Running In the Sun – Benefits, Risks & Tips

running in the sun

Running on a sunny day is both a thrill and a challenge.

On one hand, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of hitting the pavement or trails on a bright, sunny day. While it feels great, the sun can also mean extra precautions to avoid dehydration or sunburn.

As someone who lives in a tropical country who also has coached many runners through every kind of weather, I’ve learned that being prepared is important.

So, let’s dive into what you need to know to make the most of those sunny runs while staying safe.

The Dangers Of Sunburns

Sunburns aren’t just about a little redness and discomfort—they can lead to serious health risks. Prolonged exposure to the sun increases your chances of dehydration, heatstroke, and, more importantly, skin cancer.

Let’s look at some numbers to see just how serious this can b:

As runners, we often spend extended periods outdoors, especially when training for long races like marathons or ultras. This increases our exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is the leading cause of skin cancer.

And please don’t take my word for it.

Research shows that runners have a higher number of age spots and abnormal moles, both of which are warning signs for skin cancer.

Marathoners, in particular, are at greater risk because of the amount of time they spend in the sun and how intense their training can be.

But it’s not just the exposure. Long, intense workouts can weaken your immune system, making your skin even more vulnerable to UV damage. This is why it’s so important to take sun safety seriously.

Runners and Skin Cancer

like many runners, I didn’t always think about the sunscreen thing. But learning that marathon runners are more prone to skin damage made me think twice. If you’re out there for hours in the sun, UV rays can really take a toll. It’s worth paying attention

And let’s face it, we runners don’t always think about sunscreen as much as we should. I mean who has the time for that.

This isn’t just me talking: my statement is based on many scientific papers.

One example is an Australian study in which researchers reported that marathon runners suffer more abnormal moles and other skin lesions often associated with skin cancer than a less-outdoorsy control group.

Another research published in the Archives of Dermatology reported that marathoners had increased numbers of age spots and abnormal moles—all of which increase the risk for malignant melanoma.

The reason is obvious.

When you spend extended periods training under the ruthless sun, you expose your skin to high levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the most detrimental environmental risk factor for skin cancer.

Not only does spending extended periods outdoors increases exposure, but research also found that long intense training—think long-distance training—may suppress the immune system, which makes you more prone to skin damage.

Is It Okay To Run In The Sun?

Running in the heat can be safe if you know what to watch out for and take a few extra precautions. It’s all about preparation and understanding the conditions.

Nowadays, I never leave the house without sunscreen, a hat, and a good pair of sunglasses to protect my eyes. I also try to plan my runs early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the sun’s peak hours. More on this later.

Why Is Running In The Sun Harder?

Ever feel like running under the sun is way harder than it should be? That’s because your body has to work overtime to keep cool—making sunny runs feel like an extra workout

Let me explain more.

When the sun is out, your body has to work extra hard to regulate its temperature. This means your heart rate increases, and your cardiovascular system has to pump more blood to your skin to cool you down, leaving less oxygen and energy for your muscles.

Running in high temperatures can drain your energy faster, increase your perceived exertion, and make it harder to maintain your regular pace.

It’s not just about feeling hot—it’s about your body working much harder to keep cool. This is why a sunny day can feel significantly more challenging than a cooler, overcast run, even if you cover the same distance at the same pace.

The Pros of Running in the Sun

Believe it or not, there are benefits to running in the sun, too.

Let’s dive in a little deeper:

Simulates Altitude Training

Believe it or not, running in the heat can actually improve your endurance! After a few hot runs, I noticed my body adapting—sweating less and cooling down faster. That’s because running in heat pushes your cardiovascular system to be more efficient.

Don’t take my word for it.

Studies show that training in the heat can improve your blood plasma volume, reduce overall body temperature, and even increase the force of your skeletal muscles. It makes your cardiovascular system more efficient, helping you run faster and farther, especially in extreme conditions.

Sun Exposure

Sun exposure helps your body produce vitamin D, which is crucial for bone health, immune function, and overall well-being. Lack of vitamin D has been linked to issues like depression, weight gain, and even certain cancers. However, you don’t need hours in the sun to get your fill—just 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure can help your body produce the necessary vitamin D.

Make You Faster

Here’s a cool fact: studies have shown that exposure to UV rays can improve performance.

One study found that cyclists who spent 20 minutes under UVA rays performed better, likely due to the release of nitric oxide. This compound increases blood flow, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.

So, while you still need to be cautious about too much sun, a little exposure might help you run faster.

How To Avoid Sunburns When Running In The Sun

Here are a few safety measures to help you protect your skin throughout your summer workouts.

Choose the Right Sunscreen

Recent surveys have revealed that just over 14 percent of American men and only 30 percent of American women slather on sunscreen before going out.

This simple measure might be the easiest way to prevent millions of yearly cancer cases.

But…

Not all sunscreens are created equal.

Look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen—this protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Shoot for an SPF of at least 30, or higher if you’re fair-skinned or plan to run for an extended period.

My best advice? Go for water-resistant options so it holds up as you sweat. Some runners love sports-specific sunscreens designed to stay put during intense activity.

I’d also recommend tying a mineral-based sunscreen (like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) if you have sensitive skin—these physical blockers sit on top of your skin and can be gentler than chemical formulas.

Put On Your Sunscreen the Right Way

A common mistake is applying it too quickly before heading out.

Here’s what you should be doing: Apply sunscreen at least 20 to 30 minutes before you head out, giving it time to bond with your skin.

Cover all exposed areas: your face, neck, ears, arms, and legs. Don’t forget the tops of your feet if you’re running in sandals or open shoes! And if you’re going on a long run, reapply after 60 to 90 minutes. This can be tricky during a race, but it’s a must for training runs.

Remember to reapply every two hours for extended runs, or sooner if you’re sweating heavily.

Wear UPF-Rated Clothing

Investing in UPF-rated running gear can provide extra protection against UV rays. UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) measures how well fabric blocks UV radiation. A shirt or hat with UPF 50, for example, blocks 98% of UV rays, helping prevent burns on areas not covered by sunscreen.

  • UPF Shirts and Jackets: Lightweight, long-sleeve shirts with UPF ratings keep your arms and shoulders protected without making you overheat.
  • UPF Hats: Look for hats with wide brims or neck flaps for extra coverage on your face and neck.

Coach’s Tip: Brands like Columbia, Patagonia, and Under Armour offer UPF-rated clothing designed specifically for active use, so you can stay protected without sacrificing breathability.

Protect Your Eyes with Polarized Sunglasses

Running in bright sunlight can strain your eyes, so wearing polarized sunglasses is a smart move. Polarized lenses reduce glare from surfaces like roads and water, providing clearer vision and reducing eye strain. Look for wrap-around designs to block UV rays from multiple angles.

Run Early Or Late

To minimize sun exposure, plan your runs during the early morning or late evening when the sun is less intense. Try to get out before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. to dodge the strongest UV rays.

Running early isn’t just cooler—it’s a quieter, more peaceful time of day, plus you avoid the worst of the UV rays..

Consult A Dermatologist

These days, I see a dermatologist regularly. I figure that with all the time I spend outside, it’s worth getting checked out once a year to make sure everything’s okay. Knowing that potential issues can be caught early is a small step for peace of mind.

Sun Safety Checklist for Runners 

Before you head out for a sunny run, make sure you’re prepared with these essentials. Here’s a quick checklist to keep you safe and comfortable:

  • Apply Sunscreen
    • Broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen
    • Reapply every 2 hours (or sooner if sweating heavily)
    • Consider mineral-based options for sensitive skin
  • Wear UPF-Rated Clothing
    • Lightweight, long-sleeve shirt or jacket with UPF protection
    • Wide-brimmed hat or cap with neck coverage for extra face protection
  • Protect Your Eyes
    • Polarized sunglasses with 100% UV protection
    • Wrap-around style for better coverage
  • Stay Hydrated
    • Drink water before, during, and after your run
    • Consider carrying a water bottle or hydration pack for longer runs
    • Electrolyte drinks for extra hot days to replace lost minerals
  • Adjust Your Timing
    • Try to run during early morning or late afternoon to avoid peak sun hours (10 am – 4 pm)
    • Use shaded routes if possible to reduce direct sun exposure

Feel free to print or save this checklist to keep your sun-safety routine simple and consistent. Every step counts toward a safer, more enjoyable run in the sun!

Join the Conversation: Share Your Sunny Run Tips!

Running in the sun can be a rewarding experience, but every runner has their own strategies for staying safe and comfortable.

What’s your go-to strategy for sunny runs?

Jump into the comments below to share your experiences, go-to gear, and any advice you’ve found helpful.

Your insights can help fellow runners enjoy their sunny runs safely and comfortably!

The Ultimate Guide to Running Lingo

Looking to learn more about the running world? Then the below list of running terms is all you need.

Like any other sport, the running world has jargon that can be hard for beginner and advanced runners to understand and remember.

So whether you’re trying to fully understand the meaning of VO2 max or want to learn the difference between a “rabbit” and a “pacer,” this is your opportunity for a thorough running lingo lesson.

Today I have compiled an extensive list of more than 150 words you might encounter in the running world and tried to explain each and one of them in the simplest and clearest ways I could.

And please, if you think I’m missing out on a couple of terms or more, feel free to share them in the comment section or shoot me an e-mail. I will be glad to talk to you and, hopefully, learn something new.

Seriously.

I need to hear from you.

So are you excited? Then let the vocabulary lesson begin…

The Ultimate Guide to Running Terms

Basic Running Terms

Carbs: Short for carbohydrates, this is one of the primary food groups. Carbs are the sugars, fibers, and starches commonly found in vegetables, grains, fruits, and other food.

Carbs are vital for runners because they are crucial for providing energy on the run and speeding up recovery afterward.

Common sources of carbs for runners include pasta, bread, and potatoes.

Glycogen: This is your body’s store of carbohydrates in the form of glycogen to be used for energy.

This form of carbohydrate storage is found mainly in the muscles and liver and is converted to glucose for energy during running.

Warm-up: A critical piece of all running workouts, it consists of 5 to 15 minutes of easy running, jogging, or any light exercise before a prescribed run or race.

The Warm-up is an integral pace because it raises the heart and breathing rates and gets the blood flowing to the muscles, which can help you improve performance and ward off injury.

Cooldown: The flip side of the warm-up refers to the gradual transition back to normal functioning after a run.

The primary purpose of a cool-down is to bring the heart rate to its resting level and release muscle tension before ceasing the exercise.

The 10% Rule: This is one of the most important and widely accepted general running guidelines that states you shouldn’t increase your weekly mileage by more than 10 percent from one week to the next to stay injury free for the long haul.

The Run/Walk Method: The Galloway method is a system of training that involves alternating between running and walking intervals during a workout or race.

This is the perfect strategy for beginners runners looking to improve their cardio power and build their fitness base without doing too much too soon.

Running Base: A type of running training that builds a solid foundation of aerobic fitness and endurance over a set period before starting a specific training cycle/plan.

Pace: A term that refers to how fast you are running and the expected time it takes to run a certain distance, typically expressed in minutes per mile or kilometer.

Pace is also used to refer to a particular race pace.

For example, a 5K pace is the estimated time for a runner to cover one mile during a 5K race.

So when a runner talks about running at a 10-minute pace, they talk about the time it takes to clock one mile.

Quads: Short for quadriceps, the four large muscles at the front of the thigh: the Vastus Medialis, Intermedius and Lateralis, and Rectus Femoris.

These muscles are in charge of stabilizing the knee during a foot strike.

Quads’ weakness is linked by research to runners’ knee and other overuse injuries.

Hamstrings: These are the long muscles along the back of the thighs.

Weakness and/or tightness in the hamstrings is a common issue for many runners that might lead to performance trouble and injury.

Therefore, you must follow a comprehensive hamstring strength and flexibility program as a runner.

Aerobic: This is a broad term for any type of physical exercise intended to improve how your body uses oxygen to generate energy and sufficiently meet its energy demands during exercise.

Classic examples of aerobic exercises include running, spinning, walking, hiking, and swimming.

Anaerobic: On the other side,  anaerobic activity is any exercise that causes you to be quickly out of breath, in which your body’s need for oxygen surpasses the oxygen supply.

This term is usually used to describe a very high-intensity exercise not intended to boost the efficiency of your body’s cardiovascular system.

Classic examples of anaerobic activities include sprinting, jumping, and weight lifting.

Endurance: Simply, your body can withstand pain and discomfort and run for extended periods.

An Important component of a well-rounded training program.

Running Economy: A broad term that refers to the many biomechanical and physiological factors that may contribute to your running performance and impact the efficiency of your running motion.

Overtraining: Also known as “burnout,” this is a training condition that’s described as running too long too intensely that athletic performance collapses, leading to all sorts of fitness and health troubles, including fatigue, unwanted weight loss, and chronic injury.

Running Form: Also known as “running mechanics,” this is the science and art of running technique, and it refers to how you should move your body while running.

Contrary to popular belief, there is not such thing as a perfect-form recipe that works for everyone.

Instead, if you are looking to improve your running form, then you should do whatever keeps you injury-free and feels right for you.

It’s, after all, your particular physiology that has the ultimate call.

C25K: Standing for Couch to 5K, C25k is a popular beginner training program that newcomers to running use to build stamina and power without risking injury or burnout.

It’s also a famous Subreddit for the same purpose.

Conversational Pace: This is a running pace in which is the training effort is relaxed enough that you should be able to speak in complete sentences without much huffing and puffing.

This is also referred to as the Talk Test.

Rest Day: An important day in every runner’s calendar that involves no running or intense physical exercise.

Also known as recovery time or downtime.

Interval Training: A broad term commonly used to refer to all types of speedwork and track workouts in general.

Interval training involves alternating between high periods of fast running with recovery breaks of low-to-moderate intensity.

Recovery Run: Used to refer to an easy, slow, and short run, usually at 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate, and taking place within a day after a challenging run, such as a speed session or a long run.

Recovery runs are performed mainly at a conversational pace.

Tempo Run: A type of running workout in which you typically run at 75 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate for 20 to 30 minutes or a specific number of miles.

As a rule, tempo runs must be performed at a comfortably challenging pace.

LSD: Acronym for long slow distance, the longest run of the week, usually taking place on the weekend.

LSD runs are performed at a pace that’s drastically slower than the race pace goal. However, they are vital for training the body to utilize efficiently diverse fuel sources while working on mastering and perfect running form.

Hill Training: Also known as hill repeats, this type of cruel speedwork requires running up and down a hill of a decent degree of incline with a recovery break between each rep.

Hill training is necessary because it can help you build strength, speed, and confidence in the shortest time possible and with the fewest injuries.

