To Run or not to Run?

As runners we are sometimes confronted with the question, "Should I or shouldn't I run." Most often this comes up because of illness, aches and or pains, injuries or any other assorted reasons. How should we determine if it is alright, or even advisable, to go ahead with a run under one of the above circumstances?

Some injuries like broken bones or muscles pulls are obvious, but what about the not so obvious? Let's cover soreness and or pain first. As a general rule one should not run with pain if it can be determined that it will not go away during the first 5 - 10 minutes of a run. Even then, one should probably not engage in racing and or speed work with such pain as this will tend to make it worse.  Things like Plantar Faciitis can vary based on the severity of the symptoms. If it is only sore for the first 5 minutes or so, while running easy, it is probably alright to run as long as one doesn't run a lot of hills. However, if the pain is persistent after a period of 5 to 10 minutes it would be better to not run and to give the injury complete rest for a period of at least two weeks or more. Do not resume running until you can walk without pain. If the pain is only there for a few steps in the morning when you first get out of bed then you can still run but should take it easy. Also you might want to see a foot specialist about getting a pair of orthotics, to correct what is causing the injury in the first place, in order to keep it from reoccurring. 

Another common injury is IT band syndrome. The IT band extends from the hip to the knee on the outside lateral portion of the leg. When inflamed it can be very painful and generally gets worse the longer one runs with the injury. One can probably finish a race in which the IT band becomes inflamed, if they are able to deal with the pain, but they must weigh that with the probability of increasing the intensity of the injury and having more downtime recuperating after the race. The sooner one stops running when IT band inflammation occurs the sooner they will be able to heal and get back to running. Again one needs to find out why the IT band is becoming inflamed such as severe road camber, muscle imbalance, running form etc. Sometimes your local shoe store sales person can help you determine this by looking at the wear on your shoes but it is probably best to have it checked out by an orthopedic specialist if possible. The right therapy can usually correct the problem alleviating any recurring symptoms. Weak glute muscles and or a lack of lateral stability muscles in the hips, thighs and or legs can also be the cause. Can you run with IT band syndrome? The answer is yes, but if you do it will only get worse not better. This injury is best dealt with, by using rest. One can cross train by cycling with this injury but it is imperative to make sure that the seat height is not to high as this can exacerbate the problem causing the hip to over extend from side to side. If you have recently added cycling to your cross training to high a seat could be what caused the problem.

Chronic knee pain is another injury that runners sometimes try to run through! I feel that it is not a good idea to run with knee pain unless one has gone to a sports doctor about the problem and after diagnosis the doctor says it is alright to run. It is very important to know what is causing the knee pain before continuing to run. A lot of irreversible damage can be caused by running with knee pain so be very careful with this one and seek professional advice. It could be something as simple as old, or incorrect running shoes but find out what the problems is so that you don't permanently damage your knees.

What about just general muscle soreness after a particularly hard run or race? If the soreness is just "Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness"or DOMS for short it is OK to run but you should keep it short and easy until the soreness leaves. If the soreness leaves within 10 minutes of an easy jog you should be fine to run up to 30-60 minutes of easy running. DOMS is usually worst 36 to 48 hours after a very hard or unusually hard race or workout and the symptoms gradually subside over the next few days. If you do to hard an effort while still sore, even if the soreness disappears after warmup, you can end up being even more sore the next day or so following as the tight muscles cause even more micro tears in the muscle fibers. You don't have to wait until the soreness is completely gone to do another hard effort but you should let it at least subside to a more comfortable level. Always do a little longer warmup when resuming a hard effort after being really sore.

It is not my purpose to cover every type of injury, only to give you an idea as to when to seek professional advice before you resume running or not.

We have discussed injury and soreness but what about illness. Is it alright to run with a cold or flu?  I think it is alright to run with a cold after the third day but one should keep it short and easy when running ill. There is some evidence that racing, with even a cold, can cause heart problems. Sometimes the virus can migrate to the heart causing inflammation which in turn can cause arrhythmia or other problems with the heart. Never run with the flu or pneumonia like symptoms as doing so can further weaken and damage the immune system. Use the "neck check." if the symptoms are above the neck and no fever you are probably alright to run an easy run. However if the symptoms are below the neck such as  congestion, coughing, fever or body aches it is not advisable to run. See this article at Livestrong.com .

The hard part for runners is dealing with the downtime from an injury or illness. One thing I like to do during these times is read and learn more about running. Go over my log book to see if there were warning signs I missed that could have prevented my from getting injured if I had paid more careful attention. I try not to dwell on not being able to run, but try to think about planning my return to running in a careful way so as to avoid re-injuring myself.

Another helpful tip when coming back from an injury is take the time to run with some of your friends who are a little slower than you are normally. This will help keep you from getting a little competitive and over doing it as you return to form. Trying to pick up where you left off right away is a really bad idea and usually ends in disaster

Hope this was helpful!