remember that the physical conditioning process of each individual is unique and must be approached with care and respect for one’s own body.
Maybe I will run again someday, but I will never run every day for 3 years and 21 days.
Javier Mota is a renowned automotive journalist and a friend. You can follow him on Instagram @javiermota, or at his website: https://autos0to60.com/. He made a YouTube video with his original post. If you want to check it out, you can do so by clicking here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8sdfsl0c9w
by Adolfo Salgueiro | Oct 18, 2022 | Article, Science
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
While we would love to run with the grace of an Eliud Kipchoge, or the flawless form of a Shalane Flanagan, or the speed of a Priscah Jeptoo despite her unorthodox mechanics, our individual body structure allows us just a limited and highly individualized path of movement. While there are wrong ways to run, the consensus is that there’s not a uniform right form that everyone should adopt. Our running form is as individual as ourselves.
This includes the way your foot strikes the ground. Just because Kipchoge sets world records running on his forefoot, it doesn’t mean we all should imitate him. It is not like the way his foot strikes the ground is what makes him run a marathon in 2:01:09. That said, you should always work on perfecting your individual running mechanics. The one that is unique to you and your structure. It always starts with you.
This is Kenenisa Bekele on his way to winning the 2019 Berlin Marathon in the 2nd best time ever at the time. Take a look at his left foot.
I am a heel striker. In my decades of running, I’ve tried to “correct that deficiency” multiple times. But the more I try, the weirder I run, the more other body parts suffer and the less fun I have. My eureka moment came when I realized that heel striking has never injured me. I do wear out the heel of my running shoes in 250 miles rather than their usual 300-350 lifespan, but that is an economic consideration, not an orthopedic one.
In a post published this January in the Up and Running Physical Therapy blog, Dr. AJ Cohen, founder of the Up and Running Physical Therapy Clinic in Fort Collins, Colorado, stated that “the vast majority of recreational runners, close to 90% are heel-strikers and around 75% of elite runners. Non-heel strikers are kind of like left-handed people… they do it because it works for them and it’s what their body has determined it does the best with… but it’s not “better” or “more efficient” for the rest of humanity.”
If you haven’t made peace with your heel striking yet, hopefully this statement will put you at ease.
In his book “Your Best Stride” (highly recommended), author Jonathan Beverly emphasizes that “rather than the place on the foot where you land, it seems what is happening on your leg motion and body mass at the moment you touch down is more important.”
The idea is to create a stride that touches lightly without breaking. One that flows smoothly. Landing with your foot far in front of your body, usually with your heel, is what causes trouble. Your foot hits the ground with such force and in such an angle that your entire body breaks, increasing the force up your kinetic chain and multiplying the normal pounding that is intrinsic with the sport. This is where heel striking becomes a problem.
Jay Dicharry, a physical therapist, teacher, biomechanics researcher and author based in Bend, Oregon, says that “it is not rearfoot, or midfoot or forefoot that matters. It is where the foot contacts in relation to the body’s center of mass.” The closer you strike under your center of mass, the smoother your stride will be. It is that simple.
Based on these experts’ testimonies you can see the problem is not the heel but where it hits the ground in relation to your body. If you are overstriding, and here is where injuries may happen, the first thing to do is fix that particular issue, not the heel striking per se. Start by shortening your stride so you can increase your turnover (cadence).
This is the author, heel striking on his way to finishing the 2022 Houston Marathon
“Research shows that when runners increase their turnover, they reduce the impact in the knees and hips and often improve their stride mechanics,” said Dr. Brian Heiderscheit, PhD, Physical Therapist, Professor in the Departments of Orthopedics & Rehabilitation and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Increasing the turnover will help your chances of your foot landing underneath your pelvis, reducing overstriding tendencies, and increase your lower extremity stiffness, with less bounce and breaking in your step.”