Fartlek: A Swedish term that stands for “Speed Play,” a form of speed work format in which the runner performs bursts of faster running, following an unspecific and unstructured training pattern, unlike traditional interval training, which centers around specific distances and/or timed intervals.

Trail Running refers to all sorts of running and hiking trails—mainly through woods, mountains, and natural and dirt paths.

Trail surfaces are more merciful on the body and the exact break you might need from road running. In the UK and Ireland, trail running is usually mountain or fell running.

Cross Training: Or XT for short, this consists of low-impact activities or forms of exercise other than running, such as weight training, cycling, swimming, yoga, and aqua running.

Cross-training is vital in a running program because it can help you prevent injury, boost conditioning and improve every facet of your fitness while adding variety to your training program.

Newbie: Or a beginner, this is a newcomer to running who just took up the sport, and he is beginning to learn the basics by training for a short distance, like a 5K.

Elite: These are the advanced runners.

If you are a beginner or even an intermediate, don’t try to keep up with them because they are fast.

They have done the work.

Triathlete: A type of overachieving athlete that does not only run but bikes and swims, too.

Runner’s High: Refers to the state of euphoria and pure joy experienced by runners either during a workout or right after.

This ecstatic state is mostly the result of the release of norepinephrine, serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine, all of which promote a sense of well-being and happiness.

The Wall: Usually used to refer to a point between miles 19 and 26 of a marathon race in which the runner’s energy and power plunge, making them feel physically and emotionally drained, like they’ve got nothing left in the tank, literally.

Resting Heart Rate: RHR measures the number of contractions per minute of your heart when the body is in complete rest—typically measured first thing in the morning, just after stepping out of bed.

RHR is a good measuring stick of your body’s aerobic fitness and a reliable marker of whether you have been overtraining.

Body Mass Index: or BMI for short, is a simple measure to see if you have a healthy body weight for your height.

As a general guideline, an ideal BMI is in the range of 18 to 25.

If you want to calculate your BMI, then check out this link

MHR: Standing for Maximum Heart Rate refers to the age-related number of contractions your heart can make in one minute when working at its maximum.

The easiest way to measure it is by solving this equation: 220 – your age= MHR.

But this method only provides a close guess.

Racing & Competitions Running Terms

400 Meters: The equivalent of a lap around a standard track.

Mile: 5280 feet or roughly 1600 meters—four laps around a standard track.

5K: A racing distance of 3.1 miles.

Perfect for beginner runners.

10K: a racing distance of 6.2 miles.

The perfect combo of aerobic and anaerobic power.

Half-Marathon: A racing distance of 13.1 miles, or 21.1 kilometers.

Marathon: A race that’s 26.2 miles long, or 42.2 kilometers.

Completing a marathon race should be on your bucket list.

Ultra Marathon: Also known as Ultra, this refers to any race distance longer than a marathon.

Some of the most popular ultra races include the 50KM (31.07 miles),  the 100KM (62.14 miles), and the 100-miler beast.

Here’s the full history of running in case you’re curious.

XC: Or cross country running, which is a type of running sport in which individuals or teams compete in a race on a variety of surfaces—such as grass, trails, rocky areas, hills, gravel—typically anywhere off-road or off-track.

Runners who partake in this kind of race are usually known as “Harriers.”

Road Race: All types of races that are held on a road.

Unlike cross country and track and field running, these races occur on measured courses over an established road.

OCR: Stands for Obstacle Course Racing, which is a type of competitive racing event in which runners have to race on muddy terrains while making their way through military-inspired obstacles designed to test their physical and mental grit to the breaking point.

Some popular OCR events include the Warrior Dash, The Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, and The CMC.

Bucket List: A list of races or physical achievements that a runner hopes (or plans) to have accomplished during their lifetime.

Master: Also known as “Veteran,” this refers to any athlete 40 or older.

MP: Stands for Marathon Pace.

GMP: Stands for Goal Marathon Pace.

Race Pace: Your ideal running pace during a race.

World Marathon Majors: These are big guys when it comes to marathon racing, and they comprise six prominent races: Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, NYC Marathon, London Marathon, Berlin Marathon, and Tokyo Marathons.

BQ: Standing for “Boston Qualifier,” qualifying for the Boston Marathon is one of the ultimate goals for many a runner.

To qualify for this race, you must gain entry by either completing another race at a qualifying time or by a charity slot.

If you are BQ, that must be a source of great pride and delight.

PR: Short for “Personal Record” and also known as “ Personal Best” (PB), this is used to describe the fastest time achieved by a runner for a certain distance or race.

DFL: Acronym for “Dead F*cking Last.”

It’s self-explanatory and refers to the poor last fella to cross the finish line.

DNS: Acronym for “Did Not Start,” which refers to being unable to attend a race even after registering.

DNF: Acronym for “Did Not Finish,” whether because of an injury, bonking, or simply falling short of completing a race in the designated course time.

Clydesdale: Typically refers to a weight-challenged runner.

This is also a category that’s reserved in racing for heavyweight male runners—usually over 200 to 220 pounds.

Athena: Similar to the Clydesdale category, the Athena category is a division for female runners who weigh more than a specified weight—usually 150 pounds and above.

Chip: This is a small computerized plastic device a runner attaches to their shoelace or race bib to keep tabs on progress and run times during a race.

The chip gets activated the second you step over the electronic mat after the official clock time starts and stops the second you cross the finish line.

Just be careful not to forget your timing chip; otherwise, your race time won’t be formally recorded.

Bling: Also known as hardware, these are the finisher’s prizes that participants receive after completing a race course in the designated time.

Bling might take the form of a medal, mug, belt buckle, etc., a source of great pride for many a runner.

Bib: Refers to the square piece of paper with a designated race number that runners attach to their shirts using a safety pin during a race and use to identify each runner in a race.

Bonk: Sometimes used interchangeably with “hitting the wall,” a “bonk” can hit a runner at any time during a race, and it’s usually linked to plummeting blood sugar levels and improper racing fueling.

Legal Wind: “Wind Assistance,” a technical term that refers to any mild wind that can either help or restrict a runner during a race, thus having a significant say in their finishing time.

This is quite an issue since wind conditions that are too favorable can disqualify finishing times from becoming (personal or world) records.

Second Wind: Refers to a phenomenon typically experienced during long-distance running, in which a runner feels an increase of confidence and energy and finds the strength to press forward, often just as they start feeling completely exhausted.

Rabbit: Also known as Pacemaker, or Pacesetter, often employed by the race organizers, this is someone who leads a race—typically middle or long distance events—for the first section then usually drops out of the competition before the final laps.

Jack Rabbit: A runner who takes off too fast from the start of a race or runs with a rapid and sudden movement, looking a lot like a jack rabbit.

Chicked: A term that describes a male runner (or cyclist) who gets passed by a female athlete during a race.

Nothing to be ashamed of.

Kick: Also known as “Giving it All you Got” or “Changing Gears,” this is a broad term for the final push runners give at the final part of a race to boost speed to the finish line, leaving nothing in the tank.

Don’t kick too early in a race; otherwise, you will score a DNF or a DFL.

CR: Stands for the course record.

RRCA: Stands for Road Runner’s Club of America, an organization that promotes the development of running events and running clubs and supports runners from all levels and training backgrounds throughout the U.S.

USATF: Stands for the USA track and field.

IAAF: Stands for the International Amateur Athletic Foundation, a worldwide organization that tends to everything related to running.

Advanced Running Terms

HIIT: Short for High-Intensity Interval Training, a type of exercise involving short bursts of intense activity—running, biking, jumping, squatting, weightlifting, etc.—with periods of low-to-moderate exercise or rest to recover.

Study shows that HIIT is ideal for speeding up weight loss and increasing fitness level like nothing else, and through the roof in the shortest time possible.

Quality Workouts: Refers to any running workout that you perform at a faster pace or longer duration than your daily runs.

Examples of quality workouts include speed sessions, tempo runs, and long runs, all of which require at least one to two days of recovery.

Carb Loading: Refers to revamping glycogen stores in the body by boosting the percentage of carbs intake during the days leading to a big race or long run.

In other words, carb loading is all about eating plenty of bread, bagels, and pasta to do up and increase energy stores.

Cadence: Also known as stride rate, or stride turnover, this refers to the number of steps taken during a minute of running.

According to the expert, the sweet spot for running cadence is around 180 steps per minute, which is believed to reduce the risks of injury and help you run more efficiently.

Gait: In layman’s terms, running gait is the style you run (or how you run for short).

You can have your gait analyzed and broken apart by experts to help you determine any biomechanical deficiencies you might have and help you improve your running form and become more of an efficient runner.

Foot Strike: One of the most annoying sticking points in the running world today, it refers to how and where your feet should strike the ground while running.

Finding the right foot strike is a matter of personal physiology and preference, so you should aim to find what works best for you and ignore the hype surrounding the subject.

MFS: Stands for “mid-foot strike,” in which you land on the ground in the center of the ball of the foot.

This foot strike technique is usually prescribed for runners, and it’s encouraged by the Chi running method and other philosophies.

I happen to prefer this striking pattern.

FFS: Or “Forefoot strike,” a footstrike pattern in which the ball of the foot to toes lands on the ground first.

RFS: Standing for the “Rear Foot Strike” or “Heel Strike,” a footstrike style in which the heel hits the ground first, followed by the forefoot.

It’s believed that an RFS pattern might lead to all sorts of injuries, but no conclusive evidence proves the claim.

Training Log: A training journal or training calendar, a daily record to monitor progress (or lack thereof), boost motivation, and keep tabs on your daily workouts and diet choices.

A training log can take the form of paper, a spreadsheet, an online record, or a Smartphone App.

Speedwork: Also known as track workouts or repeats, this type of running training program involves increasing a run’s pace according to a particular pattern.

Speedwork is typically used to boost speed, leg power, strength, and agility.

Types of speedwork include sprints, hill reps, and tempo runs.

Pyramid Intervals: A type of speedwork format in which the runner works on increasing the faster-running intervals in a pyramid-like fashion with recovery jogs in between.

For example, a simple ladder workout could include intervals of 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, and finally, a 100etc.

Negative splits: A running training method in which you run the second half of a run or race faster than you ran the first half

Splits: This is how long a runner takes to cover any defined distance.

For example, if you are running one lap on a 400m track, a split depicts the time it takes to complete one 400m lap.

Junk Miles: The moderate-pace miles a runner might run without any specific reason or rhythm other than adding numbers and volume to total weekly mileage to reach a certain total mileage target.

In most cases, junk miles don’t result in any specific physiological benefits.

Strides: Also known as “striders,” they typically refer to a series of 50 to 100 meters bursts of fast running.

Strides are usually performed after a thorough warm-up before a speed workout or race.

Yasso 800: Popularized by Bart Yasso, this is a renowned speed workout format that involves performing ten sets of 800 meters with 400 meters recovery between each set, and it’s used by runners trying to achieve a definite marathon goal.

Pick-ups refer to short and gentle accelerations in speed performed during a run to either spice up a workout or make it more challenging.

DO NOT CONFUSE with cheesy pick-up lines.

Doubles: Performing two running workouts in one day.

Periodization: An advanced training methodology that manages the training program throughout the year so that a runner can peak for an important event at a certain time.

Typically, periodization involves breaking down a training program into “periods” that focus on different training goals, alternating between high and low-intensity training period chunks.

Plyometric Training: Also known as jump, or explosive training, this type of workout is designed to produce explosive and fast movement through rapid loading and contraction of the muscle in a rapid and fast sequence and manner.

Perfect examples of plyo exercises include box jumps, squat jumps, and burpees.

Aqua Jogging: A low-impact cross-training activity in which the runner performs a running motion against the water’s resistance inside a pool or large body of water, where the runner can’t touch the bottom.

Perfect for recovery and nursing a running injury.

BPM: Acronym for “Beat Per Minute” and commonly known as the “heart rate,” this is the number of heartbeats during a minute.

Specific heart rate training is one of the best methods to help you get the most out of each workout.

VO2 Max: Also known as aerobic capacity, this measures your body’s maximum oxygen intake per minute while running.

Factors determining VO2 max include fitness level, body composition, age, and genetics.

Anaerobic Threshold: Also known as “Lactate Threshold, this refers to a physiological point during a running workout at which massive amounts of lactic acid build up in the bloodstream faster—That’s usually when the body switches from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism.

MPM: Stands for minutes per mile and is used to gauge running pace.

MPW: Or miles per week, the miles you run weekly or weekly training volume.

Brick Workout: A triathlon training term that refers to doing two different workouts back to back, with a run combined with a bike ride or a swim.

Taper: Describes a period of a few weeks before a big race in which the runner reduces their total training volume to store energy.

This period involves less running, and it’s used to sharpen fitness levels before a big race.

Streaking: The act of running for consecutive days for an extended period.

In most streaking cases, at least one mile per day more is requisite for an official running streak.

Also, streaking refers to runners who have completed a race, or a bunch of races, multiple years in a row.

DO NOT CONFUSE running naked through a public place.

Pronation refers to how a runner’s foot might roll inward during a running stride.

It’s a normal part of the natural motion that assists the lower leg in dealing with shock.

Some runners pronate a lot—or overpronate—while others pronounce less or underpronate.

This is an important piece of choosing the right shoe.

Supination: Also known as “Underpronation,” this is a biomechanical term used to describe the outward roll of the foot during the gait cycle at toe-off.

It’s believed that supination can put a lot of stress on the foot, leading to Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, and the notorious iliotibial band syndrome.

Quad Buster: When you run down long stretches of steep downhill running, your quads feel like they are on fire, typically performed so fast that you might seem somewhat out of control.

Endorphins are the body’s natural painkiller brain chemicals released during running (and exercising in general) that reduce pain and promote well-being, creating a state of euphoria and typically leading to the experience known as Runner’s High.

Running Terms For Injuries & Problems

Overuse Injury: The most common type of injury that strikes runners of all levels and training backgrounds is typically the result of too much training volume before the body is ready.

Some widespread overuse injuries include plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, and the infamous Runner’s Knee.

Hitting The Wall: Also known as bonking, it describes the complete and utter exhaustion experienced by marathon runners when the glycogen stores are worn-out out and blood sugar plummets to their lowest.

In most cases, bonking can hit from mile 19 in a marathon—especially when following an improper racing fueling strategy.

RICE: Standing for Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate, this is a runner’s first line of defense against most running injuries, and it can help reduce swelling, soothe pain, protect damaged tissues, speeding up recovery in the process.

Foam rolling: A form of self-myofascial release in which a cylindrically shaped firm foam object is used to pressure certain body parts to soothe pain, promote a range of motion and speed up recovery.

Dehydration: This condition in which the runner loses more fluids than they take in, leading to a drop in performance and other trouble.

Some of the main symptoms of dehydration include dizziness, thirst, weakness, and fatigue.

