Running Through Pain 5 Things Every Edmonton Runner Should Know Before Their Next Race
By Dr. Joshua Konu, DC, MSc Sports Medicine | Founder & Clinical Director, Invicta Performance
Pain has a way of changing the tone of a run.
One week, you feel strong on your usual route through the river valley. The next, your knee starts to ache at kilometre four. Your Achilles feels stiff when you get out of bed. Your foot warms up during the run, then throbs later that evening.
I recently had the opportunity to participate in the 2026 CIBC Run for the Cure, an incredible event that brings our community together in support of those affected by breast cancer. As someone who works in sports medicine and genuinely enjoys running, events like this are a clear reminder of why movement matters.
Running is about more than pace, distance, or personal records. It challenges us. It connects us. It gives us a way to celebrate what our bodies can do.
But there is another side of running that deserves attention: what happens when pain starts interfering with your progress?
Whether you are preparing for your first 5K, building toward a 10K, or training for a marathon, understanding how your body responds to running can make a meaningful difference in your performance and recovery.
Here are five things I want every Edmonton runner to know before their next race.
1. Not every running injury starts with an injury
One of the biggest misconceptions about running injuries is that something must have gone wrong during a specific run.
In reality, many running-related problems develop gradually.
Maybe you increased your mileage too quickly. Maybe you added hills, speed work, or back-to-back long runs. Maybe you kept your usual training schedule even while sleep, nutrition, work stress, or recovery started to slip.
Your body responds to the demands you place on it. When those demands increase faster than your tissues can adapt, discomfort can develop.
Common running-related conditions include:
Patellofemoral pain, often called runner’s knee
Achilles tendinopathy
Plantar heel pain
Iliotibial band-related pain
Shin pain and bone stress injuries
Hip and lower back discomfort
These problems do not always come from one dramatic moment. More often, they build in the background.
A runner might feel fine during a few harder weeks of training, then notice pain after a long run. Another runner might handle distance well on flat ground, then flare up after adding hill repeats in the river valley. Someone else may return to running after time away and expect their body to tolerate the same volume as before.
That gap between what you want to do and what your body is ready to handle is where many injuries begin.
My advice: do not focus only on where it hurts. Ask what has changed.
Consider:
Training volume
Running intensity
Hill exposure
Footwear
Sleep quality
Strength training
Workload and life stress
Recovery days
Recent illness or time away from running
The painful area matters, but the story around the pain matters too.
2. Pain is information, not an automatic stop sign
Pain can be frustrating, especially when you are training for a race. It can also feel confusing. Some discomfort fades as you warm up. Some pain appears only after a run. Some symptoms feel minor until they suddenly do not.
Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something needs attention. That does not always mean you need complete rest. It also does not mean you should ignore it and push through.
The key is learning how to interpret the message.
A mild, short-lived ache that settles quickly and does not change your stride may be manageable. A sharp pain, worsening pain, limping, swelling, or pain that lingers into the next day deserves more caution.
Use this simple guide:
Pain pattern | What it may suggest |
Mild discomfort that stays stable and settles after the run | Monitor it and reduce load if needed |
Pain that increases as you run | Stop or shorten the session |
Pain that changes your stride | Stop and assess before returning |
Pain that is worse the next morning | Your body may not be recovering well |
Sharp, focal, or bone-like pain | Get assessed before continuing hard training |
This is especially important with shin pain, foot pain, and pain that feels very specific to one spot. Bone stress injuries can start subtly. Running through them can make recovery much longer.
The goal is not to become fearful of every sensation. Runners feel things. Muscles get tired. Tendons can feel stiff. Joints may feel different after a hard effort.
The goal is to recognize when discomfort is becoming a pattern.
A useful question is: Is this improving, staying the same, or getting worse over time?
If symptoms are trending in the wrong direction, your plan needs to change.
3. Your training plan should include recovery, not just mileage
Many runners are very good at following the running part of a plan. They get the workouts done. They hit the long run. They squeeze in kilometres before work or after family commitments.
Recovery often gets less attention.
That matters because fitness improves after your body adapts to training, not just during the run itself. If the stress keeps coming without enough recovery, your tissues may not get the chance to build capacity.
This does not mean every runner needs a complicated recovery routine. It means the basics matter.
Strong recovery includes:
Enough sleep
Easy days that are actually easy
Rest days when needed
Nutrition that supports training
Gradual increases in distance or intensity
Strength work that matches your running goals
Flexibility with the plan when life gets busy
A common mistake is stacking stress without noticing it.
