Injury is the bane of all runners. Talk to anyone who has been running for awhile and they will tell you about the time they sprained their ankle, had runners knee or pulled a muscle, IT band, etc. Everyone has their stories (and their favourite go-to icepack)! But if you are an overweight runner you need to be even more aware of potential injury, and when to stop.
Running can be hard on the muscles and joints. Carrying extra weight puts on even more pressure. This does not mean that if you carry extra weight you can not or should not run. You just need to be aware of your body and make sure you give it the attention it deserves. When you are out for a run pay attention to how your body feels. Are your muscles comfortably fatigued or sore after a run? Or are you experiencing what can be described as a “bad” pain. You know your body better than anyone and paying attention to how you feel while exercising can help identify potential issues before they become a problem.
I am by no means a medical expert and cannot stress enough that if you have any health concerns related to running you should check with your doctor before you start.
My Injury Story (DON'T do what I did!)
As a long time runner I definitely have experienced the “pushing through pain” injury denial! When I first caught the running bug I was determined to train hard and push towards all of my running goals. I had successfully completed several shorter runs (between 5k and 10k) and had recently finished my first half-marathon. To say I was on top of the world was an understatement. I couldn’t wait to start training for my first marathon.
I studied many marathon training plans and consulted with my trainer, Devin, to craft a plan to work for me and the way that I love to run. I had a mix of long run days, short run days, sprints and hills. I enthusiastically dove in and dutifully worked the plan.
As my distance increased I started to notice a pain on the outside of my knee. I figured I had strained it slightly on a hill run and that it would go away. I kept running and working my plan. Over the next several weeks the pain got worse and worse. I stretched, I iced, I did some research on runners knee and IT Band syndrome. What I did NOT do was stop running. I figured I could do all of the exercises, ice and take care of it and eventually it would just resolve. I was wrong.
One day I was out for my long run and approximately 8km in. The pain got so bad that I literally stopped in my tracks on the path and yelled out a word I cannot type here! I was done. There was no way I could continue my run. So I turned around and tried to carefully walk/run my way back home (more walking than running). I had no choice to but admit that I needed to take a break.
I stopped running and consulted with Devin again on an injury rehab program. We worked on some exercises and stretches to help strengthen my knee and my posture to prevent the injury from reoccuring and while doing so I stopped running to let me knee heal. Unfortunately because I had left it so long what could have been a relatively short recovery ended up being over a month of not being able to run. Running was my happy place and it physically hurt to see others out enjoying their runs while I was on the injured list! Eventually my knee DID heal and I was able to resume running – armed with the knowledge of how to prevent the injury in the future and having learned a valuable lesson. You are not doing yourself any favours by trying to push through the pain. Had I recognized this sooner I could have saved myself a lot of pain and grief!
My advice to you when it comes to starting or continuing a running program is listen to your body! If you hurt, stop. Take a break when you need it and if you need to take a couple of steps back in your program in order to stay injury free it is WELL worth it. In the long run you will make more progress by approaching your progress carefully than you will if you try to ignore and push through an injury.
Happy running and take care of yourself!