Lactic Acid: A term usually used to refer to muscle burn and stiffness after a hard run.

This condition is the by-product of the anaerobic metabolism of glucose produced when the body can no longer generate energy using oxygen.

In most cases, runners typically use lactic acid to refer to sore muscles and muscle fatigue—especially during or right after hard workouts.

DOMS: Standing for delayed onset muscle soreness, which is any sort of stiffness, pain, or soreness of muscle, usually occurring between 24 to 72 hours following a run. DOMS is the byproduct of tiny tears in the muscles resulting from doing more work than they are used to.

Shin Splints: Also known as Medial Tibia Stress Syndrome, or MTSS, this is a  common overuse running injury that manifests as intense and sharp pain along the front of the lower leg caused by improper footwear, weak calves, or overtraining.

Plantar Fascia: This thick connective tissue runs from the heels to the bottom of the foot.

Under too much stress, just like with Achilles Tendinitis, the fascia become inflamed, leading to the condition commonly known as Plantar Fasciitis.

ITBS: Stands for the Iliotibial Band Syndrome, a notorious overuse running injury that happens when the IT band—the connective issues along the outer thigh and knee— becomes tight and inflamed due to overuse.

DO NOT BE CONFUSED with Runners’ knee.

Tendinitis: Also spelled as tendonitis, this is a tendon inflammation, typically from overuse.

Runners Knee: Also known as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, or PFPS for short, this is one of the most common overuse running injuries caused by inflammation or irritation of the underside of the patella—the kneecap.

Achilles Tendon: Refers to one of the strongest and thickest tendons in the body, located at the back of the ankle, and connects the back of the heel to two major calf muscles: —the gastrocnemius and soleus.

Due to overuse, this vital tendon becomes irritated and inflamed, leading to what’s known to the condition known as Achilles tendinitis.

Chafing: A painful rubbing or irritation of the skin caused by skin-to-skin or skin-to-fabric—socks, underwear, shirt, sports bra—friction.

Heat and moisture might exacerbate the irritation.

It’s painful, and it hurts.

But you can always use moisture creams, such as Vaseline or BodyGlide, to prevent the chafing.

Side Stitch: Also known as the “Side Sticker” or “Side Cramp,” this is a sharp and stabbing pain felt just below the rib cage that occurs during running—especially for beginner runners or during downhill running.

Runner’s Trots: May also be referred to as gastrointestinal (GI) issues on the run resulting in unwanted bowel movement and diarrhea.

Some leading causes of this embarrassing phenomenon include stress, poor diet choices, and, arguably, coffee before a run or race.

Other terms associated with runners’ trots include “Code Brown” and “Fitness leak.”

Chub Rub: A painful phenomenon described as intense chafing caused by the inner thigh rubbing together while running.

Chub rub can be annoying and is common among overweight runners or during hot weather.

Jogger’s Nipples: Also known as “Bloody Nipples,” this is abrasion and soreness of a runner’s nipples due to repeated friction of clothing, leading to bleeding and pain.

Bloody nipples are most common among male and female long-distance runners—, especially during the summer.

Black Toenails: A painful condition taking place because of the development of blood under the nail, commonly caused by wearing tight running shoes or too much downhill running.

In most cases, black toenails heal independently within a few weeks or months.

Runger: Also known as the munchies, this is a type of intense hunger and cravings produced by running.

A short temper also follows the typical runner sensation if the cravings are not satisfied and tamed.

How will you know you got the munchies? If you usually feel like you could eat anything on sight after a long run.

FOMO: This famous acronym stands for fear of Missing Out and is used often.

When applied to running, FOMO describes the negative inner state of being unable to sign up for a race with your running friends and missing out on all the fun.

In some cases, FOMO might lead to fatigue and burnout as runners try their best to compete in as many hard runs and races as possible without considering proper rest and the physiological cost of putting the body under all that workload.

Run Envy: The feelings of envy and jealousy you might experience when you see another runner in the park paying his due diligence when you are not.

It’s perfectly reasonable 😉

Running Terms For Shoes & Other Apparel

Moisture-Wicking Clothing: Refers to any running-specific training fabric made of non-cotton, synthetic fibers, or apparel that can help keep your body warm and dry during a run by wicking moisture from the skin.

This can prevent chafing and a host of other troubles.

Heart Rate Monitor: This is a small device, typically a chest strap, a watch-like wrist receiver,  or an ear monitor,  that’s used to gauge the electrical activity of the heart in real time and record the heart rate for later examination.

Shock Absorption: Also known as “Cushioning,” this describes the shoe’s ability to absorb impact during a foot strike.

In the running, cushioned running shoes are generally a sub-category for running shoes that offer much support and assistance—especially for heavy runners.

Orthotics: These are small insert devices worn inside a running shoe to help correct biomechanical imbalances, preventing pain and injury.

The type of orthotics you might opt for depends on your specific needs and the type of injury you are trying to address.

Gaiters: A sleeve-like garment similar to leggings that a runner (or a hiker) attaches to their shoes and goes up the leg or ankle to protect the feet from the elements, such as water, sleet, dirt, pebbles, rocks, and other debris.

Gaiters are super useful if you do any trail or wintertime running.

Motion Control: Used to describe shoes’ ability to control the foot’s motion, usually made to limit overpronation and other biomechanical issues.

Toebox: Also known as the “Forefoot,” this is the front portion of the upper of your running shoes, the area of the shoe where your toes are.

Toeboxes come in all forms: shallow, medium, or deep, and might also vary in shape and function.

The Upper: Refers to the top half of the shoes, typically the light-weight mesh or leather materials that enclose the shoe.

Outsole: This is the very bottom of most running shoes (the layer of the shoe that hits the ground), typically made of blown rubber or carbon rubber.

Midsole: Refers to the layer for the shoe between the outside and the upper that’s in charge of the shoe’s cushioning abilities.

Typically, midsoles are made from foam materials: either polyurethane or ethylene vinyl acetate, or EVA for short.

The midsole is also vital for shoe durability.

Drop Bag: This bag contains your special race day items and personal gear that you believe you will need during an ultra race event.

In most cases, drop bags are transported by the race organizers to designated aid stations.

GPS: Standing for the Global Positioning System, the famous and reliable system used to track location, speed, and time wherever in the world.

Several running watches and apps feature a GPS that you can use to track running distance, elevation gain, and other factors with a relatively high degree of precision.

Agility Ladder: A handy piece of equipment that allows you to do agility training in the comfort of your own home.

Running Terms Philosophies and Movements

Barefoot Running:  Also known as “Natural Running,” this term refers to running without footwear.

Barefoot running takes minimal running one step further and preaches getting rid of running shoes.

Movement proponents claim that barefoot running can improve performance and prevent injuries.

Running barefoot has gained much popularity recently, and runners practice it worldwide.

Minimalist Running: A running movement that preaches running in shoes without the added cushion and shunning the highly cushioned heeled models that have become the standard shoes in the running world.

In most cases, minimalist shoes are very lightweight, lack high-cushioned heels, and have little arch support and stiff soles.

Naked Running: A worry-free running philosophy that preaches running without relying on modern gadgets and special gear, except for shoes and clothing.

Don’t get me wrong.

This is not streaking; you’ll still have your clothes.

Nothing illegal.

Miscellaneous Running Terms

Dreadmill: A mocking term used to refer to the boredom and monotony experienced during treadmill running.

Many runners are not very fond of the treadmill and regard it with such disdain, so they prefer to call it the dreadmill instead.

Runhole: A derogatory term referring to a runner who talks ceaselessly and without stopping about running and might prefer spending most of his time training to be with family and friends. A runhole is also fluent in the running vocabulary. He can compile sentences in the running vocabulary without giving it much thought. I can be described as a runhole. But don’t be a runhole—most of the time.

Downhill Warrior: A runner who struggles when running the uphill terrain section or even flats a run or race but sprints at maximum speed down hills.

This is a frowned-upon practice because too much downhill running can lead to all sorts of injuries.

Plus, it’s not a well-balanced approach to running.

Wind Chill: This is the temperature that expresses how cold it feels outside, considering the effective lowering of temperature by the wind.

Heat Index: This is the apparent temperature, and it’s measured by combining air temperature and relative humidity to determine how hot it feels outside when relative humidity is added to the equation.

Weather Stalking: The obsessive act of checking the hourly weather forecast before a significant run or race, expecting it to display your ideal conditions.

Runfie: The combination of Selfie + Run, or the picture you take of yourself before, during, or after a run or race to share on social networking services such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and let the whole world know about what you just did.

Image Credit – RunSelfieRepeat

Farmer Blow: Also known as the “snot rocket,” this technique used by many runners refers to the art and science of holding one nostril while forcefully blowing the contents from the other with one solid blow.

This skill requires a lot of time and practice to master.

Bandit: A usually frowned upon practice that describes someone who participates in a race without paying the entry fees, robbing the race for the experience without permission.

Carrot: A super attractive male or female runner who motivates you to keep going strong during a run or race by keeping up with their pace as if following a carrot on a string.

New to Running? Start Here…

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This guide teaches you how to start running and lose weight easily and painlessly. This is, in fact, your ultimate manifesto to becoming a faster and stronger runner. And you want that, don’t you?

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The Runner’s Guide To Recovery Runs

couple doing recovery run on a sunday

As a running coach and a passionate runner who’s logged countless miles, I can’t stress enough how vital recovery runs are to a training plan.

You might think resting on the couch after a tough workout is the best way to recover, but trust me—recovery runs help keep your body strong and injury-free

Let’s break down why recovery runs are so helpful, how to nail the right pace, when to fit them in, and a few tips I’ve learned along the way.

What is a Recovery Run?

A recovery run is basically a relaxed jog you do within a day of a hard workout, like after intervals, a long run, or even a race.

These runs are usually done at a pace that’s 60 to 90 seconds per mile slower than your usual running pace. Think of it as a way to keep your body moving without putting too much strain on it. It allows your muscles to gently work out the stiffness and fatigue from your last run without adding extra strain.

The Benefits of Recovery Runs

While the science on recovery runs and accelerated recovery is still up for debate, they come with a host of benefits

  1. Fatigue Resistance

One major advantage of recovery runs is building fatigue resistance. Running while your muscles are still tired trains your body to perform when fatigued, which can come in handy during the later stages of a race. Research from the University of Copenhagen has shown that running on tired legs can improve endurance and power output over time.

  1. Prevent Muscle Soreness

Recovery runs get the blood flowing to sore spots, like your hamstrings and calves, helping you bounce back faster. This increased circulation can prevent your muscles from tightening up, reducing the likelihood of feeling sore after a hard workout. It helps your legs stay loose and relaxed, gearing you up for the next challenge.

  1. Boost Weekly Mileage

Trying to up your weekly mileage? Recovery runs let you add more distance without burning yourself out

These easy runs still count toward your weekly volume, which helps improve your aerobic base. The more you run, the stronger your cardiovascular system becomes, and the easier to tackle longer distances or faster paces.

  1. Improve Running Form

These easy runs are a perfect time to check in on your form and fine-tune your stride. Since you’re running slower, you’ll have the energy to pay attention to your posture, foot strike, and overall biomechanics.

Over time, this focus on form during recovery runs can help prevent injuries and improve your efficiency as a runner.

How Long Should a Recovery Run Be

Usually, a recovery run is around 3 to 5 miles, or about 25 to 40 minutes, but go by what feels good for your fitness and goals.

Recovery runs can play a big role in your post-race recovery if you’ve just completed a race. The timing of your recovery run depends on the length of the race and how your body feels afterward.

Here is some general advice on when to plan your return to training.

  • Recovery Run After a 5K or 10K. Resume normal training within a few days, depending on your fitness level. The first day after the race, examine how your body feels. Usually, you’ll want to do a recovery run for at least 20 minutes, then stretch your body.
  • Recovery Run After A Half-Marathon. Completing a half marathon guarantees that you have inflicted some damage to your body. After a couple of days, go for a 20 to 30-minute recovery run to help you get back into the swing of things as soon as possible.
  • Recovery Run After A Marathon. The following day following the race, walk around and stretch your body. Avoid running or any form of intense cross-training. Then, after two or three days, lightly cross-training. Next, schedule your recovery run three to four days post-race.

How to Find the Right Recovery Run Pace

Now that you know the benefits of recovery runs, let’s discuss how to find the right pace.

At first, I struggled with how slow to go; I didn’t want to feel like I wasn’t working, but that’s exactly the point of a recovery run.

I thought that it didn’t count if I wasn’t sweating. But that mindset completely misses the point of a recovery run. These runs are all about taking it easy.

I began using the talk test: if I could comfortably chat, I knew I was in the right zone. Some days, I’d run with a friend, and we’d talk the entire time. But that was the beauty of it: no pressure, no expectations—just running for the sake of movement

I hate to sound like a broken record, but a recovery run is not the time to push yourself. It’s all about running at a comfortable, easy pace.

Here are two methods that helped me find the perfect pace for recovery runs.

Method 1: Use Your Heart Rate

Keeping an eye on your heart rate is a great way to make sure you’re not overdoing it. For recovery runs, aim to keep your heart rate between 60% and 70% of your maximum heart rate, typically known as zones 1-2. This ensures that your body isn’t working too hard, giving your muscles a chance to recover while still staying active.

Method 2: The Talk Test

If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, no worries! The talk test is a simple, effective way to gauge your effort. During a recovery run, you should be able to hold a conversation without gasping for air.

I like to recite something like the alphabet or a favorite quote while running to see if I’m going too fast. If I’m out of breath, I slow down. The key is to feel relaxed and comfortable throughout the run.

Pick a Flat Course

When choosing where to do your recovery runs, terrain matters. I prefer softer surfaces like grass or gravel to lessen the impact on my joints. Avoid steep hills or rugged trails, as your legs need a break from the pounding they endured during your last hard workout.

I love heading to a nearby park for my recovery runs. It allows me to unwind in nature while taking the pressure off my legs with softer ground.

Balancing It Out

Aim to do your recovery run within 24 hours after a tough workout or long run.

If you had a particularly hard session in the morning, consider doing a recovery run the next day or even later that evening. This is often referred to as a “double,” where elite runners might do two runs in a day to pack in more mileage.

Remember: recovery runs should feel easy. If you finish feeling wiped out, you’ve missed the mark.

Listen To Your Body

The most important thing is to listen to your body. If you’re feeling tired or sore, take it easy. If your recovery run feels too hard, slow down. Recovery runs are meant to be low-stress, so there’s no need to push yourself.

A practice I like to do is a quick body scan before every run. I check in with how my legs feel, my energy level, and whether I’m mentally ready to run. This simple routine has helped me adjust my training when needed and avoid overtraining.