This blog post is meant to reduce the stigma of heel striking. For runners not to feel they’re doing something wrong, or that they must change their form to become more efficient, more economic or less prone to injury. Of course, if you are overstriding and landing with your heel, you should be working on it right now. Cut your stride, increase your cadence (turnover) and work on landing as close as possible to under your pelvis. Other than that, have fun running and go for that PR. You have better things to worry about than suffering because you hold the heel striker label.
by Adolfo Salgueiro | Aug 2, 2022 | Coaching, Science
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
As a running coach, athlets often ask me about weekly mileage. How many miles should I run if I want to complete a marathon? Can I only increase my mileage by up to 10% a week? Why can so-and-so run XX miles a week and I am running only half of that? Am I losing fitness if I lower my mileage for recovery purposes for a week or two? And many, many more.
The right mileage is as individual as each runner. There is not one number that applies to everybody (Photo: Pexels)
Well, the answer to all these questions is the same. It happens to be the same answer to most running questions: It depends.
They key for any runner looking to improve on their times, distance, pace or fitness is to understand that the main goal should be based on performance, not on a pre-set number of miles. It is a matter of achieving your objectives while remaining healthy and injury-free. I recently read that you should run in between “as much as you can get away with and as little as you can get away with”. Genius!
The appropriate mileage for a runner is as individual as each athlete. It depends on a series of variables which need to be dialed appropriately so progress won’t be hindered, and injuries may stay away from the equation. Such variables are:
Goals: Before you figure out what is the right mileage for you, set up your goal. If you want to run your first or your best 5K, you will not run the same mileage as if you were training for a marathon. At the same time, a marathoner may need to run 100+ miles per week if he wants to run 2:20, while that number is a prelude to severe injury for a runner trying to break 4-hours in the same distance.
Age: Even the elites slow down as they age. They still run more than you or me, but they require more recovery in between vigorous efforts. What you could do in your 20s or 30s no longer applies in your 50s or 60s and you must accept it as part of the aging process. Look forward to competition in your age group and to be the best you can be at whatever stage of your life you’re currently at.
Experience: If you have been running for 30 years, your body is adjusted to a certain pounding on its bones and soft tissues. This alone will allow you to run longer. Not because you are holier than thou, but because you have adapted. Understand that not because you have adapted, your body can take unlimited mileage, so don’t overdo it either.
Miles are dictated by the interaction of many variables, such as goal, pace, experience and injuries, among others (Photo: Mikhail Nilov, Pexels)
Pace: Most runners want to run as fast as we can. We would love to set up PRs in every race, but that’s a chimera. So, we adapt to reality. Running slow is the key to running faster, for many physiological reasons that are beyond the scope of this post. Understand that the long run is about spending more time on your feet, pounding the surface, not about running faster. The sooner you’ll grasp and accept this concept, the faster you’ll be running.
Injuries: Certain injuries will require you to stop running altogether. For days, weeks or even months. Others will force you to reduce your mileage but not necessarily stop. Be smart and make sure you understand what your body is communicating. A shorter mileage today may be the key to avoiding zero-mile months down the road because you overdid it and now you are injured.
The 10% Rule: This is an urban myth. This is not a magic number, not even a well-reasoned percentage. If you are an experienced runner and your body has done it recently, you can increase that mileage by as much as you can tolerate it. If you are coming off 10 years on the couch eating Doritos and drinking Coke, it is advisable to take it easier. Less than 10% per week.
Sure, there is always the freak of nature that hit the gene lottery and can do whatever they want, for as long as they want at whatever pace they want, with little to no recovery time. Yes, they exist, but those are outliers. Do not compare yourself to them. It would be like comparing yourself to Eliud Kipchoge and not understanding why you can’t run a sub-2 marathon. So, be smart.
