When taking yourself to new heights in running speed and endurance, it’s not the best with niggles. A slight or persistent annoyance, the early signs of what could turn into an injury. As endurance athletes, we can deal with high levels of discomfort. Knowing when running discomfort starts to show and what to do when you feel a niggle is a key to staying healthy in sport. Before getting into niggles and what to do it’s important to remember that running requires a great load on the body. Each time your foot hits the ground running, that leg is carrying 150% of the body’s weight.
So what is a running niggle? You may already know exactly what I am talking about and have felt one before I even describe it. A running niggle can be described as feeling that something is just not feeling right. If you are starting to feel anything from joint to muscle discomfort during a run that has not been prevalent in any previous run. That can be described as a running niggle. For myself, one of my first experiences with a running niggle was training my second half IRONMAN. I developed a tight spot in my calf.
Having never experienced any type of sports injury before, I just kept running and turned the niggle into a full-blown injury that sidelined my running for weeks. I naively ignored what could have been prevented with an early diagnosis and rest. Below we will go over how to identify running niggles and how to avoid a full-blown injury. Unlike myself in 2013.
If you start to feel any warning signs that something is not right, first gauge the severity using a 0-10 scale, with zero being your normal pain-free running. Then if you start to feel a 1-2, keep an eye on the problem spot and continue with training. If the pain elevates up to a 5 it’s time to get a professional diagnosis. Anything 6 or above stop running immediately and seek out a professional diagnosis.
Existing niggles can go multiple ways once starting a run, they can feel better, stay the same, or feel worse. If a niggle starts to feel better after a couple of minutes of running, this can be a sign of tightness. Oftentimes proper rolling, stretching, and mobility work can take care of issues like this. If the niggle stays the same during the run, never feeling better or worse, that is a sign this niggle isn’t going to take care of itself. It’s time to seek out a professional diagnosis. If the niggle gets worse as you run, hurts worse after a run or you really feel that same spot the day after a run. It’s time to stop running and seek out a professional.
Ideally, we want to prevent niggles from ever happening. The best way to do this is to prehabilitation work (exercises specifically for preventing injuries). A steady build of run duration (not ramping weekly mileage/kilometers too much). Plus ensuring proper recovery time between runs (taking run rest days, using your foam roller).
When coming back from a niggle or injury proceed with caution. Tune into that area of your body with every session and be realistic with how the body is feeling. It’s always better to dial back the training to ensure your body is coming back healthy. Rather than to worsen the area and end sidelined.
Ultimately, when a niggle comes up, always treat the niggle as if it’s going to become a problem or injury. I have seen time after time when an athlete treats a niggle as an injury. Seeks out professional help, and gets to work doing what the professional suggested. Be it rest, rolling, or strength that they get over the injury much quicker!
-Coach Tyler
Carly and Tyler Guggemos built Organic Coaching in 2014 with a simple philosophy that works. The idea is to take what you have and grow it to get faster, fitter and stronger. And to do it with the time you have – not the time you wish you had.
For athletes who are ready to take their training to the next level while still thriving and succeeding in their professional and family life.
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