Sample Weekly Training Plans with Recovery Runs

Adding recovery runs after your tougher workouts is key to maintaining a balanced training routine. These easy-paced sessions help your body recover while still adding mileage and keeping your running muscles active. Below are sample weekly plans for beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners to show how recovery runs can fit into different training levels.

Beginner Training Plan

Perfect for newer runners looking to safely build a routine while staying injury-free.

  • Monday: Rest or light stretching
  • Tuesday: Easy run (20–30 minutes)
  • Wednesday: Rest or cross-training (e.g., cycling, yoga)
  • Thursday: Speed workout (e.g., 4x200m intervals)
  • Friday: Recovery run (20 minutes, conversational pace)
  • Saturday: Long run (4–5 miles, easy pace)
  • Sunday: Rest

Coach’s Tip: Start with shorter recovery runs to avoid fatigue and gradually add time as you feel more comfortable.

Intermediate Training Plan

Ideal for runners who are comfortable with longer runs and ready to add speed work while balancing recovery.

  • Monday: Easy run (30 minutes)
  • Tuesday: Speed workout (e.g., 6x400m intervals)
  • Wednesday: Recovery run (25–30 minutes, slow pace)
  • Thursday: Cross-training (e.g., swimming or cycling)
  • Friday: Tempo run (20–25 minutes at a comfortably hard pace)
  • Saturday: Long run (6–8 miles, easy pace)
  • Sunday: Recovery run (30–35 minutes, relaxed pace)

Coach’s Tip: Use your Wednesday and Sunday recovery runs to loosen up any lingering soreness from harder sessions. Keep the pace conversational and avoid pushing.

Advanced Training Plan

Great for experienced runners preparing for higher mileage and intense training blocks.

  • Monday: Tempo run (30 minutes at a comfortably hard pace)
  • Tuesday: Recovery run (30–40 minutes, slow and steady)
  • Wednesday: Interval workout (e.g., 8x400m with 90 seconds rest)
  • Thursday: Recovery run (30–35 minutes, easy pace)
  • Friday: Cross-training or rest
  • Saturday: Long run (10–12 miles, easy pace)
  • Sunday: Recovery run (30–45 minutes, very relaxed pace)

Coach’s Tip: For advanced runners, recovery runs are essential to managing fatigue, especially during high-mileage weeks. Emphasize a slow, steady pace and use these sessions as time to mentally and physically recharge.

How Do You Incorporate Recovery Runs into Your Routine?

Do you have a favorite day for recovery runs, or a special route that helps you keep the pace relaxed? Maybe you’ve noticed specific benefits, like reduced soreness or improved endurance, from adding these easy sessions to your schedule.

Whether it’s a pacing strategy, a personal routine, or any other insights on making the most of recovery runs, jump into the comments below! Your tips could inspire other runners to embrace recovery days and keep their training strong and balanced.

How to Do a Run Streak: Benefits, Risks & Tips

How to Do a Run Streak

Should I try a running streak? Is it safe to run every day?

There are common questions I get emailed about a few times every week.

That’s why I want to dive deep into this subject.

In this post, I’m sharing with you the complete beginner’s guide to running streaks and answer a series of basic questions such as:

  • What is a run streak?
  • What are the main benefits of running everyday?
  • What are the potential dangers
  • How long is a running streak?
  • How to start a run streak?
  • And so much more.

Sounds great?

Let’s get started.

What Is A Streak Run?

A running streak is running on consecutive days for a definite period. Simply put, a running streak is when you run every day.

The length of your run streak will depend on your training goal and personal preferences.

The objective is to run every day, for a week, a month, a year, or however long you see fit. They are all valid run streaks. It can be outdoors, on trails, roads, tracks, or on a treadmill. As soon as you skip—or miss—a day, the streak is no more.

And I didn’t come up with the rules. But they are two official-run streak organizations.

The United States Running Streak Association (USRSA) was established in 2000, and Streak Runners International (SRI) was established in 2012.

These two organizations describe a running streak of running at least one mile—or 1.6 kilometers—within each calendar day.

Usually, these rules are self-imposed—yes, between you and yourself—and therefore are monitored by the runner.

The Unspoken Rule

According to Streak Runners International, Inc., the official definition of a running streak is to run at least one mile, roughly 1.6 kilometers, each day. So that’s roughly 10 to 15 minutes of easy running.

The same organization also lists members’ streaks from around the world.

The Running Streak Community

As you’d expect, the streak-running community is a big one. That’s where the streakers find inspiration, motivation, and guidance. It always feels nice to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

Here are a few places where you can hang out with streakers worldwide.

Facebook Groups

Of course, there’s a Facebook group for that. For example, the Runners World Run Streak Facebook Group has over 40k members. The Streak Runners Interval has around 6000 active members in early 2023.

And most of these groups are super active. So if you become a member, you’ll be getting a lot of running updates, reading many success (and failure) stories, and advice on what it takes to run every day from fellow run-streakers.

When you own a runner, active or retired, you’re automatically entitled to an SRI/USRA membership. Once you maintain your running streak for a year, you can qualify for your streak’s SRI/USRS listing.

But what does it mean to have your running streak listed? Simple. You’ll be able to find your streak achievement listed on the website’s official run streak page.

For example, the Sri and USRA list has over 3000 male and 1800 female streaks. So, yes, that’s quite a lot. And by fulfilling the requirement, you too should be able to join their ranks.

The 11 Running Streak Categories

The running streak community is divided into 11 categorizers by the SRI and USRA and are broken down in terms of years of run-streaking.

These are:

  • The neophyte – one to 4 years
  • Proficient – 5 to 10 years
  • Experienced – 10 to 15 years
  • Well-versed – 15 to 20 years
  • Highly skilled – 20 to 25 years
  • The dominators – 25 to 30 years
  • The masters 35 to 40 years
  • The legends – 40 to 45 years
  • The coverts – 45 to 50 years
  • The hills – more than 50 years (only four total recorded)

The Benefits Of Running every day

Okay, now that you know what running streaks are all about, let’s understand why you even bother doing one.

Make Exercise a habit

If you’d like to make running a habit, like brushing your teeth, showering, or whatever, then run streaking is for you. Habits are formed when we perform an activity repeatedly—that’s the essence of run streaking. A few weeks into your running streak, running will become second nature.

You’ll Become More Flexible

Running daily—no matter the weather or what’s happening around you—will force you to adapt to different situations, which makes you more resilient. This means fewer excuses. You’ll have to get used to early morning runs, adverse weather conditions, and nighttime runs.

Minimal Potential Risk

Running streaks are not risky. On the contrary, research shows that moderate daily exercise improves your overall fitness and health. When you run every day, you typically (and should) start with slow and short runs, which gives your body enough time to re-adapt to the effects of exercise.

Reduced Cancer Risk

Research has suggested that running a mile per day may drastically lower the risk of cancer by:

  • 42 percent for esophageal cancer
  • 27 percent for liver cancer
  • 26 percent for lung cancer
  • 23 percent for kidney cancer
  • 16 percent for colon cancer, and
  • 10 percent for breast cancer

Motivation

Committing to running every single day can be motivating as it pushes you to keep your running habit. Instead of running whenever you have nothing else to do, you’re incentivized to keep training and working towards your goal.

The Cons Of A Running Everyday

Running daily has much to offer, but drawbacks are expected, like any other exercise plan.

Lack of Recovery

The major issue is that running daily may force you to log in the miles when your body should recover. Recovery days are key, and I’m a big fan of them. Even when I do a run streak for a few weeks at a time, I try to schedule at least a day when I feel like my body needs it.

Skipping rest may compromise your ability to get faster and stronger.

What’s more?

If you’re recovering from an injury, run streaking may risk aggravating your condition and causing a flare-up.

Too Much Overload

I hate to state the obvious, but you run a high risk of injury and overtraining when you overload your body. As you already know, running is a high-impact sport per excellence. It can take a toll on your body.

Therefore, when logging a mile (or the miles) daily, you must ensure that you are not overtraining. This means limiting the time, intensity, or type of training you do. Of course, you’ll have to find a way to manage it.

Otherwise, you could be at a higher risk of injury if you don’t manage your training.

Logging the miles every day may cause overuse injuries caused by repetitive trauma.  These often involve stress injuries to your joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Keep Track of Your Overtraining Symptoms

A systematic review of overuse running injuries reported that injury risk increases when weekly mileage exceeds 40 miles for men and around 30 to 39 miles for women. This range seems to be the breaking point for most runners.

This may seem like too much running, but you’re more likely to reach this mileage if you’re logging the miles daily.

Fortunately, overtraining leaves clues. Here are some of the warning signs to pay attention to:

  • Higher resting heart than usual
  • Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
  • Feeling more tired than usual
  • Feeling sick and under the weather
  • Unwanted weight loss
  • Appetite problems

Will Running Everyday Help me Lose Weight?

This is one of the main reasons many people want to start running daily, so let me explore this issue briefly.

Here’s the truth.

Running for weight loss is a complicated process. You cannot just run the pounds away. Sure, running every day will undoubtedly increase your calorie burn, but you might not lose weight for any of the following reasons:

  • More stress. As you stress your body by running daily, your cortisol level increases, which may lead to weight gain.
  • More hunger. As you log in more miles, you’ll eat more than usual to satisfy your hunger, which may lead to weight gain.
  • Not eating properly. This goes without saying, but you cannot outrun a crappy diet—no matter how far and/or fast you can run.

The best thing you can do to ensure you’re losing weight is to create an energy deficit. This means burning more calories than you’re taking in. That’s where eating healthy comes into the picture.

Serious about losing weight by running? Then check out my weight loss by the running guide.

Additional resource – Prevent Heart Burn While running

How To Start A Run Streak

Starting to run every day may seem as obvious as running EVERY DAY, but there’s quite a lot to consider.

First, are you even a runner?

Running daily isn’t a good idea if you’re a complete noob. Unless you have a basic fitness level, run streaking may do you more harm than good.

So, as a general rule, ensure you’ve followed a consistent running plan for at least the past year before you try a run streak. Beginner runners should focus on building their overall running fitness before trying to run every day.

For example, if you only exercise once or twice a week, slowly build it up to three or four times before beginning your streak.

Short Streaks & Easy Pace

Running streaks is not about pushing your body to the limit

Start slow. Aim to run at a pace you still feel like you have energy by the end of the session. If you’re completely exhausted, then you likely pushed yourself too far. Running hard miles every day makes you prone to injuries. Your goal is to stay consistent—not smash through PRs.

Instead of shooting for a one-month run-streak, start with a week, then see if you can do more.

What’s more?

Mix in different training methods to get the most out of your running streak—do easy runs, Fartlek, tempo runs, and long slow runs.

How Much Should You Run?

How long your run streak should last is entirely up to you, but establishing a streak goal is always a good idea to keep you on track.

As a rule, commit to running for specific days, weeks, or even months (if you’re ready). Just make sure to set YOUR own goal that’s different from everyone else’s.

Even a goal of running streaking for two weeks can drastically positively affect your physical and mental health.

Make A Plan

The hardest part about a running streak is finding time for it. This is especially true if you have a busy life—just like the rest of us.

Sit down and plan how to squeeze the miles around work, school, family, and friends, then stick to it.

Feel free to get creative. For example, you could run at the crack of dawn, combine a commute with a run, run at lunchtime break, or the night before you go to bed (let me tell you, those night runs are the best).

Change Up Routes

Sticking to the same route over and over can be tiresome.

I’m not against having a few favorite routes up your sleeves, but changing up your running routes now and then is a fantastic way to keep the streak interesting—especially since you’re running every day.

Listen To Your Body

By far, this is the most important piece of advice.

Logging miles daily requires much effort, even when you’re not logging that many miles.

That’s why excessive ambition can hurt when it comes to running streaks.

If you stick to a relatively short and easy runs, nothing bad will happen, but who knows? Running nightmares such as knee pain, ankle sprains, and shin splints are nothing to scoff at.

And whatever you do, please stop your run streak if you’re injured. If taking a few days off is the only way it will heal, take the rest.

Next, consult your doctor if things don’t improve.

The Checklist

Before you jump into a run streak, make sure you already have the following:

  • Proper shoes – Get running footwear that suits your foot type and running style. The right pair will help prevent injuries.
  • Running Clothing. Choose items made of high-performance fabrics. And remember to dress for the weather. Cold and rain are no excuses.
  • Plan a few specific routes around your neighborhood so you know exactly where you need to go.

How to Do a Run Streak – The Conclusion

There you have it! If you plan to run every day for a week, a month, or longer, then today’s post should be enough to get you started on the right foot. After that, the rest is just details!

Please feel free to leave your comments and questions in the section below.

In the meantime, thank you for dropping by.

Keep training strong.

David D.

Side Stitch When Running – The Complete Guide

side stitch when running

A Side stitch when running can put a real kink in your training routine.

Though not usually a medical emergency, side stomach cramps during a run can be painful enough to force you to stop training altogether.

In this article, I’ll share everything you need to know about managing a side stitch when running– including:

  • What is a side stitch
  • The causes of a side stitch when running
  • How to stop a side stitch
  • How to prevent side stitches from running
  • And so much more

Sounds great?

Let’s dig in.

Side Stitch Running Explained

What’s medically known as exercise-related transient abdominal pain, or ETAP for short, it’s a pretty common and annoying running condition. More specifically, it refers to localized sharp pain in one side of the abdomen while running. The pain is experienced on either side of the abdomen. However, the stabbing, sharp pain is typically felt on the right lower side of the abdomen, just below the ribcage.

This is often blamed on muscles in the diaphragm spasming, and it’s usually the result of what you eat or drink before a run. It usually strikes the upper abdomen, just below the ribcage. It’s also much more likely to plague the right side and might be linked with shoulder tip region pain.

The Causes of Side Stitches in Runners

Research tried to find out the exact cause of this problem, but still considered idiopathic. The theories range from irritation of the peritoneum to poor blood circulation in the diaphragm, resulting in cramps in the abdominal muscles.

Consuming too much food before a run has also been shown to contribute to the onset of pain. That said, side stitches can impact anyone who runs for a prolonged period.

Every cloud has a silver lining, as side stitches are not a medical emergency or a reason to visit your doctor.

Side Stitch Symptoms

Side stitches can feel different for different runners.

Some runners feel a stitch as a sharp pain, almost like someone is stabbing them. Others report a cramping feeling or a dull ache. In most cases, they occur on the right side of the body.

Typical symptoms may include a pulling sensation, a dull ache, or a stabbing, sharp pain. They tend to dissipate once you stop running and walk them off.

According to a study of Sports Medicine that surveyed over 600 athletes, the pain related to a side stitch had an average pain rating score of 5.6 out of 10.