The essentials for a solid running plan are flexibility and adaptability. It must be dynamic. The best is always an individual plan, personalized just for you. But it is understandable that this is not in everybody’s reach. Generic plans downloaded from the internet may be ok, but are dime-a-dozen, with the key operating word being “generic”. If you are to use one of these, make sure you are not so rigid that you’ll end up hurt because you did too much or undertrained at the starting line because you did too little.
by Adolfo Salgueiro | Feb 8, 2022 | Article, Science
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
This is a broad question that all runners have asked themselves at one point or another. Running and pain have a complex relationship. It is a rare occasion when there’s not a little pain here or a kink there that worries us after a hard workout, or as a race approaches. Most of these come with the territory of being a runner. Comedian Dana Carvey wisely said: “If I only ran when nothing hurts, I would never run”.
By the way: I am stating here that I am not a medical doctor, nor a physical therapist, nor a practitioner of any of the medical sciences. These are just suggestions based on 40+ years of experience as a runner. Consult your physician before making any health decision. Don’t base them on what you read here. With that out of the way, I continue.
Be smart when dealing with pain and you will avoid injuries (Photo Pexels: Kindel Media)
Most of our daily aches and pains are usually a product of the normal wear and tear from practicing our sport, and many times it is OK to run through them. But beware. The era of the “no pain, no gain” approach to running is long gone. The “nothing can stop me” macho attitude is not conducive to a long or a healthy running career. It is not the same to finish a marathon when you started limping at mile 25, than running through that same limp since mile 7. Aches and pains can be red flags and we must be able to identify them on the fly.
Most running injuries happen from a combination of repetitive movement and/or not enough recovery. When we approach this place in our training, our body usually provides us with warning signs. The more in tune we are with our bodies, the clearer we receive such communications. And the only way to be in tune with your body’s signals is to acquire more experience by running more.
When can we run through pain?
1 – When your pain is a product of basic muscle soreness: By running we put an extraordinary amount of stress into our musculoskeletal structure. Muscle soreness is a natural byproduct of it. The more experience you gain as a runner, the more you will be able to discern on the source and type of your pains. Some muscle soreness if normal. If you don’t have to compensate and/or change your form, you should be ok by running through minor discomfort.
2 – If pain subsides or decreases as you warm up: It is normal to feel some pain and discomfort as you initiate your run. If you just woke up or spent an extended period sitting down, this is normal. Muscles, tendons and ligaments need to get back into shape to carry you through. Resetting your range of motion with exercises such as the lunge matrix, and/or warming up properly should help you accomplish this, and allow you to have a good session.
If you have determined that you will run through the pain and discomfort, don’t be afraid to adjust your training session to the current situation. Don’t be afraid to go slower, cut the run short, or dial back the intensity if needed. Always have in mind that no one training session will make you or break you. It is the small, consistent gains what’s will make you better. And you won’t be able to compile them if you are out of commission with a preventable injury.
When should we not run through pain?
1 – If there is excessive fatigue: It is normal to be tired from training, especially when you are increasing your mileage, add weight training, or you approach the peak portion of your race program. What is not normal is to wake up so beat up that you are not sure if you can complete your session for the day. This is a clear sign that it is time to dial back and recover before you get overtrained or injured.
2 – When it forces you to alter your form: Minor aches or discomfort is one thing, altering and adjusting your form because pain is too severe is a red flag and you should stop immediately. If you keep going, you could damage something else by moving in a way your body wasn’t designed for or by adding stress to structures unprepared to sustain it at the time.
3 – If it gets worse as you run: If whatever you feel increases as you go through your training session, stop immediately. It is not going to get better by running further. Assess the situation and figure out if it needs professional consultation.
4 – Through intense pain: Regardless of how seasoned you are as a runner, you should be able to discern what intense pain is. You know what a normal nuisance is. Use common sense to identify the types and levels of pain you are not supposed to run through. If it hurts that bad, something must be wrong. Stop. Assess. Consult a professional.
Have in mind that running is an impact sport. You are hitting the ground with about 300% of your body weight about 800 times per leg, per mile. This causse muscle and soft tissue damage. So, something is usually going to ache or be sore. It is when the body repairs itself from that stress that you become fitter and stronger.
Be smart. Make sure you live to run another day.
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