5 Important Tips to Help You Run Pain-Free

5 Important Tips to Help You Run Pain-FreeA few weeks ago, I was working with a female runner who asked me, “Will I ever run pain-free again?”

This is a question that I receive regularly, and one which I have to admit having a really tough time answering.

Pain is a part of the running experience, there is absolutely no doubt about it. The best — and possibly the only — way to mitigate your risk of a running-related injury is to stop running. I’m not saying this because I don’t believe that you can run pain-free. I’m saying it because I believe in transparency and it doesn’t make sense for me to lie to you.

So what did I say to that runner? I turned to her and said, “There is pain, and then there is suffering, I’m OK with a little bit of pain; it’s when the joy of the activity is lost that we might want to course correct.”

This can be a very difficult thing to understand — in your body and in your mind — when you are scared about what you’re feeling, fearful of the future, or simply uncertain about how to proceed. Below are five important things I usually recommend to runners to help them run pain free:

  • Reduce pain with running.
  • Foster a sense of hope.
  • Increase their resiliency.

    1. Prioritize Training Consistency

    One of the best strategies to reduce pain with running — believe it or not — is to run more frequently.

    2. Increase Your Step Rate

    This is an important window of opportunity to help reduce running-related pain.

    3. Strength Train

    Strength training is an underutilized golden nugget for runners. An appropriately loaded strength training routine goes a long way to support a runner’s quest to feel strong and healthy while running.

    4. Sleep and Recover Adequately

    I cannot emphasize this enough: your sleep and recovery are vital to your training success and pain reduction. If you aren’t sleeping enough, you better believe that you’ll have a harder time feeling good as a runner.

    5. See Yourself as the Badass Runner You Are

    Finally, the last thing that I’m going to include here, is that you absolutely need to believe in yourself and in your body’s ability to adapt.

    To learn more on how to run pain free click on the link below.