So you shouldn’t feel bad if you have to slow down because of the pain caused by side stitches. You’ll have to slow down until the pain fades. How long the pain lasts depends as it can var for each runner, so there’s no hard figure.

side stitches

How to Prevent A Side Stitch While Running

While many questions regarding the exact science of side stitches are still without answers, luckily, many measures help minimize or prevent them.

Here are a few.

Warm Up Properly

To help prevent side stitches during a run, warm up properly.

Skipping the warm-up phase may lead to rapid-fire, irregular breathing—this may set the stage for premature fatigue, side stitches, and even injury.

Simply warm up by walking briskly for at least five minutes, then gradually work your way into an easy running effort before picking up the pace.

Planning on doing a hard session (such as a sprint workout)? Then perform a series of dynamic exercises to get your muscles ready for intense exercise.

This is the dynamic warm-up I usually do.

Strengthen Your Core

Runners stand to gain a lot from regular strength training, especially when building core strength—fighting off side stitches is not an exception.

Strengthening your core muscles improves your form efficiency and performance and can help you build a more robust diaphragm.

This helps make it more resilient to fatigue, therefore, less likely to submit to cramps.

So how do you strengthen the core for maximal running performance?

Focus on compound movements like the plank, the Russian twists, Superman, and the side plank that targets your entire core.

Mind Your Pre-run Meal

If you often get plagued with side stitches during a run, take note of your food intake before you head out.

This helps determine if there’s a link (or connection) between your pre-run meals and the frequency (or intensity) of your side stitches.

What, when, and how much you eat before a session may contribute to side stitches. During digestion, blood flow to the diaphragm is severely limited, which may trigger spasms.

As a rule, give your body enough time after a meal to stave off a stitch, shooting for at least three hours before your run. Generally, high-fat, high-fiber foods take longer to digest; therefore, avoid them two to three hours before a run.

You should also avoid concentrated sugary drinks before and during training.

Need a pre-run snack to get you going?

Try having it an hour before your workout, choosing high-calorie, low-protein, low-fat snacks and foods at all times.

Avoid gassy foods.

These build up gas in your digestive system and may cause stomach pain.

Here are some foods to void before a run:

  • High-fiber foods can irritate your gut
  • High-fat and heavy foods
  • Sugary juices and drinks
  • Drinking too much water before a run.

Stop A Side Stitch When Running

Have a bad history of side stitches? Do this next time you’re plagued with side stomach pain: slow it down and breathe deeply to release the tension.

Next, walk slowly and press your finger on the right side of your body while powerfully exhaling and then holding your lips together.

I don’t know how this helps, but it does work—at least for me.

You can also bend your upper body forward and try reaching for your toes with your fingers.

This may open up more space within your internal organs, which, in theory, may help move the liver away from the diaphragm.

Once the pain subsides, pick up your running pace slowly.

The “creating space” method always works for me.

Have a try!

Side Stitch When Running – The Conclusion

Hopefully, the above strategies will help you better deal with side stitches and enjoy your next runs.

Complete Guide To Running At Night – Benefits, risks & Tips

running at night

Want to give night running a try but are afraid?

Then you have come to the right place.

Daytime savings, work meetings, family duties, and so on can get in the way of a running routine during the daytime. That’s why shifting to the nighttime might be the last resort for many runners.

But here’s a little caveat – Running at night requires a different approach than running when the sun is up.

I will share everything you need about safe nighttime running in today’s article.

More specifically, I’ll explain the following;

  • The benefits of running at night
  • The dangers and risks of nighttime running
  • Is it worth it to run at night?
  • Safety tips for running a time
  • And so much more

Sounds great? Let’s get started

The Benefits of Nighttime runs

Here are some of the benefits of logging miles during the nighttime.

More Time

Most of your day is likely booked when you lead a busy life (just like the res of us). Maybe you’ve got a challenging job that requires every hour of the day, or you’ve kids to take care of, feed, and send to school.

INSERT YOUR REASON HERE.

If any of this applies to you, you might feel tempted to give up on running altogether.

But it shouldn’t be.

Running at night removes that excuse. You might have fewer interruptions and distractions following work, so you can put your energy into your run and likely long in one or a few extra miles.

Release Tension

Feeling tensed up during the day? Then your nighttime run is the ideal de-stressed.

Forget about drinking

Forget about clubbing

Forget about unwinding in front of a TV

Forget about Netflix and chill

And forget about those boring and expensive yoga classes.

Get your shoes on and chop away that stress monster one stride at a time. Then, no matter how bad your day was, you’ll feel that flood of endorphins.

In other words, a nighttime run can make you feel better.

Improve Your Sleep

If you run at night, you might experience deeper and higher quality sleep. You might also find it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep longer.

Again, don’t take my word for it.

Research consulted at the University of South Carolina reported that individuals who performed mild to high-intensity exercise for a couple of hours could fall asleep 30 minutes later.

But there’s a little caveat.

Research has found that exercising too hard too close to bed time may interrupt sleep quality in some individuals.

So to make the most of your night run, keep the pace easy, cool down properly after, shower, and unwind before you sleep. At the very least, your core temperature should return to normal before hitting the sack.

Fewer Injury Risks

Running when your core temperature is at its peak is ideal for avoiding injuries.

Guess when it is? It’s often between 4 pm and 8 pm.

When your core temperature is at its peak, your muscles will have more oxygen and nutrition, your blood flow will be improved, and your joints will be well lubricated—all of which sets you up for the perfect workout.

Science backs this up. An experiment conducted at London University found that subjects consistently run around a minute faster on a 10K course at night than during the day.

3 Risks of Running at Night

There are particular risks to running at night concerning sleep and safety. Some of these include:

 Visibility issues

Vision is impaired once the sun sets. Noticing bumps, holes, or ice on the road will be harder. Nighttime running can be dangerous. You might have trouble seeing obstructions or vehicles; other road users will find it hard to see you. This puts at a higher risk of accidental collisions.

This is especially true if you focus on breathing instead of being aware of running terrain. (It’s not a deal breaker. I’ll share a few tips later on how to sidestep this.)

Difficulty Sleeping

I touched upon this before, but it merits repeating. This is especially true if you plan to do a hard run at least two hours before bed. Night time intense running raises your heart rate and boosts your core temperature, making it harder to fall asleep.

(Again, I got a few solutions for this. Just hold on.)

Harassment

Depending on where you run, getting harassed can be troublesome. This is especially the case for a female runner.

How to Start Running At night

Without further ado, here are the guidelines for a safe and effective nighttime run.

Have Situational Awareness

By far, this is the cardinal rule of safety.

Situational awareness is the overarching principle of safe outdoor exercise—not just at night but also during the day. Abide by this rule, and you’ll reduce the risk of getting yourself in dangerous situations.

First of all, be aware of your surroundings. Avoid quiet alleys, dark parks, overgrown trails, deserted areas, etc. Instead, stick with busier streets, staying on the left side of the road—preferably under a streetlight—the entire time.

Next, keep your eyes straight ahead, check your sides, and turn to check what’s behind you occasionally—especially if you feel anything out of place.

What’s more?

Keep your eyes open for obstacles that can trip you up: rocks, broken concrete, gumballs, drivers, and everything else.

And please, be wary of any suspicious people on your running route.

No Headphones Allowed

Many runners love to hit the pavement with their favorite tunes in the background—I’m no exception.

But running at night is a different beast. First, your vision is impaired. Thus, you’ll need your ears to guide you forward.

However, loud music restricts your hearing and distracts you from your environment, cutting you completely from what’s happening around you.

According to a study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and The University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, traffic incidents involving pedestrians wearing headphones tripled from 2004 to 2011.

The worst part is that a whopping 70 percent of these incidences resulted in the death of the pedestrian.

If you feel like you have to run with your headphones, at the very least, have the volume low enough that you can hear your surroundings, whether it’s people, oncoming cars, trains, or cyclists.

You can also use one earbud (tuck the other bud safely into your shirt or jacket) and keep an ear for anything heading your way.

night time running

Be Traffic Smart

Traffic is another huge source of headache for runners—especially city dwellers. Cars are the biggest source of danger during night time running.

About 80,000 pedestrians get hurt each year by cars in the U.S., and the risk of being struck increases 10-fold after dark, with the majority of accidents occurring between 6 p.m. and midnight, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The number of fatalities is also alarming. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, roughly 4000-5000 pedestrians sustain fatal injuries in traffic crashes yearly.

And as a runner, you are, basically, a pedestrian on steroids. So here are the sensible steps you need to take:

First, never run in the same direction as traffic. Instead, run against it. By facing traffic, you’ll see oncoming cars clearly if you must make any last-minute evasive maneuvers.

Secondly, do not make the mistake of assuming that a driver can see you. Instead, assume that every driver is busy texting, talking on the phone, listening to the radio, or just lost in thoughts. In other words, run like a defensive driver.

What’s more?

If you can, avoid rush hour time—the fewer vehicles to worry about, the better. Wear a cap or visor if you find headlights blinding.

Here are more traffic rules to follow:

  • Look both ways before crossing the streets, even if a stop sign is nearby.
  • Slow down, or stop at a curb to get a full picture of the road ahead.
  • Make eye contact with a driver before crossing the road.
  • Keep your eyes on reverse lights and an ear for cars with running motors.

Run With a Partner

I hate to sound cliché, but there is strength in numbers.

Running with a buddy gives you extra ears and eyes for danger. This will drastically reduce the risk of someone accosting you.

Pairing up with a buddy can also boost your motivation and consistency. So, don’t you want to be a safe and better runner? I bet you do.

Ask your running friends, and join online runners’ forums. Or just join a local running club. They must have night time running plans.

Leave Word

Let your family members, friends, roommates, or a neighbor know where you are going, as well as what time they should hear back from you.

Once you are back home, touch base and tell them you are safe and sound.

Have Your ID on

Carry your identification with you, such as your driver’s license or some other form of ID. Put it in your pocket, use an ID bracelet, or clip on a tag to your running shoes.

Also, jot down your name, address, blood type, a list of emergency contacts, and any pertinent information.

Protect Yourself

To err on the safe side, consider keeping pepper spray or a Taser gun on you (depending on your state’s laws) to ward off any uninvited animals or individuals.

Have A Phone

Bring your cell with you even if you prefer staying off the grid while running (it’s your solo time, after all, so I won’t blame you).

Opt for an armband if you don’t have a pocket or bag to safely (and comfortably) carry your phone.

Don’t hesitate to call the police—and everyone else—if you’re in a pinch or got yourself embroiled in something bad.

Use Apps

Put modern technology to your advantage by using tracking and safety apps.

Some of the best security apps include safe. This one sends an alert message with your exact location to a list of emergency friends (or Guardians) who can respond promptly.

RunSafe is also another great option. This has the same functionality as most fitness apps, with GPS-enabled tracking.

It also has, like safe,  a sort of panic button that triggers a siren and strobe light, records videos, alerts the authorities, and tells them your exact GPS location.

Vary your Routes

Alter your running routine by running various routes throughout the week. If that’s impossible, run your usual running route backward.

Sticking to a rigid running routine creates a predictable pattern for creepers and stalkers to track you.

But, the less predictable you are, the harder you make it for someone to learn your habits.

Of course, random attacks do happen, but for the most part, stalkers usually pick their victims by observing a given area and looking for patterns.

And if you end up on their radar, they could predict where and when you will be solo during a night run.

The Right Gear For Nighttime Running

Your running gear also matters when running in the dark. Here are the must-have items:

The Right Clothing

Choose clothes designed for the night-conscious runner. It’s key that other road users can see you out there, especially when you’re crossing roads or running on the street.

You can find plenty of running-friendly clothing made of neon, light-reflection materials for nighttime workouts.

The good news is that high-visibility running gear can be lightweight, affordable, and a simple way to stand out during nighttime runs. The more reflective your clothing is, the more visible you will be on the road. Thus, the safer you’ll be.

Reflectors Around your Joints

For more visibility, strap a few reflectors around your joints, mainly your shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles.

Doing so makes you instantly stand out from a still object like a tree or a mailbox and tells drivers which direction you are going. If you cannot afford them, use reflective tape or straps instead.

Headlamps

A good headlamp cuts through the darkness like a hot knife through butter. This can help you choose the safest course while improving visibility. Some modern brands are lightweight enough to attach to your hat or visor without much hassle.

Clear Glasses and a billed cap

These two items are critical for protecting your eyes at night.

The clear glasses act as a sort of shield for your eyes from cobwebs, thin branches, buds, leaves, and other obstacles. While on the other hand, the bill of a cap will protect your eyes from tree branches and other unseen obstacles that might obstruct your path.

Follow your Instinct

In the end, gut feelings are what might save the day.

Hence, if the hairs on your neck stand up for no apparent reason or a given situation is giving you the heebies jeebies, trust that feeling and run to a safer location.

Those gut feelings have protected us for millions of years and are there for a reason.

And do not think twice about alerting the authorities. Call the police in case you notice anything suspicious, whether it’s a person, a car, or a situation, you name it.

In other words, if you see something, say something.

Night Time Running – The Conclusion

There you have it! If you’re serious about making the most of your night runs, then today’s post should get you started on the right foot.

The rest is just details.

Please feel free to leave your comments and questions in the section below.

In the meantime, thank you for dropping by.

Keep training strong.

David D.

Prevent Peeing When Running – A Stress Incontinence Guide

peeing when running

Running is an excellent way to burn calories, increase endurance, and build strength.

But run long enough, and you’ll likely wet your pants at some point.

Here’s the truth

Bladder leaks, ranging from mild to severe, are a real problem faced by many runners of all ages. They shouldn’t be given.

What’s more?

Incontinence doesn’t mean that you have to halt your running routine. On the contrary, by taking the right precautions, you can manage and cure this problem.

In today’s article, I’ll explain the link between running (and exercise) and incontinence and describe how to prevent and treat it.

The Link Between Running and Urine  Leaks

First, let’s learn more about incontinence.

Technically known as”stress urinary incontinence (SUI), the condition refers to the involuntary loss of urine triggered by increased pressure or abrupt bladder muscle contraction.

In other words, it’s when you cannot control your bladder.

Incontinence can be a minor nuisance (just small leaks now and then) to a complete loss of bladder control.

Surveys show that incontinence affects twice as many women as men. This may be blamed on hormonal changes and delivery history. At least one in three female runners over 30 may experience bladder leaks while running, research reports.

Why You Pee When Running

In most cases, you’ll experience leakage while running because you’re placing extra pressure on your bladder or pelvic floor muscles. Virtually all types of exercises, such as running, jumping, cycling, and weight lifting, put extra pressure that causes leakage.

No one is immune.

You may also experience leakage when coughing or sneezing. Surveys show that around 1 in 3 women sometimes suffer from SUI. The most common reason for SUI is the natural decline in pelvic floor muscle strength that comes with age.

