I hear people talk frequently about how “the pain is worth it” when they are running. My question is how much is normal? At what point do you know that you have crossed the line?
This may end up in IMHO, but I thought I would start it out here.
There was a thread about this recently related to the knees…anyway, my father used to jog for miles and miles and miles when he was in his 30’s…I remember as a child him doing so…now that he’s 54, he’s not only has some knee problems, but serious back problems also, including stenosis which required surgery. He’s not positive there’s a direct link, but he claims that if he could go back in time, he’d trade the running in for biking (or even swimming).
Well from my experience in high school cross-country, running never induced any knee pain for me. When my teammates complained of knee problems, they were not allowed to run during practice. Maybe you should rethink the way you run (maybe run on a nice soft grass field instead of toads) if your knees are hurting.
Running shouldn’t hurt your knees. You might (and probably should) feel some muscle soreness when you first start running but there should be and actual pain.
If your knee is causing pain then you should rest it until it doesn’t hurt anymore. In the mean time go to a local running/sporting goods store and get fitted for some good running shoes. Running shoes are amazing these days. But, it is really helpful if you get a professional to help fit you for your first pair. Let them know that you are just starting and don’t want a really expensive pair of shoes just ones that are right for your feet and the way you run and they should be able to help. You should probably try on a number of pairs of shoes and run around the store in them a little bit until you find the perfect pair.
Yes, avoid running on toads, I find them quite slippery.
There is a large difference between soreness and pain. Running will beat you up, particularly badly if you are not a frequent runner. This will manifest as soreness in your legs or lower back, you’ve just worked these muscles quite hard and now they are tired. This is a good sensation.
Pain however, particularly knee pain, is bad bad bad. If you can say that it actually “hurts”, that is, distinctly unpleasant and not something you wish to keep doing, then STOP. It is way too easy to screw up your knees.
The effort and exertion are the pains that runners talk about enjoying, not clashing bones and destroyed joints.