For example, a runner may do a hard interval session on Tuesday, a demanding strength workout on Wednesday, hills on Thursday, then a long run on Saturday. Each session may be reasonable on its own. Together, they may exceed what the body is ready to manage.
Edmonton adds its own variables. Winter running can change your stride. Snow, ice, cold temperatures, and uneven footing may increase demand on calves, hips, and stabilizing muscles. Summer race season can bring faster workouts, longer days, and more frequent events.
Your plan should adjust to those conditions.
If you notice recurring pain, start by reviewing your last two to four weeks of training. Look for jumps in:
Weekly mileage
Long run distance
Speed work
Hills
Consecutive running days
Strength training load
Time spent on hard surfaces
A training plan should guide you, not trap you. If your body is sending clear signals, the plan needs to respond.
4. Strength training is not optional for many runners
Running builds running fitness, but it does not always build enough strength to handle the demands of running well.
Each stride asks your body to absorb force, control motion, and produce power. Your calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, feet, and trunk all contribute. If one area lacks capacity, another area may compensate.
Strength training can help improve tissue tolerance, running economy, and resilience. It does not need to be extreme. It does need to be consistent and appropriately loaded.
For many runners, useful strength work includes:
Calf raises
Split squats
Step-ups
Hip hinges
Single-leg balance work
Hamstring strengthening
Glute-focused exercises
Core exercises that resist rotation and extension
The best strength program depends on the runner, the injury history, and the race goal. A beginner training for a 5K does not need the same plan as someone preparing for a marathon. A runner dealing with Achilles pain may need different loading than someone with knee pain.
The principle stays the same: your tissues need enough capacity for the job you are asking them to do.
If you are already in pain, the answer is not always stretching more. Stretching can feel good, and mobility has a place, but many running problems are more about load tolerance than tightness alone.
For example, an Achilles tendon that feels stiff may need progressive strengthening, not aggressive stretching. A painful knee may need better hip and thigh strength, load management, and changes to training intensity. Plantar heel pain may require calf and foot strengthening along with careful changes to running volume.
Strength work should be introduced gradually, especially during race preparation. Starting a hard lower-body program two weeks before race day is rarely wise. A better approach is to build it into training early and adjust it as race demands increase.
5. Race day should not be the first time you test your body
Race day has a way of encouraging heroic decisions.
The energy is high. People are cheering. You have trained for weeks or months. You may feel pressure to finish no matter what.
That environment can make it tempting to ignore pain.
The better approach is to make decisions before race day. Know your body. Know your warning signs. Know when you will adjust the plan.
If pain has been present during training, ask yourself these questions before your next race:
Can I run without changing my stride?
Is the pain improving week by week?
Does the pain settle within 24 hours?
Can I complete easy runs without symptoms increasing?
Have I tested race pace safely in training?
Do I have a plan if symptoms worsen during the race?
If the answer is no to several of these, racing hard may not be the best choice. That does not always mean skipping the event. Sometimes the right decision is to run at an easier pace, switch to a run-walk strategy, shorten the effort, or treat the race as a community experience instead of a performance test.
There is value in finishing. There is also value in knowing when to protect your long-term ability to run.
From a sports medicine perspective, I care about the race in front of you, but I also care about the months and years of movement that come after it.
A single event should not cost you a season.
When to get help before pushing through pain
Some aches can be managed with smart training changes. Others need a proper assessment.
Consider seeing a qualified health professional if:
Pain keeps returning despite rest
Symptoms are getting worse
You are limping or changing your stride
Pain is sharp or highly localized
You have swelling, numbness, or weakness
Pain affects daily activities
You are unsure whether it is safe to keep training
A good assessment should look beyond the painful area. It should include your training history, strength, mobility, running demands, recovery, goals, and timeline.
The best plan is rarely just “stop running” or “run through it.” Most runners need a practical path between those extremes.
That might include reducing volume, changing intensity, modifying terrain, adding strength work, adjusting footwear, improving recovery, or using a graded return-to-run plan.
The takeaway for Edmonton runners
Running pain is common, but it should not be ignored or treated as a badge of honour.
If something hurts, start by looking at the full picture. What changed in your training? How well are you recovering? Is the pain improving or getting worse? Are you building enough strength to support the distance, speed, and terrain you are asking your body to handle?
The goal is not to avoid every ache. The goal is to respond early, make smart adjustments, and keep running sustainable.
This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for an individual medical assessment. If pain is persistent, worsening, or affecting how you move, get evaluated before your next race.
Your next finish line matters. So does your ability to keep enjoying the kilometres that come after it.
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