Simply put, stress incontinence happens when the pressure on the bladder surpasses your internal capacity while running and exercising. In female runners, running puts vertical pressure on the perineum thanks to gravity, which can result in leakage.

The Risk Factors For Urinary Stress Incontinence

The following increases your risks of SUI:

  • Age, especially in people over 65 years old.
  • Pregnancy and childbirth procedures are often associated with the weakening of the perineum, which causes SUI.
  • A higher body mass index—the more overweight you’re, the greater your risk of developing SUI.
  • High impact activity
  • Weak pelvic floor muscles
  • Having a history of bladder conditions

 

It is normal to Pee Yourself While Running

Though it’s not normal, it’s more common than you think. Surveys say that 25 million adult Americans are dealing with urinatory incontinence.

So if you’re experiencing some urine leakage while running, know you’re not alone. Instead, you’re among a large percentage who have the same problem.

Again, don’t take my word for it. This survey has revealed that roughly half of female runners experience incontinence while running.

What’s more?

Most of the women in the survey had never given birth. This means they had no pelvic floor damage because of pregnancy or childbirth.

The Main Categories and Causes

Urinary incontinence is split into three main categories: Stress Urinary Incontinence (or SUI), Urgency Urinary Incontinence (UUI), and Urinary Overflow incontinence (OUI).

Let’s break them down.

Stress Urinary Incontinence

SUI, for short, is the most common type of incontinence among runners—and the topic of today’s post. This stress has nothing to do with the emotional anxiety you experience when fighting with your partner or preparing for your first marathon.

In this case, the stress stems from intra-abdominal pressure, forcing urine to leak out. This is often triggered by sneezing, couching, jumping, and running.

Urge Incontinence

Often referred to as overactive bladder, this happens when your bladder muscles squeeze incorrectly or lose the ability to relax. This often happens before you can get to the toilet.

Most common in the elderly, urge incontinence may indicate an overactive bladder, a tract infection from the imbalance passage, or prostate problems.

Overflow Incontinence

Overflow incontinence is having the urge to urinate but only releasing a small amount.

Because the bladder isn’t emptying fully, it leaks urine later. This is usually caused by something blocking the urethra, which causes urine build-up in the bladder.

How To Prevent and Stop Urine Leakage While Running

Now that you know why you’re leaking urine while running, what can you do?

The following.

Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

The ideal way to limit urinary incontinence in runners is to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, the sheet of muscles that supports the bladder and bowel.

When this sheet of muscle weakens, you may experience urine leakage whenever stress or strain is placed on it, especially when running.

Kegel exercises might help you, in which you consciously engage, then loosen the muscles that regulate urine flow. This help strengthen your pelvic floor, rectum, sphincter, bladder, and small intestine.

Don’t take my word for it. Research has reported that subjects who performed pelvic floor muscle training regularly were much more likely to improve their leaking than those who didn’t get training.

To locate your pelvic floor muscle, stop urinating in midstream.

If you can do that, you’ve got the right muscles. Here’s how to perform Kegel exercises:

  1. Squeeze the muscle you use to stop urinating midstream.
  2. Hold the squeeze for 6 to 8 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds.
  3. Perform three to four sets daily. And that’s it.

Repeat the movement 12 to 16 times in a row—and remember to do the exercise daily.

Be Prepared

While investing time in strengthening your pelvic floor is a step in the right direction, other measures can help you get back to running comfortably.

Padding is one of them.

Many over-the-counter products limit leaks before they happen. These often consist of small, soft foam patches that gently attach over the urethra to limit leaks while running.

As a rule, use a pad designed for bladder leakage instead of menstruating. According to my research, incontinence pads and sanitary pads are different things. Menstrual pads are designed for that purpose, and since they’re primarily cottonwood based, they don’t mesh well with liquid.

A wide range of incontinence products is also available, and you choose products designed to offer maximum comfort and discretion. These are also designed for runners and people with a more active lifestyle. You can also go for stretchy incontinence pants that provide freedom of movement.

You should also be prepared, especially on long runs. Bring wet wipes or tissue and spray stored in a Ziploc bag in case of an emergency.

Keep a Diary

Use a diary to keep track of your bladder habits. This should help you determine when it’s best to hit the bathroom to minimize leaks while running.

Keeping an accurate and thorough diary of your bladder weakness will allow your doctor to gain insight into the severity of your condition and enable them to develop a bladder training program specifically for you.

Try to keep your diary for at least a week before you see your doctor, then take it with you to your appointment. Your bladder diary should include a table with the following 7 rows : Time Urinated, Toilet, Leakage, Product or Clothing, Activity, Flui Intake/Output.

opic Overview

Keep a daily diary of all liquids taken in and all urine released, whether voluntary or involuntary. Your health professional may also call this a voiding log, bladder record, frequency-volume chart, incontinence chart, or voiding diary. The diary is usually kept for 3 to 4 days.

Record in your diary:

  • The time and amount of each urination.
  • The conditions under which urine release occurred, such as voluntary urination in the toilet, involuntary urine release, or leakage due to sneezing, laughing, or physical exertion.
  • The amounts and types of all liquids consumed. This includes frozen liquid items such as ice cream and frozen fruit juice bars.
  • Whether the liquid consumed contained caffeine (if your health professional instructs you to specify this information).

Based on the results of your bladder diary, your doctor or continence advisor have detailed insight into the severity of your bladder weakness and be in a better position to develop a bladder training program that’s right for you.

Instructions for Bladder Diary

  • Make at least seven copies of the blank bladder diary form so that you can keep the diary for a week.
  • Record the date and time of day when you urinated in the toilet or have light bladder leakage (LBL).
  • Note your health and general wellbeing, if applicable – Cold, hayfever, PMT etc
  • Record (yes/no) that you urinated in the toilet in the “Toilet” column.
  • Indicate the degree of leakage (none/damp/wet) in the “Leakage” column.
  • Indicate if you changed your absorbent product or had to change your clothing.
  • Note the activity you were undertaking at the time of any leakage – Driving, exercising, coughing, working, relaxing etc
  • Measuring the amount you drank or urinated may help the doctor or nurse assess your condition. If possible, record these measurements in the “Fluid Intake” and “Fluid Output” columns.

Also, keep track of your diuretic intake, like coffee.

Have Enough Water

Although I won’t recommend not drinking water before a run, I’d urge you not to drink too much fluid before you head out. Make sure you have enough, but not too much.

Bladder Training

As the name implies, bladder training is a plan that involves urinating on a schedule. The objective is to slow the amount of liquid you can hold comfortably.

Bladder training has often been used as a treatment for an overactive bladder. This method can be used alone or with medications and other interventions (some of which I’ll discuss in the following paragraphs).

Bladder training can help improve your stress incontinence symptoms by increasing the length of times your body can hold urine. This method is a low-cost, low-risk, and convenient way that doesn’t inherently require the guidance of a professional.

What’s more?

It’s simple. The program involves peeing on a set schedule to increase the time between restroom uses.

To begin bladder training, hold your pee for five minutes when you feel the urge to use a restroom. Then, slowly increase the time by roughly three to five minutes. Of course, this may feel challenging at first, but sooner or later, you’ll improve your SUI and make fewer trips to the bathroom.

Empty Your Bladder

This may seem redundant, but it’s a step many runners fail to take.

After all, a bursting bladder is more likely to leak than an empty one.

Exercising with a full bladder may also make you feel uncomfortable. It can even cause UT stone, according to research.

As a rule, stop by the bathroom before heading out and completely clear your bladder.

I’d suggest you do a double-void—urinate, wait for a couple of minutes, then urinate again. This ensures you got nothing left in the”tank.”

Plan Your Toilet Stops

As usual, planning is essential.

In case you’re running for a long distance, make sure to plan your route around places where you can stop for a restroom. For example, have a route that passes convenience stores with public bathrooms where you can easily pop in if you need to pee.

You can also use an app like SitOrSquat that shows you where the restrooms are along a pre-planned route.

Remember to bring some change with you, as some service stations may require them to use the restroom.

Breathe Properly

Another thing you can do to better manage your toilet stop is to pay attention to how you breathe. Though you might not see the connection, how you breathe while running can impact your pelvic floor muscles.

Breathing is crucial for limiting pressure on the pelvic floor while running.

On the inhale, the muscles of your pelvic floor are pushed downward, and on the exhale, these muscles draw upward.

If you’re breathing inefficiently while running, your pelvic flood muscles might be impaired, weakening them. This, in turn, may contribute to SUI.

To breathe correctly while running, ensure you’re breathing deeply in a relaxed and synchronized manner.

Did you know that diaphragmatic breathing can help with that “gotta go” anxiety feeling that accompanies urinary urgency and incontinence? About 40% of women in the United States experience urinary urgency, the feeling of having to urinate right now, or urinary frequency, having to pee too often. Many also know the angst that accompanies wondering if we’ll make it to the bathroom in time. These are real worries associated with bladder health and create symptoms that affect the quality of people’s lives. In fact, bladder symptoms have been associated with conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Bladder angst has been substantiated in the scientific community. Recent research identifies the influence of stress and psycho-social factors on  the development or exacerbation of bladder symptoms. A study of chronic psychological stress also shows that animals placed in stressful conditions experienced more bladder urgency, frequency and pain.

So what can be done to alleviate symptoms? Breathing!

Behavioral training has been used for overactive bladder syndrome (defined as frequent urination with or without urine leakage) and bladder pain symptoms. This technique focuses on improving voluntary control over bladder symptoms. One important area of control is using the breath. Breath control can be used as a “suppression” technique to gain control over the bladder symptoms of urgency and/or frequency.

There are actually several ways to breathe, but most of us aren’t conscious of the way we breathe, or how it may affect our bladders. Breathing into the belly takes thought and some practice to be tension free and expansive. Belly breathing is known as diaphragm breathing, and it helps decrease stress and anxiety associated with overactive bladder or painful bladder syndromes. Typically, when people are anxious they tend to take rapid, shallow breaths from the chest, and reversing this with belly breathing improves symptoms.

Tension free diaphragmatic breathing affects the autonomic nervous system which works to regulate bodily functions such as the heart rate, respiratory rate, and urination. In addition to reduced urinary urges, diaphragmatic breathing helps with a whole host of other stress-related symptoms and contributes to less angst all around.

Please enjoy and share the free download on how to perform tension free diaphragmatic breathing. Your bladder will thank you.

Wear Black Pants

If you don’t mind sogging yourself but prefer to keep it away from other people, consider wearing black running shorts, leggings, or pants. This simply trick can, at the very least, help you prevent any embarrassing scenarios.

To go the extra mile, consider getting loose-fitting clothing to hide any extra protection you might use to stop leakage while running.

Consult Your Doctor

Research estimates that around d60 percent of people with SUI wait roughly a year or longer before consulting a doctor about stress incontinence.

As a rule, consult a doctor to determine the right treatment and plan for you. The rest is just details. Remember that you might want to use stress incontinence as an excuse to give up on running. However, remember that exercise overall may help your incontinence problem long-term by strengthening pelvic floor muscles.

Depending on the severity of your incontinence and what you can cope with, your physician may suggest any of the following treatment options:

·       Medication. This can help your bladder retain more, improve your ability to empty it, and reduce urgency.

·       A Botox injection into the lining of the bladder to limit the release of chemicals that trigger muscle contractions.

·       Surgery.

Consider Surgery

Most treatment options for SUI are un-invasive and do not involve surgery, but in some cases, non-invasive intervention might not be enough.

The type of surgery you’ll need will depend on the severity of your condition and how much you can handle. Overall most physicians will only recommend surgery for severe conditions.

The two most common types of surgery to help with stress incontinence are tension-free vaginal tape and burch colposuspension.

Other procedures, used less often, include:

·       Sling procedure

·       Bulking agents

·       Anterior vaginal repair

·       Artificial sphincters

Conclusion

There you have it! You have several options for managing and preventing leakage while running. Try following some of the above strategies, and don’t let stress incontinence keep you from logging the miles.

 

Running with a Heart Murmur – The Complete guide

heart murmurs in runners

Runners have great hearts.

I mean, for real. After logging thousands of miles over the years, a runner’s heart might have bigger arteries, more copious coronary capillaries, and more flexible coronary arteries than the average joe.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but running is an excellent cardiovascular exercise. It helps you burn calories, improve endurance, and get in the best shape of your life.

But if you have heart murmurs, high-intensity training can be uncomfortable and maybe dangerous.

So what causes heart murmurs?  are you in danger? That’s where today’s post comes in handy.

In today’s article, I’ll examine whether you should run with a heart murmur and what to do about this cardiovascular condition.

The Anatomy of your Heart

The heart is undoubtedly one of the most important organs in your body.

Made up of chambers and valves, your heart has one of the most important jobs: to keep your blood flowing throughout your body.

The heart has four chambers, two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles). Circulation flows through a valve before leaving each chamber of the heart. These valves function as guards that prevent the backward flow of blood.

Yes, it’s an amazing design.

What Are Heart Murmurs?

Before I get into whether you should run with a heart murmur, let’s first define what a heart murmur is to ensure we’re on the same page.

A heart murmur, in short, is the sound made by turbulent blood flow within your heart. This is often triggered by a change in circulation through one of the heart valves. The murmur can be a rasping, blowing, or whooshing sound during a heartbeat.

In other words, it’s an abnormal noise between heartbeats.

Most heart murmurs are benign—common in children and young adults. But at times, they might indicate serious heart problems (more on later).

So what’s causing the switch in blood flow within the heart valves? And is it a sign of a serious problem in the heart?

Here’s the good news.

Heart murmurs can strike both healthy and sick hearts.  Changes in blood flow are often a normal thing in a normal heart—or what’s known as a benign flow murmur.

In most cases, the change in blood flow within the heart can be caused by fever, stress, anxiety, anemia, or an elevated heart rate after a run. In addition, roughly 10 percent of adults and 30 percent of children experience benign murmurs at some stage.

Benign Vs. Abnormal Heart Murmurs

Heart murmurs can be divided into two kinds:

  • Benign
  • Abnormal

As the name implies, benign murmurs aren’t dangerous.

In some people, benign murmur can be caused by pregnancy, intense exercise, severe anemia, or fever.

If you have a benign heart murmur, you won’t experience any other symptoms.

However, When a serious heart condition causes a heart murmur, you may experience other symptoms such as:

  • Chest pain
  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Fainting
  • Enlarged neck veins
  • Chronic coughing
  • Profuse sweating, especially when you’re done running.
  • Blue skin around the lips and fingertips
  • Cold clammy skin

These symptoms may indicate a serious underlying heart condition that hasn’t been diagnosed.

If you’re coming down with any of these symptoms while running and/or at rest, call 911 immediately. You need to get checked up right away. Don’t dilly-dally.

