Marathon Training Injury in San Diego: What to Do When Running Starts to Hurt

If you’re training for a marathon in San Diego, you probably know that feeling.

You’ve been following your training plan, getting your long runs in, slowly building your mileage, and then something starts to hurt.

Maybe it’s your knee.

Maybe it’s your hip.

Maybe your Achilles is talking to you every time you run.

Or maybe it’s a little ache that you’ve been hoping will just go away.

And now you’re wondering:

Do I need to stop running? Do I need to rest? Can I keep training? And how do I fix this before it turns into a bigger injury?

As physical therapists who work with active adults and runners, this is something we see all the time.

The good news is that pain during marathon training doesn't automatically mean you have to stop running. In many cases, the key is figuring out why the pain is happening in the first place.

Why Marathon Training Can Lead to Injury

Marathon training is a lot of stress on your body.

That doesn't mean running is bad for you. In fact, your body is incredibly good at adapting to the demands you place on it.

The problem usually occurs when the demands of training start to exceed your body's current ability to handle them.

This can happen when:

• You increase your mileage too quickly

• Your long runs become significantly longer

• You add speed work or hills

• You don't have enough recovery between training sessions

• Strength deficits develop or become more noticeable as mileage increases

• Your running mechanics change as you fatigue

• You're continuing to train through an issue that your body hasn't been able to resolve

And here's the important part:

The place that hurts isn't always the place where the problem started.

Your knee might hurt because of what's happening at your hip or ankle.

Your Achilles might be getting overloaded because of how you're moving through your foot and calf.

Your hip might be taking more stress because of what's happening somewhere else in your kinetic chain.

That's why simply treating the painful area isn't always enough.

Don't Just Treat the Body Part That Hurts

One of the biggest differences in the way we approach running injuries at Advanced Physical Therapy is that we don't want to look at your knee, hip, foot, or Achilles in isolation.

We want to understand how your entire body is moving.

When a runner comes in with knee pain, for example, we aren't only evaluating the knee.

We're looking at things like:

• Strength

• Mobility

• Balance

• Stability

• Joint movement

• Running mechanics

• How different parts of the body work together

• How your body responds as you fatigue

• Your training load and recent changes in activity

This is similar to how we approach our TBD (To Be Determined) evaluations.

Rather than assuming we already know what's wrong because you have pain in one particular location, we take a step back and ask:

What is actually holding you back?

Sometimes the answer is exactly where you thought it was.

Sometimes it isn't.

And that's the part we want to figure out.

What Is a RUN-EASI Running Assessment?

If you're a runner dealing with an injury, or you're increasing your mileage for an upcoming marathon, we can take that evaluation one step further with a RUN-EASI assessment.

RUN-EASI gives us objective information about how your body is handling the demands of running.

Using a small sensor worn around your waist while you run on a treadmill, we can collect information about things such as impact loading, dynamic stability, symmetry, ground contact, flight time, and cadence.

That data gives us another piece of the puzzle.

But the technology isn't the assessment by itself.

The value comes from combining objective running data with the clinical expertise of a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

We can look at what the data is telling us, combine it with what we're seeing during your movement evaluation, and then determine what may be contributing to your symptoms.

Most importantly, that information can help us develop a plan that is specific to you and your running.

What If I Have a Marathon Coming Up?

This is where timing matters.

If your marathon is six months away, we may approach your injury very differently than if your race is six weeks, or six days, away.

Our goal isn't automatically to tell you to stop running until your marathon is over.

Instead, we want to determine what your body can safely handle right now and what needs to change so you can continue progressing toward your goals.

That might mean modifying your training temporarily.

It might mean addressing a strength or mobility limitation.

It might mean changing how you're loading your body.

It might mean adding specific exercises to your training plan.

And sometimes, yes, a temporary reduction in running is the right answer.

But rest shouldn't be the only tool in your toolbox.

You Don't Have to Wait Until You're Injured

A running assessment isn't only useful when something hurts.

In fact, one of our favorite times to work with runners is before they get injured.

If you're increasing your mileage, training for your first marathon, coming back from an injury, or simply want to know how your body is handling your current training load, a RUN-EASI assessment can give you valuable information about your running.

Think of it as making sure your body is ready for what you're asking it to do.

Because your marathon training plan doesn't know how your body is moving.

We do.

And that's important when your goal isn't just to cross the finish line, but to keep running long after race day.

Marathon Training Shouldn't Mean Putting Your Life on Hold

We work with runners who don't want to choose between staying active and taking care of their bodies.

You shouldn't have to give up running every time something hurts.

And you shouldn't have to accept that pain is just part of getting older or training harder.

Whether you're training for a marathon in San Diego, getting back into running after a break, or simply want to keep running for years to come, our goal is the same:

Figure out what's holding you back, address the underlying problem, and help you keep doing the things you love.

Because physical therapy isn't just about getting you out of pain.

It's about helping you stay active for life.

Experiencing a Marathon Training Injury in San Diego?

If you're training for a marathon and something doesn't feel right, don't wait until a small problem becomes a big one.

At Advanced Physical Therapy, we take a full-body approach to evaluating runners and can use a RUN-EASI running assessment to better understand how your body is handling the demands of running.

Your pain may be coming from somewhere other than where it hurts. Let's figure out what's really going on.