Fall is one of the best times to run.
Cooler mornings, less humidity and race calendars packed with 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons and marathons make September and October prime running season. But if you’ve been training all summer, this is also the point when the kilometres are adding up — and your body may be starting to notice.
A little muscle fatigue after a long run? Pretty normal.
A nagging ache that shows up earlier every time you run? That may deserve a little more attention.
Whether you’re preparing for your first race or you’ve been running for years, getting to the start line feeling good is just as important as putting in the kilometres.
Soreness vs. Pain: Know the Difference
Running places repetitive load through your muscles, joints and connective tissues. As you gradually increase your distance or intensity, some muscle soreness and fatigue can be expected. What’s more important is noticing when something isn’t settling between runs.
Pay attention to discomfort that:
- Gets progressively worse as you run
- Starts showing up earlier in each run
- Changes the way you walk or run
- Feels sharp or very localized rather than like general muscle fatigue
- Continues to bother you during everyday activities
- Isn’t improving with appropriate rest and recovery
Not every ache means you have an injury, but repeatedly ignoring something that’s getting worse isn’t a great training strategy either.
Don’t Let Race Day Rush Your Training
When the race is six or eight weeks away, it can be tempting to cram in the kilometres you think you’ve missed. Your body doesn’t really care what your training calendar says. Increasing distance, speed, hills and training frequency all at once can be a lot for your body to adapt to. A gradual progression gives your muscles and joints time to adjust to the demands you’re placing on them.
If you’ve missed some training, resist the urge to make up every kilometre. Consistency usually matters more than one massive week.
Recovery Is Part of Training
Rest days aren’t lost training days. They’re when your body has an opportunity to recover from the work you’ve already done. Sleep, hydration, nutrition and adequate recovery between harder workouts all matter — particularly as your weekly mileage climbs.
It’s also worth paying attention to what you’re doing outside of running. Long workdays, poor sleep, other sports and everyday stress all contribute to the overall load your body is managing. Sometimes the answer to heavy legs isn’t another workout. It’s recovery.
Don’t Forget About Strength
Running makes you better at running, but strength training can help prepare your body for the repetitive demands that come with it. Strength through the hips, glutes, legs and core can all play a role in supporting your running. And it doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the gym. A simple, consistent strength routine that complements your running schedule can be far more useful than suddenly adding an intense new workout because race day is approaching.
Where Can Hands-On Treatment Fit Into Your Training?
You don’t need to wait until something hurts to take care of your body. Some runners incorporate manual therapy throughout their training cycle to help manage muscle tension, stiffness and the general effects of increased training volume. Others seek treatment when something starts feeling different or begins interfering with their running.
Massage Therapy
Registered Massage Therapy can be a great addition to a runner’s recovery routine. Depending on what you’re experiencing, treatment may focus on areas such as the calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips or low back — but your RMT will assess what’s going on rather than simply treating whichever muscle feels tight that day. Massage can also be adjusted depending on where you are in your training. The treatment you want after a heavy training week may be very different from what feels appropriate a few days before your race. And deeper isn’t always better. Treatment should match what your body needs, your goals and where you are in your training cycle.
Osteopathy
If you’re experiencing stiffness, restricted movement or a recurring issue that doesn’t seem to be isolated to one particular muscle, osteopathic treatment may offer another approach. Osteopathic practitioners look at how different areas of the body move and function together. For a runner with recurring hip or knee discomfort, for example, an osteopathic assessment may also consider movement through the pelvis, spine, ankle or other related areas rather than looking only at the place where symptoms are being felt.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care can also be helpful for runners experiencing musculoskeletal pain, joint stiffness or restrictions in movement. And chiropractic treatment doesn’t necessarily mean adjustments. Think mobility, gait, fascial restriction and managing discomfort while getting the body functioning teh way its supposed to.
Depending on the practitioner and what your assessment identifies, care may incorporate different forms of manual therapy, mobility work, exercise and strategies to help you continue moving comfortably.
What About Treatment Right Before Your Race?
Race week isn’t usually the time to experiment. If massage or another form of manual therapy is already part of your regular routine and you know how your body responds, treatment may fit well into your race-week plan. But if you’ve never had a particular treatment before, the day before your big race probably isn’t the ideal time to book an aggressive session.
As race day gets closer, the goal is generally to keep your body comfortable and moving well — not to make dramatic changes at the last minute.
Pay Attention to the Small Stuff
That little bit of discomfort in the calf that appears at kilometre eight?
The hip that feels fine for the first half of your run but starts complaining toward the end?
The low-back stiffness that seems to take longer to settle after every long run?
Those are worth paying attention to.
Addressing something early doesn’t necessarily mean stopping your training. Sometimes it means treatment. Sometimes it means modifying your training temporarily. And sometimes your body simply needs a little more recovery. What you don’t want is to ignore a progressively worsening problem until it makes the decision for you.
Training for a Fall Race in the Burlington area?
Whether you’re working toward your first 5K, a half marathon, a marathon or simply enjoying the cooler fall running weather, take care of the body that’s getting you there.
At Thrive Massage Therapy & Wellness in Burlington, our Registered Massage Therapists, Osteopathic Practitioners and Chiropractor all work with active individuals to help manage muscle tension, stiffness, discomfort and the physical demands that come with training.
Because crossing the finish line is great. Getting there feeling good is even better!
New patients are welcome! Online booking available – call for initial Chiropractic Care.