Heart Murmurs In Runners

In most cases, heart murmurs in runners are of the “innocent” variety. The whooshing sound is blood flowing through a normal, healthy heart.

What’s more?

They might indicate an improved cardiovascular function instead of a dangerous heart abnormality. As you get fitter and stronger—especially aerobically, your heart might adapt by somewhat enlarging. This, in turn, allows moving more blood on each contraction.

What the Latest Research Says About Exercising with a Heart Murmur

Staying active with a heart murmur can be safe and beneficial, but it’s always wise to stay informed on the latest recommendations. Here’s a look at recent studies and expert advice from reputable health organizations on exercising with a heart murmur.

 Exercise is Often Encouraged for Innocent Murmurs

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), those with innocent heart murmurs can typically continue regular physical activity, including running, without any restrictions. In fact, the AHA notes that exercise is beneficial for overall cardiovascular health, helping to maintain heart strength and efficiency. However, it’s still important to check with your doctor to confirm that your murmur is indeed innocent and safe to exercise with.

Abnormal Murmurs May Require More Caution

For runners with abnormal murmurs, guidelines are a bit more cautious. A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology recommends that individuals with certain heart conditions, including some types of abnormal murmurs, undergo thorough medical screening before engaging in high-intensity exercise. This often includes tests like an echocardiogram or stress test to assess heart function under exertion.

When To Consult A Doctor

I hate to sound like a broken record, but most heart murmurs are not a threat unless you experience any abnormal symptoms; consult your doctor immediately.

The examination—preferably by a cardiologist—will likely include an echocardiogram, which examines the function of your heart muscles and valves.

By doing this, they can determine if your heart murmurs are benign or if they do require medical attention.

In some cases, a heart murmur could be a sign of a problem with your heart. This problem can either result from an abnormal function within the heart or a structural abnormality in one of the heart valves or chambers.

For example, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a condition that causes an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, can also result in murmurs. This condition can limit or block blood flow from the heart’s left ventricle to the aorta, your body’s main blood vessel.

For these reasons, and some more,  if you have a heart murmur, it’s key to get to the root of the sound. Is it innocent? Or is it caused by abnormal pathology? It’s always better to safe than sorry, you know.

Additional resource – Prevent Heart Burn In Runners

How To Treat A Heart Murmur

Treating a heart murmur depends on the main cause. Benign heart murmurs don’t require any treatment, but dangerous ones need medical attention ASAP, especially if you have symptoms like those listed below.

  • Shortness of breath
  • Ankle swelling
  • Chest pain
  • Sudden weight gain
  • Fever or night sweats
  • Extreme exhaustion
  • Fainting or dizziness
  • Chronic fatigue

Most of the latter are typically treated with medication. However, serious conditions could require surgery.

Some of the most common medications used for managing and treating abnormal heart murmurs include:

  • ACE inhibitors or Beta Blockers—work great for lowering blood pressure.
  • Statins—work great for managing cholesterol.
  • Aspirin or warfarin is an anticoagulant to help prevent blood clots from forming.

Surgery is needed in extreme cases, especially when medication isn’t enough. For example, if one of your heart valves needs to be replaced or has a hole in your heart, you’ll need surgery.

Running With A Heart Murmur

Getting diagnosed with a heart murmur may scare most people from running.

However, most cases are benign, therefore, shouldn’t prevent you from running. But it’s always recommended to get checked by a cardiologist to ensure you understand the cause of the murmur. Then, once you have your doctor’s green light, go back to training.

As I’ve explained in this article, it’s not always the case, and most runners can keep on training when experiencing heart murmurs.

To err on the side of caution, do the following:

  • Consult your doctor to understand the cause of the murmur
  • Check the history of heart disease in your family
  • Stick to a healthy nutrition plan
  • Get a yearly electrocardiogram or chest X-ray
  • Learn how to train by heart rate zones
  • Run regularly
  • Follow proper recovery practices
  • Listen to your body

Preventative Measures For Running With Heart Murmurs

It’s always better to err on the side of caution. So take the following measures to ensure your cardiovascular health is checked, even if you feel healthy.

  • Look into whether your family has a history of cardiovascular conditions
  • Learn how to monitor your pulse during training for rate and regularity. I’d recommend that you learn how to use heart rate training zones.
  • Get a general annual exam, including a chest X-Ray and an electrocardiogram (ECG).
  • Keep a healthy diet
  • And most importantly, keep running. It does your heart good but doesn’t push yourself too hard.

Risk Factors For Heart Murmurs

You’ll be more prone to heart murmurs if someone in your family has some form of heart problem associated with the unusual sounds.

Some of these conditions include:

  • Endocarditis, which is an infection of the lining of the heart
  • Cardiomyopathy, which is the weakening of the heart muscle
  • Hypereosinophilic syndrome is a blood condition that involves an increased number of certain white cells.
  • Some autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
  • Heart valve diseases
  • Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid.
  • Rheumatic fever
  • Pulmonary hypertension, which is high blood pressure in the lung

Share Your Heart Health Tips!

Managing a heart murmur while staying active can be a unique journey, and every runner’s experience is different. We’d love to hear your stories and any tips you’ve discovered along the way. Whether it’s a pacing strategy, a favorite way to track your heart rate, or advice from your doctor, your insights could be just what another runner needs.

Have You Managed a Heart Murmur While Staying Active?

Jump into the comments and share your experience! 

Calf Strains From Running – Causes, Treatment & Prevention

Wondering how to manage a pulled calf muscle from running? Then you have come to the right place.

Calf pulls in runners are no joke. They can be agonizingly painful and, if left untreated, cause all sorts of issues going forward. But they also respond well to treatment, and there are many measures you can take to reduce your risk of re-injury.

In today’s post, I’ll share a few practical tips to help guide you through the treatment and prevention of calf injury while running.

Although it’s not an in-depth piece about the science of calf pain and rehab, it should give you a clear idea of how to proceed, especially during the early stages of managing a calf tear.

What’s The Calf Muscle?

The calf muscles are a runner’s body’s most important yet neglected areas.

The calf muscles are found in the lower leg behind the shin bone, stretching from the thigh down to the heel. They extend from the knee to the ankle, turning into the Achilles tendon in the lower part of the leg.

The calf muscles comprise two major muscles: the gastrocnemius muscle and the soleus muscle. The gastrocnemius is the largest muscle, forming the visible shape beneath the skin. It’s the more superficial muscle with the soleus, a smaller, flat muscle, sitting beneath it.

There are other muscles found beneath the main calf muscles. These include;

  • Flexor digitorum tongue
  • Tibialis posterior
  • Popltius
  • Flexor hallicus longus

The Functions

Your calf muscles help you point—or what’s known as plantar flexion—your foot downward and help you push off while propelling yourself forward.

Your calf muscles perform quick and large contractions during a run.

Generally, your calf muscle lifts your heels roughly 1400 times every mile, and your shins raise the toes and absorb impact, supporting the arches.

As you pound the pavement, your calf muscles stretch further than when performing other exercises, and the strain and impact on the muscle caused by additional movement can result in a tear.

For this reason, a wide range of issues and conditions, from mild soreness to serious pain and strains, can emerge and hinder performance, especially at the onset of a new training season.

One of the most common injuries that strike the region is ankle pulls.

Calf Strains In Runners Defined

Also known as a calf pull or tear, calf strain occurs when one of the calf muscles is stretched beyond the tissues’ limits, breaking off from the Achilles tendon.

Most calf strains in runners strike in one of the two major muscles of the calf structure—the gastrocnemius or soleus muscles. These two key muscles are from the superficial group of the calf complex.

When a strain happens, muscle fibers are torn to some degree. You might feel or hear a pop in your calf muscle.  Stretching excessively, lack of warm-ups, doing too much hill work, or overtraining in general, can lead to calf pulls.

Pulling a calf muscle while running can cause serious pain and prevent you from logging the miles and doing other exercises. In addition, a severe calf muscle pull can cause partial or complete tears. Surgery is required for treating a torn calf muscle.

Is A Strain The Same Thing As a Sprain

No. Strains affect the muscles, tendons, or tissues that attach muscle to bones.

Conversely, a sprain afflicts the ligaments, the tissues that connect bones or cartilage and keep a joint together.

 Can I Run with A Calf Strain?

I wish I had a universal answer, but I don’t. Running with a calf strain will depend on various variables such as injury severity, pain tolerance, training intensity, and running experience.

Early on, you might have a lot of swelling pain, and you should avoid putting any extra load on the injured limb, especially in mild and severe strains.

During this initial phase, you’re likely to experience more pain, forcing you to stop running.

And the truth, overusing a calf strain can only cause more damage, bleeding, and pain to the muscle. And you don’t want that.

In other words, you’re risking re-injury and longer recovery time than you don’t want at all.

But the good news is that you should be able to return to training sooner or later, even though some reside in pain. Your recovery period depends on many factors, such as the strain’s severity, age, injury history, and overall health.

The Symptoms Of Calf Strains While Running

Telling signs of a calf strain depend on the severity of the injury.

  • First degree—the strain may not manifest symptoms until after running has ceased. You may only feel mild discomfort and tightness when you stretch or contract your muscles.
  • Second degree—you experience immediate pain at a more serious level than grade one. You feel mild discomfort with walking and limited ability to run or jump. You may also have bruising and swelling around the injured area.
  • Third degree—the most serious type. A severe calf strain can leave you feeling excruciating pain whenever you stand on the affected leg. Complete inability to bear weight on the injured limb is the telling sign.

A doctor will use an imaging tool like an ultrasound to determine the severity of the damage. By doing this, they can have a full picture of the soft tissue and examine the extent of the injury.  This, in turn, helps the physician make the right decisions regarding treatment and future prevention.

How To Treat Calf Strains From Running

Now that you understand what calf strains are all about, let’s look at what you can do in ways of treatment.

Proper calf pull treatment usually mirrors that of any muscle strain.

What follows are the steps you need to take to ensure a quick return to running.

The Resting

Your first step is to reduce stress and allow healing.

How long it will take you to bounce back from the injury depends on the severity of the injury.

Take two weeks off running for grade one calf strains, three to six weeks for grade two, and as long as possible for grade three.

That said, let pain guide your level of activity.

Stop running altogether if running causes the symptoms to worsen.

Do not resume running until you’re symptoms- and pain-free when bearing weight on the injured limb.

Apply Ice

Ice the injured limb in the acute phase—usually 48 hours after injury and after exercise.

Cold therapy helps calm the inflammatory response and increases blood flow to the area, which is good if you ask me.

How?

Wrap cold presses in soft clothes and place them on your injured calf for 10 to 15 minutes.

Just don’t fall asleep with the cold wraps on your leg.

Elevate

Propping your leg up to your heart level is another tactic to help decrease swelling and relieve pain.

Aim to rest your affected foot in an elevated position with ice applied for 15 to 20 minutes every three to four hours, if possible.

Take Medication

Is the pain too much to handle?

Then consider taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication.

Unless your doctor instructs you otherwise, you can take either ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain relief.

These strong nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help relieve symptoms and calm inflammation, especially during early onset.

Reduce The Load

The best way to reduce the load on your calf is to reduce or stop running altogether.

Instead, feel free to cross-train, opting for exercises that put minimal to no weight on your calves.

If you decide to keep running anyway, then, at the very least, avoid interval workouts, steep hills, and shoes with an aggressive heel-to-toe drop.

When Should You See A Doctor For A Calf Strain

Although most cases of calf strain don’t require immediate medical attention, you should have your injury examined by a doctor if:

  • You heard a pop to the back of the heel
  • You have serious swelling, bruising, and pain
  • You have needles and pins or tingling in the lower limb following the injury
  • Your pain interferes with your sleep
  • Your injury isn’t getting better despite taking home treatment
  • Your affected leg is red, swelling, throbbing, or hot to touch
  • Your injury is getting worse

 When To Start Running After a Calf Strain

Although I’d love a straight answer for this one, I don’t. It depends on the severity and type of your calf strain and weekly load.

This way, I recommend you consult a medical professional when dealing with calf inky. They’ll assess your case and help you understand your condition’s severity so you can run as fast as possible.

Going back to running after a calf fear can be tricky.

But, when it comes down to it, it can be as simple as just going for a few short runs at an easy pace. But, of course, you should also do dynamic and mobility drills before any intense training.

You can only resume training at the previous level when you no longer feel muscle cramps or pain. Instead of trying to run the same distances/intensities before the injury, break in slowly by running shorter distances at a much slower pace.

Staying active in some form is key for a fast reconvert, whether it’s a light walk around the park or an aqua jogging program to keep you moving strong.

Your doctor can examine the severity of your injury to determine your recovery rate.

  • Grade 1 – Requires one to two weeks to resume some running
  • Grade 2 – Requires two weeks or more to resume some running
  • Grade 3 – Requires three to six weeks to resume some running
  • Grade 4 – Requires two months or longer to resume some running.

Only your physician can determine the severity of your strain. Don’t try to make uninformed decisions—that’s how you risk re-injuring yourself, and you don’t want that.

How to Prevent Calf Strains in Runners

Once you have strained your calf muscle, you stand a great risk of getting another one in the future.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are many things you can do right now to reduce your risk.

Here are a few:

Stretch Your Calves

Once you can put weight on the affected limb pain-free, start with gentle stretching of the calf muscles.

Stretching not only helps you release any build-up tension in the muscle but can also improve stability and mobility in your ankle and knee joints—key for preventing all sorts of lower-body injuries.

As a rule, keep your stretching low to mild intensity; it should never be painful.

Here are a few good stretches for your calf muscles:

Calf Chair stretch

Floor stretch

Wall stretch

Standing Stretch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UTroOUctiI

Warm Up Every time

Another powerful measure is to always start your runs with a proper warm-up.

A proper warm-up increases blood flow to your muscles, making them more elastic and less likely to strain

So what’s the best type of warm-up?

I’d recommend a dynamic warm-up.

Start your run by jogging for 5 minutes and then gradually pick up the pace as your core temperature increases and your muscles warm up.

If you’re gearing up for an interval workout, perform a few dynamic stretches to fire up your muscles before starting the work.

Here’s my favorite routine.

Strength Train

By now, you should know that strength training is a key part of any injury rehab program—calf strains are no exception.

Strengthening your calf is another measure of preventing calf pulls and strains. Building calf strength will improve your muscles’ ability to absorb mechanical stress, making them more resistant to pulls and tears.

Strength also helps move with more efficiency and control, reducing the risk of bad technique, which can lead to injury.

Here are a few exercises for your calf muscles:

Standing Calf Raise

Calf Press

Seated calf raise

Don’t Overtrain

This should go without saying, but I’d like to add it anyway.

