Never Run When In Pain

What could be the worst thing that could happen to a runner? Not that he or she failed to accomplish a target goal, but not having that precious chance to ever accomplish that goal in the first place. Running injuries come to mind. For a runner, that possibility could be very scary. You feel pain. You won't be able to run. Nightmare!

After a strong 35Km long run last Sunday where I finished in 3 hours and 27 minutes. I felt the usual muscle pains on my calves. No worries, I am already used to it and knows it will go away after a day or two after rest and recovery. The nipples were free of chafing thanks to the tape I used. Prevention is a lot better than cure.

What really bothers me are the pains I feel on my left foot, around the middle part on top of the foot and on the lower left part of my left knee. I immediately searched for the probable injuries I might have suffered. What did I do wrong?

• Violated the much safer 10% limit on weekly mileage increase. From 43Km of weekly mileage last week, I did 53Km this week (23% increase). From 27km long run last week, I did 35km this Sunday (30% increase).
• I thought I could run 35Km. I did!, but my body might have been a little overwhelmed by the sudden increase in mileage.
  

The potential injuries? 

• Tarsal Navicular Stress Fracture  Stress fractures are very small, incomplete breaks or cracks in a bone. Runner's most often get stress fractures in their feet.
  Stress fractures are caused by continuous stress on bones that become overworked. Common running errors such as building mileage too quickly, wearing shoes without enough cushioning, and running too much on hard, non-forgiving surfaces are common contributors to a stress fracture running injury.
  
  The treatment for a stress fracture injury is to stop running. Continuing to run will make the injury worse and could result in a complete break. If you know you have a stress fracture, take two weeks off from running while severely limiting other weight-bearing activities. If you have pain after you restart running, stop and see your physician. [Source URL] 

• Runner's Knee Runner's Knee or Chondromalacia is a softening, wearing away, or cracking of the cartilage under the kneecap. This softening and inflammation prevents the kneecap from riding smoothly over the knee. Pain typically occurs around or behind the kneecap and worsens when sitting with legs bent for a long period of time or climbing stairs.Runner’s knee is caused by several factors, including a high quadriceps angle, wide hips (female runners), and pronation of the feet. Most often, week quadriceps muscles will be the problem, as they do not absorb a sufficient amount of the impact or running, passing down the impact onto the knees.
  
  Common Runner's knee treatments include icing the area around the knee, using running shoes with better motion control, utilizing orthotics, and avoiding anything that requires the knee to stabilize itself (such as running on uneven surfaces, steep downhills and tight turns). [Source URL] 

Prevention might have been a little too late at this point in time. So I have to observe these injured areas, be extra careful, rest and hope for them to go away. The pains I feel right now might not be serious after all. I certainly hope they are nowhere near the serious injuries described above. From the same Source URL where I quoted the above potential injuries, I found these preventive measures:

Pay Attention to Injury Warning Signs
If you think you might be injured, immediately begin preventative measures in order to keep damage to a minimum and to speed your full recovery. Depending on the type of injury, this could mean using the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) method to enhance recovery, taking anti-inflamatory medication (aspirin, ibuprofen), and taking a day or two off of running to allow the injury to heal. Secondary running injuries often occur by continuing to run through pain, favoring the injured area, and thereby changing your natural running style.

Only Run Miles Needed to Meet Your Goals
Accumulating additional Junk miles is a sure way to cause a body to break down and for running injuries to occur. Run only the miles you need to meet your goals. Following the mantra, more must be better will lead to injury.

Make Use of Recovery Techniques
Take time to take care of yourself. Common recovery techniques can help you avoid running injuries. Some ideas for recovery from stressful runs and the cumulative effects of hard training include getting a massage, pouring cold water on tired legs after a long run or race, soaking your legs in a warm water whirlpool (wait two hours after a race or long run), going for a walk or taking an easy bike ride.

No need to be too stubborn now, must rest and recover and pay attention to these potential injuries. The 12 kilometer easy run for Tuesday should be changed, sadly, to a rest and recovery day. I have iced the left foot and the left knee. I also massaged them with an Omega pain killer to relieve the pain. Thankfully, the left foot feels perfectly fine as of Tuesday morning. The left knee is still a little sore though. No running for now unless the pains go away. Remember, Never Ever Run When In Pain. We don't want further injuries, especially with the Race for LIFE 5K just 5 days away and the full marathon coming up.