Running a marathon while injured?

It is very hard to advise without knowing the degree of pain,and that can be subjective if you have not been checked medically.

However,you sound as if you want someone to tell you to run.

My suggestion would be to rest completely from now till race start,line up,start EASY and see how you go.

Use your common sense,drop out if you find the particular pain returns in the first 5-10K or so and worsens.

Stop thinking about qualifying times,you may have to leave that for another day.

Good luck

RUN!!!!!!!!! Just plan on taking 6-8 weeks off after the race. It may or may not affect your race depending on what it is.

I ran a marathon a few years ago with a stress fracture and inflamed ITband from a marathon I did 3 weeks before. My foot swelled up and I could hardly bend my knee for a few days, but I even through in an 8k race the following week before I took the 8 weeks off. Six weeks after the break, I was running faster than the year before and set prs at every distance the following summer.

Most people get injured from either the marathon or the training leading up to it so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

If this was a midseason shorter race the advice would be different.

Did it. Been there. Done that.

I regeret it. The worst marathon I ever finished - didn't run the whole way, but finished.

Very stupid.

I ran a 100-miler with an injured hip, and I'm still paying for it nearly two months later. But, it was worth it. Good luck.

the first reply is the answer...should be common sense. line up, start running, and if you start to feel a lot of pain, then stop. obviously it can sometimes be harder to stop than to never start, but that's a call you need to make.

Go for it. If it gets to be bad enough that you are doing serious damage your body will tell you and then you'll have to stop.

But be prepared to stop and give it all up. Don't be foolish and continue to run through it.

My response would depend on the type of injury you have. Shin splints, I would say to go for it. Stress fracture - no way. I have seen 2 girls break their legs by running on stress fractures at track meets. You likely wouldn't have lasting damage from a broken leg once it heals, but that means zero running for months and dr bills and the possibility of not finishing the race if it breaks during it. Is there any way you can squeeze in for an x-ray to rule that out? That is what I would recommend.

That being said, I developed bursitis in my knee 2 weeks prior to the Boston Marathon and couldn't run because the pain was so severe. I had a cortisone shot 5 days prior to the race and had no pain by race day. However, during the race my other knee starting hurting and was killing by the end of the race (due to compensating for my injury the prior 2 weeks I'm sure). I developed tendinitis in that knee and by the time that healed (about a month later), my cortisone shot had worn off and I was left with my initial bursitis pain, but now with the added stress of having run 26 miles on it while it was "numb." That was 4/08. I can still feel that my knee "isn't right," but it no longer prevents me from running. I starting running again 8/08 and struggled off and on with the pain until this spring when I could finally build a base and know it wasn't going to worsen. Would I do it all over again? That's a tough question. Now that I'm back running I say yes, but that year of healing was one of the most frustrating depressing stretches I had to endure.

If the leg feels OK before the race then go for it, don't go in hurting though.

If it starts to hurt badly enough to affect your stride then drop out. Pushing on is a very easy way to do serious damage to yourself. I had a stress reaction in my hip before a half once. I didn't know what it was at the time and thought it was a minor hip flexor strain. Long story short I ran, it got progressively worse but I kept pushing and finally limped the last two miles in. Couldn't walk without crutches for a couple weeks after the endorphins wore off. I had turned it into a full blown stress fracture and it took almost 4 months fully off running to heal. Probably 2.5 months of that time I was in pain every step I took. It was definitely not worth it to finish the race. After recovering it took me another 2 months to get back to 40mpw so by the time I was fully back to the same pre stress fracture shape it had been almost 9 months.

I just had the same stress reaction but this time didn't try to run through the pain, instead I took a few weeks off and I'm already back running and haven't lost much fitness.

Don't run it. I've never understood what the big whoop is about running Boston and I've run it 3 times. There are plenty of other marathons around and they are all 26.2 miles.

You have underestimated the difficulty of running a marathon. You should not go into a marathon in anything other than tip top shape and injury free. Its probably the most demanding and grueling event in all sports and not to be taken lightly.

Obviously, you need to see an MD ASAP. If its nothing serious, you can probably keep training at a low level until you feel 100% but I wouldnt race, do speed work or run hills at least until an MD and your own sense of your body gives you the green light.

"Its probably the most demanding and grueling event in all sports and not to be taken lightly."

Surely, you jest.

You are the only good judge of what kind of pain this is and how severe it is. If you honestly feel like this is a serious injury or would cause a serious injury during the race, then don't run on it. Missing a race you are trained for sucks big time. The only thing that sucks worse is being so injured that you can't run at all and have to get surgery.

Having said that, this sounds like a really recent, taper time injury, unless there is more to the history than you gave. Of the 12 marathons I have run, I would say I have developed phantom race week pains for about a third of them. I have taken time off since it is right before the race and then somehow feel nothing once the gun goes off.

Good luck.

Thanks for all of the advice everybody! I can't not show up to the starting line, that is just the competitor in me. No pain today, it may very well be mind over matter in that I've never really had an injury before. I think the best plan is to get there and take it out easy and see how it goes...I will certainly post my result!

pharma wrote:

"Its probably the most demanding and grueling event in all sports and not to be taken lightly."

Surely, you jest.

I do not jest and dont call me Shirley!!!

Well, I went for it. I was planning on running 7:00 miles but as a first-time marathoner I got roped into a faster pace than I would have liked...actually came through mile 10 in a PR. I was all set until about mile 21 when I was forced to "waddle" the last 6 miles in...but I still got my 3:02 and am headed to Boston!

Thanks everybody for the helpful advice, you guys definitely helped put my mind at ease!

Well done,young fella.