You want to improve your running performance, whether losing weight, running a sub-20-minute 5K, or whatever, but that’s no excuse for overdoing it.

Overdoing it leads to many injuries, not just calf strains, period.

Work your way up to more intense training gradually and slowly.

Pay attention to your body when running so you can still train but not overstrain.

Once you want to take your runs to the next level, do your research, consult a coach, and then do so slowly and gradually.

Don’t let your ego stand in the way of your success.

Improve Your Running Form

Another thing you can do is to improve your running technique.

Instead of moving forward, focus on bringing your feet under your center of gravity, and your knees are slightly bent. This is the essence of the midfoot strike. Imagine you’re landing on the rear part of the ball of your foot instead of the toes.

Check the following YouTube Tutorial to help you achieve the optimal foot strike.

What’s more?

Try increasing your cadence by around 4 to 8 steps per minute. By upping your stride turnover per minute, you’ll have to move your legs faster, which cuts the times for excessive knee bend.

This, overall, should reduce the load on your calf muscle. That’s a good thing if you ask me.

Calf Pulls From Running  – The Conclusion

There you have it!

If you’re looking for the best ways to manage calf pulls from running, then today’s post has you covered. The rest is just details.

Please feel free to leave your comments and questions in the section below.

Heel Pain From Running – Causes, Treatment & Prevention

heel pain from running

Would you like to learn how to swiftly manage and stop heel pain from running?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

Heel pain is one of the most common complaints among runners of different fitness levels and backgrounds. These injuries are usually the result of overuse, especially when a sudden change in load level or a biomechanical overload occurs.

Heel pain from running can be annoying, nagging, and troublesome thanks to the complex structure of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves surrounding the area.

This is especially true if you don’t know what’s causing it.

What’s more?

Running through heel pain can lead to further damage and injury, so it’s key to recognize and determine the underlying causes of the aping before resuming training.

In this article, I’ll break down the most likely causes of heel pain from running and provide some treatment and prevention tips for fixing it.

That’s where today’s post comes in handy.

  • What is heel pain from running
  • What causes heel pain after running
  • How to treat heel pain in runners
  • How to prevent heel pain from running
  • And so much more.

By the end of this post, we will understand what heel pain in runners is all about and what to do when treating and preventing it.

What is Heel Pain in Runners

If you’re suffering from heel pain while running, know that there are many measures you can take soothe what’s ailing you.

All runners are prone to heel pain, but some elements make you more likely to experience heel pain after running. Heel pain from running can manifest as a sharp pain in the back of the heel or within the arch of the foot.

Overall, most cases of heel pain in runners are blamed for plantar fasciitis, but their also other conditions that could cause said pain which I’ll look at below.

The Anatomy 

Running takes a toll on your feet, especially your heels, as they are a huge burnt of that force.

Time for anatomy 101.

Here’s the truth.

The human foot is incredibly complex and houses around 25 percent of the bones in the body. In addition, it contains over 30 joints and 100s of ligaments, tendons, and muscles.

The heel bone originates in the Achilles tendon, which attaches your calf to your heel. The anatomy of your fete determines the arches of the feet.

The foot also has three large bones—navicular, cuboid, and cuneiform—found at the balls of the feet.

As you can tell, the toes are also a key anatomical feature of the feet. The toes are made of metatarsals and phalanges. Your muscles, tendons, and ligaments connect these bones to support your body and optimize movement.

As one unit, the arch of the foot and the heel distributes the stresses place dup your foot while walking, run, jump, etc.

Why Does My Heel Hurt When I Run?

There are more than a few reasons your heel might hurt during or after running. You may suffer heel pain if you overuse or damage these structures. It can range from minor pain to a debilitating injury.

The stress placed upon your foot while logging the miles is around 3 to 5 times your body weight. This impact, over the miles, can damage one (or many of) the structure(s) of the foot and lead to pain.

Some cases of heel pain can be so severe that home treatment won’t ease your pain; therefore, you’ll need a doctor to diagnose your case and prescribe treatment options.

Can You Run With Heel Pain?

The answer is it depends. In cases where you don’t have serious pain, nor does running make it worse, you can continue to run.

It’s usually not a good idea to run with severe heel pain. Pushing through can aggravate your symptoms and result in additional injury. In addition, heel pain can become a nagging issue if you’re carless early on.

If you still want to stay active, cross-train by doing low-impact exercises like strength training and swimming.

Once your pain has faded, you can slowly resume your training—as long as you do it slowly and incrementally.

Begin with shorter distances and slowly increase your mileage/intensity over time. This will grant your body enough time to adapt and limit re-injury risk, which is key for optimal training and health.

Causes of Heel Pain From Running

Heel pain from running can be blamed on a few conditions, such as muscular or structural imbalances, plantar fasciitis, improper gait pattern, or even ill-fitting footwear. So yes, you must consider all of this for a thorough diagnosis.

To get an accurate diagnosis, I’d recommend consulting a doctor. They can perform an exhaustive examination to determine the exact cause of your running-induced heel pain. They’ll go through your running experience and history, injury history, range of motion in your lower limbs, running gait analysis, and imaging techniques, such as ultrasound or X-ray imaging.

It’s often the case that a few variables combine to cause discomfort, pain, and other symptoms. For example, you might be more prone to heel pain from running if you’re overweight or have an injury history that impacts your movement and alignment patterns.

Let’s briefly discuss a few of the causes and injuries can affect your heel and cause pain

Plantar Fasciitis

The plantar fascia is a thick and flat band of tissue that stretches along the base of the foot, connecting the heel bone to the toes.

Inflammation of this band of connective tissues on the bottom of the foot is what’s known as plantar fasciitis.

By far, the most common cause of heel pain in runners. This injury is so common in running that it is often referred to as “runner’s heel.”

Achilles Tendonitis

Another common overuse injury that causes heel pain in runners is Achilles Tendonitis.

The Achilles tendon is a fibrous cord that connects the back of the calf muscles to the heel bone.

When dealing with Achilles Tendonitis, this fibrous cord gets damaged and inflamed, especially where the tendon connects to the back of the heel.

Heel Spurs

Heel spurs refer to abnormal bony enlargement that develops around the heel bone where the tendon joins it.

Also known as osteophytes or calcaneal spurs, a heel spur is a bony outgrowth of the heel bone. Although rarely painful, heel spurs can result in some discomfort roughly 5 percent of the time.

This causes damage to the tendon and results in pain when rubbing against shoes.

Occasionally, heel spurs are caused by excessive strain on the foot muscles and ligaments from walking, running, and jumping. In addition, wearing ill-fitted shoes can also lead to heel spurs.

The hallmark of a heel spur is heel swelling and pain at the front of the heel.

Though the condition may not cause pain by itself, it can result in inflammation of the surrounding tissues, causing pain.

Remember that heel spurs have symptoms similar to plantar fasciitis, so they’re often misdiagnosed.

Bursitis

If you feel pain in the center or the back of your heel where the the Achilles tendon inserts into the heel bone, you might be dealing with bursitis.

Bursitis, as the name implies, is an inflammation of the bursae, fluid-filled sacs between your heel bone and Achilles tendon. The bursa protect your bones form sliding or rubbing against muscles, tendons, or skin. They typically act as a lubricant and cushion between your muscles or tendons sliding over the bone.

This condition can impact your ability to move your ankle or foot. The pain is often worse in the center of the back of the heel at the insertion point of the Achilles tendon into the heel.

The overuse of the bursa can cause inflammation, which usually cause shooting or sharp pain, redness or swelling in the affected area.

Heel Fat Pad Syndrome

The heel fat pad is found on the underside of the heel bone, which functions as a cushion for the calcaneus. Excessive pressure on this fat pad while running can result in swelling and pain in the heel. This causes a “thinning” of the fat pad on the heel, leading to heel fat pad syndrome.

You’ll experience most of the pain in the central aspect of the plantar surface of the heel bone. A serious heel fat pad can make walking, running, or performing any weight-bearing movement extremely painful. This condition is also called heel fat pad atrophy or plantar fat pad syndrome.

Structural Problems

Anatomical deficiencies in the foot, especially when combined with improper footwear, bad technique, or overuse, can cause heel pain during and/or after running.

These imbalances can cause—or contribute—to muscle imbalances that strain one or more tendons, leading to irritation and pain over the long run.

For example, if you have high arches, most of the running’s impact might be on the top of the arch.

This can cause excess strain on the plantar fascia.

Additional Resource – Here’s your guide to Anterior Tibial Tendonitis 

Other Causes of Heel Pain In Runners

As far as I can tell, runners’ most common heel pain causes are Plantar fasciitis and Achilles Tendinitis.

Here are more factors that contribute to the onset of heel pain:

  • Being overweight or obese
  • Poor gait mechanics
  • Tight calf muscles that limit the proper range of motion in the ankle joint
  • Stress fractures
  • Nerve irritation
  • Arthritis

Additional resource – Common cause of lower leg pain while running

Heel Pain Risk Factors in Runners

You’re prone to running-induced heel pain if you:

  • Have super tight calves
  • Run on a hard surface
  • Running in ill-fitting or worn-out shoes
  • Increase your training load too fast
  • Are obese
  • Have high arches or flat feet

How To Treat Heel Pain From Running

Home treatment works best if you address the symptoms early, so start managing your pain as soon as you feel ankle pain during or after running.

Here are the steps you need to take to reduce pain, stress, and inflammation.

Stop Running

Your first step should be to stop training and give the affected limb enough rest.

As a rule, rest from running and other weight-bearing movements that cause pain.

Resume training only when your symptoms fade.

To soothe pain and improve your flexibility, perform gentle foot stretches three times daily for at least five minutes each session.

You can turn a temporary annoyance into a chronic condition by skipping rest. Conversely, scaling back on training or stopping altogether can help soothe your pain, inflammation, and stress.

heel pain while running

Ice Therapy

Cold therapy is a convenient and easy way to relieve heel pain by limiting inflammation in the affected area.

Easy.

Put a sports water bottle in the freezer, then roll your arch over it for 15 to 20 minutes every morning.

Try Out Inserts

If shelling money on a new pair of shoes isn’t within reach,  try protecting your feet from additional damage by wearing a set of orthotic inserts.

Also known as insoles or orthotics, inserts can provide extra support and cushion to help soothe your pain and prevent further damage.

Insoles fit inside your running shoes and function as a shock absorber between the base of the feet and the shoe’s base. These inserts may help improve your stability, correct muscle imbalances, and prevent your foot from moving excessively or incorrectly.

You can get over-the-counter (OTC) inserts or have them specifically made for you.

It all depends on your needs and your budget.

Night Splints

If plantar fasciitis is the cause of your heel pain from running. Then try a night splint. This should help keep the foot flexed, which stops the plantar fascia from shortening (the reason for pain on that first step in the morning).

Injections

If pain refuses to fade despite the home treatment, an injection into the bottom of your foot can help to soothe inflammation and pain.

What’s more?

Research has suggested that Botox injection for heel pain, for example, plantar fasciitis, might be even more effective than corticosteroid injections but consult your doctor first about your options.

Additional resource – Knee brace for runners

Always Have Your Shoes On

Avoid going barefoot to prevent further irritation and stress to your heel, especially when recovering from heel pain.

Most experts recommend wearing cushioning footwear for up to 6 weeks.

This is how long it can take for soft tissue injuries to heal.

Have Some Drugs

In cases of stubborn pain, consider taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen and ibuprofen.

Feel free to experiment with natural pain relievers such as turmeric, cloves, and fish oil supplements.

Additional Resource – Your guide to runners itch

Try Shock Wave Therapy

If your heel pain refuses to fade, I urge you to consult a doctor about trying shock wave therapy.

This non-invasive procedure involves a probe that emits a burst of high-energy sound waves into the affected tissues. This tells the brain to start repairing the affected tissues. This, in turn, can sooth pain almost immediately.

Again don’t take my word for it.

This research has found that a single session of shock wave therapy helped with plantar fasciitis treatment and has helped with soothing pain over the long term.

Stretching

Your doctor or podiatrist will prescribe the most appropriate stretches for you to perform as a part of your treatment plan.

You can stretch your calf a few times throughout the day.

I’d recommend using a towel or belt to stretch your calf muscles. Do this first thing in the morning before you get out of bed for 45 to 60 seconds.

Standing Calf Stretch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSxnv6s-dAo

Rolling Stretch

Foot Flexes

Marble Pickups

Just be careful. Aggressive stretching may further irritate or damage injured tissues, so it’s always best to get your doctor’s green light before stretching.

Additional Resource – How To Prevent Ankle Pain For Runners

Stay Active

Consistent physical activity is the ideal natural anti-inflammatory measure you can take, so keep moving even if you find yourself injured.

All in all, choose exercises that cause no to minimum pain in the affected limb.

You’re doing it right as long as it’s a workout routine you love, and it’s not making your symptoms worse.

You have many options, such as pool running, elliptical machines, yoga, cycling, and other low-impact exercises.

It’s really up to you.

Patience is the most important thing to remember when recovering from heel pain.

The rest is just details, as the saying goes.

Additional Resource – Here’s your guide to calf pain while running

When To See a Doctor For Heel Pain

Mild heel pain from running can be treated with home treatments and preventive measures.

Initially, when you have heel pain from running, your first reaction is to wait and see if it improves. But if the pain lingers or worsens, it’s time to consult a doctor.

Most runners may dislike consulting with a physician every time something happens. After all, pain and injury are unavoidable if you run often and hard. However, pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong.

Here’s the truth

If your heel pain from runners worsens despite resting and applying home treatment, book an appointment with a doctor.

You might have injured one of the structures within your foot and ankle that need immediate medical attention.

Red flags that it might be time to see a physician include:

  • Weakness
  • Bruising
  • Heel pain even while resting
  • Fever
  • Inability to wear bear
  • Tingling
  • Limited range of motion in the affected limb
  • Numbness
  • Intolerable pain
  • Severe swelling
  • Heel pain accompanied by numbness or fever

Standard Treatments

To treat your heel pain, your doctor will assess your lower limb and check your medical history. They might also perform X-rays and other imaging modalities. This should help them tell which type of heel pain you suffer.

In some cases, especially if the pain didn’t fade with home treatments, your heel pain might be blamed on underlying medical conditions such as arthritis or diabetes.

Depending on what’s ailing, your doctor may offer different treatment options, including:

  • Physical therapy
  • Orthopedic shoes
  • Athletic wrap
  • Injections such as cortisone
  • Wound care
  • Shockwave therapy

Heel pain from running – The Conclusion

There you have it!

The above tips cover some of the best guidelines for treating and preventing heel pain from running.

Please feel free to leave your comments and questions in the section below.

In the meantime, thank you for dropping by.

Keep Running Strong

David D.