4 ms·

When I started running longer distances to train for marathons, I ran into lots of other runners that iced after running say 10 miles. I did this too, but as ti

by todd8 4y ago

When I started running longer distances to train for marathons, I ran into lots of other runners that iced after running say 10 miles. I did this too, but as time passed I got too lazy to pack up some ice to use at the end of long runs because these were always scheduled in the very early mornings at sometimes distant but interesting locations. What I discovered was that cold did feel good and did alleviate some of the discomfort from running, but for overuse induced discomfort it wasn't overall helpful to me. Now a bit off-topic to explain what did help me with overlong runs: What helped me the most for the wear and tear caused by long runs was getting the right shoes: some would make the lateral (furthest from the midline of my body) sides of my knees hurt, some would make the medial (closest to midline) sides of my knees hurt and when I found the right ones my knees didn't hurt. Shoes without enough padding under the ball of my foot also ended up causing me more pain than shoes with more padding. I always alternated my runs between shoes from two different manufacturers because I found that the slight differences in the ways the shoes flexed prevented overuse injuries from running in the same shoes each day. Finally, for some reason I would curl my toes down as I got tired and bruise a couple of my toenails. I fixed this with little soft silicon toe sleeves that I could pick up at the pharmacy.

SaberTail 4y ago
I'm also a distance runner and I've never iced after running. Foam rolling and massaging seem to work much better for me. And +1 on the shoes thing. I do the alternating shoes thing, as well. And I can tell when a pair is wearing out because I start to get little pains that grow until I replace the shoes. Some of my full-blown, need-to-take-time-off injuries have been from running in worn out shoes. Usually they wear out after 300-500 miles. I'll have to check out the toe sleeves. Thanks for the tip.
- isk517 4y ago
  Its funny but the most useful feature that my GPS running watch provides me is a warning that my shoes have more than 300 miles on them. Known that information and then switching out right away helps avoid so much injury.
- theonething 4y ago
  > pair is wearing out because I start to get little pains that grow until I replace the shoes I experience this too and wasn't sure if it was my imagination or truly indicative that I need to replace them. Your comment helps to assure me it's the latter case.
ericmcer 4y ago
This is a good example of how there isn’t really a cutesy acronym that will fix your injuries. Your body is yours and figuring out what works for you is part of the process of health. I have been climbing for years and what prevents injuries and aids recovery is a constant game with ever changing rules, so you have to enjoy the ups and downs.
- urthor 4y ago
  I disagree, but only slightly. The advice about rotating shoes to prevent overuse injuries, paying attention to stress bottlenecks is general. Bodies differ in certain ways, but I've heard the same story as the shoes from many intensive exercisers. That I've never heard from a physician. Listen to your body. If it hurts, and it's not muscle burn, it's tendon/ligament/worse. Muscle burn is very obviously different to actual pain. Just stop. Change your posture so that part of your body isn't stressed, and the actual pain goes away. If you can't make actual pain stop hurting, take an extended break by cross training. Don't go home for the day. Always keep your exercise routine constant, but absolutely vary it to include "low stress" fallback options for tendon/ligament strain (pushups or own bodyweight, exercise bike, swimming). If the same part hurts again next time, you likely have a "weak" point. You will need to gradually increase intensity until the "weak" point isn't a bottleneck. Gradually means 10% intensity growth per weak maximum, and not pushing through actual pain. All of the above is really simple. The question is, why isn't what "actually works" the cutesy acronym?
sizzle 4y ago
Are you worried about wearing out cartilage in your knees?
- ultrarunner 4y ago
  This is a myth https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27333572/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27333572/

by todd8 4y ago

SaberTail 4y ago

I'm also a distance runner and I've never iced after running. Foam rolling and massaging seem to work much better for me. And +1 on the shoes thing. I do the alternating shoes thing, as well. And I can tell when a pair is wearing out because I start to get little pains that grow until I replace the shoes. Some of my full-blown, need-to-take-time-off injuries have been from running in worn out shoes. Usually they wear out after 300-500 miles. I'll have to check out the toe sleeves. Thanks for the tip.

isk517 4y ago
Its funny but the most useful feature that my GPS running watch provides me is a warning that my shoes have more than 300 miles on them. Known that information and then switching out right away helps avoid so much injury.
theonething 4y ago
> pair is wearing out because I start to get little pains that grow until I replace the shoes I experience this too and wasn't sure if it was my imagination or truly indicative that I need to replace them. Your comment helps to assure me it's the latter case.

ericmcer 4y ago

This is a good example of how there isn’t really a cutesy acronym that will fix your injuries. Your body is yours and figuring out what works for you is part of the process of health. I have been climbing for years and what prevents injuries and aids recovery is a constant game with ever changing rules, so you have to enjoy the ups and downs.

urthor 4y ago
I disagree, but only slightly. The advice about rotating shoes to prevent overuse injuries, paying attention to stress bottlenecks is general. Bodies differ in certain ways, but I've heard the same story as the shoes from many intensive exercisers. That I've never heard from a physician. Listen to your body. If it hurts, and it's not muscle burn, it's tendon/ligament/worse. Muscle burn is very obviously different to actual pain. Just stop. Change your posture so that part of your body isn't stressed, and the actual pain goes away. If you can't make actual pain stop hurting, take an extended break by cross training. Don't go home for the day. Always keep your exercise routine constant, but absolutely vary it to include "low stress" fallback options for tendon/ligament strain (pushups or own bodyweight, exercise bike, swimming). If the same part hurts again next time, you likely have a "weak" point. You will need to gradually increase intensity until the "weak" point isn't a bottleneck. Gradually means 10% intensity growth per weak maximum, and not pushing through actual pain. All of the above is really simple. The question is, why isn't what "actually works" the cutesy acronym?

sizzle 4y ago

Are you worried about wearing out cartilage in your knees?

ultrarunner 4y ago
This is a myth https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27333572/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27333572/