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How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

nytimes.com

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Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#61

Post by brianpan »

olaf wrote: post #51
adam_albrecht wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Runner's High" is something I often hear about, but still have trouble fathoming. Whenever I'm running, all I can think about is how boring it is and how I want to stop. (and it's not because I can't do it - I'm in pretty good shape and could probably run 3-5 miles today without having done it in a while). Any tips on learning to enjoy running?

(short: run faster); My experience is: most important: trust your inner voice, don't demand too much of yourself (be gentle and forgiving to yourself); BUT ALSO "no pain, no gain", run every(!) day at least one hour, run faster until you feel slightly(!) uncomfortable, push yourself a bit, and then try to hold your speed longer and longer (3, 5, 10, 15, ... minutes this is essential for experiencing runner's high ),…

Oh, God...that is not worth it! ;)

Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#62

Post by brianpan »

dgallagher wrote: post #55
dkarl wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have to learn how to tell the difference. It isn't at all obvious to an inexperienced person, which means that "discomfort" as you put it (we just called it "bad pain" and "good pain") can cause a lot of anxiety for someone who isn't used to it. Even professional athletes sometimes make mistakes and injure themselves in training, so the distinction isn't always clear even to them.

You're very correct. The differentiation likely takes years of training to fully develop. A general rule of thumb to keep injury risk low is to never push yourself more than 10% of what you normally do (lots exercise books say this). If you can hold that level for several weeks without problem, it's likely safe to "notch up" another 5% or 10%. Lots of other variables at play too, of course (rest, stretching, warmup,…

Yeah, discomfort v. pain makes it seem like less v. more but that's not the distinction at all.

I'm not a runner at all, but I know that stabbing feeling in my side and my lungs frantically gasping for air isn't going to kill me or make me lose a limb...but that annoying clicking in my knee might mean trouble down the line.

Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#63

Post by kirse »

Another performance trick during competitions is association, the act of concentrating intensely on the very act of running or cycling, or whatever your sport is

Oh cool! I've always told friends that if you can listen to music or talk, you're not running fast enough. It's for this reason that I can't ever go out for just a "jog" unless I really need to recover... when you get in that zone you're like an antsy racehorse wanting to shoot out of the gate. The desire is just to go as fast as possible.

I love that part of the run though, where it's your mind against your body. You keep repeating to yourself that you can make it... each step closer to the goal. Your body wants to quit, but each step boosts your confidence. It gives you that runner's high.

For me, running is always about that focused relaxation. As the pain increases, you must focus yourself to continue to exert as much energy as possible in a relaxed and fluid manner.

Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#64

Post by mannicken »

alanh wrote: post #59
mannicken wrote: post #35

I have been using drugs when I was young as well as being a distance runner and, well, runner's high is very similar to artificial intoxication. In fact, nothing I've ever tried has given me the same level of intoxication and euphoria as a run over 70 minutes long. There are studies that show similarities between a runner's high and opioid intoxication but I never tried opioids so I can't tell anything about it from…

I’m sitting here chuckling, imagining people upvoting mannicken because their subconscious wants to believe running is addictive and makes you fat.

Running doesn't make you fat or skinny. Your diet makes you fat or skinny :)

Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#65

Post by mannicken »

lmkg wrote: post #52
adam_albrecht wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Runner's High" is something I often hear about, but still have trouble fathoming. Whenever I'm running, all I can think about is how boring it is and how I want to stop. (and it's not because I can't do it - I'm in pretty good shape and could probably run 3-5 miles today without having done it in a while). Any tips on learning to enjoy running?

Runner's High is also called The Zone, and it's very similar to many other things that are called The Zone, including that hyper-focused state of consciousness that programmers can achieve, and that semi-hypnotic trance that lets you drive for 6 hours on I-5 from SF to LA without going mad. It doesn't happen every time, depending on mood, stress, environment, sunspots, etc. For me, it has a lot to do with rhythm. I f…

I've been in runner's zone much more frequently than I've been in runner's high. I can get into runner's zone 1-2 miles in (usually after muscles are warm) but runner's high I can only get after a run that's longer than 8 miles.

Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#66

Post by rue »

dgallagher wrote: post #43

Just want to point out that there's a difference between "pain" and "discomfort". Pain is your body saying "I'm injured. If you don't stop now, expect things to become worse, potentially causing permanent damage." No athlete I'm aware of pushes through pain unless they expect to retire immediately after, or go into surgery. Runners who do this tend to get knocked out of the sport. Good runners recognize pain for what…

> Just want to point out that there's a difference between "pain" and "discomfort".

You are redefining words to make an argument. Endurance athletes, in particular, will most certainly experience various pain sensations in the course of normal training or an event.

Body awareness is another matter: an elite athlete (presently or potential) is usually better able to interpret what their body is signaling - including noticing when something is going wrong.

Edit: And, actually, sometimes a real injury manifests itself as a discomfort during exercise, not pain.

…

For what it is worth, you can become dehydrated enough to compromise performance in an hour, less if it is very warm. Dehydration to the point of needing medical attention can occur in 2-3 hours at a moderate intensity. Typical symptom of mild dehydration (the kind you can suffer sleeping on a hot night) is discomfort in the form of a headache.

Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#67

Post by rue »

adam_albrecht wrote: post #41
mannicken wrote: post #35

I have been using drugs when I was young as well as being a distance runner and, well, runner's high is very similar to artificial intoxication. In fact, nothing I've ever tried has given me the same level of intoxication and euphoria as a run over 70 minutes long. There are studies that show similarities between a runner's high and opioid intoxication but I never tried opioids so I can't tell anything about it from…

"Runner's High" is something I often hear about, but still have trouble fathoming. Whenever I'm running, all I can think about is how boring it is and how I want to stop. (and it's not because I can't do it - I'm in pretty good shape and could probably run 3-5 miles today without having done it in a while). Any tips on learning to enjoy running?

> Any tips on learning to enjoy running?

Run cross-country, or better yet, try another sport like cycling or long-distance/cross-country rollerskating.

Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#68

Post by sedachv »

aspir wrote: post #50
sedachv wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the wrestling opinion on "hyperhydration" (drinking as much water as possible up until two days before weigh-in to manipulate vasopressin and aldosterone levels to essentially mimic diuretics, Tim Ferris wrote about it: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/01/18/how-to-cut-w... )? That's what's popular in drug-tested powerlifting. I hated cutting weight and the whole "sauna suit" and exercise approach sou…

It's the accepted practice now in the collegiate and post-collegiate levels. In high school, people still stick to the old school death by dehydration method, but more experienced people know about the hyperhydration methods. Actually, some of the best athletes move up weight classes now. Cael Sanderson (only 4x undefeated NCAA champ) comes to mind. It's being determined that moving up and eating well increases your…

That's pretty much the opinion I found when I trained with the more elite powerlifters. The top guys only cut when they want to take a national or world record in a lower weight class, and even then they try to lose as much weight as possible by dieting months in advance.

Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#69

Post by rue »

olaf wrote: post #51
adam_albrecht wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Runner's High" is something I often hear about, but still have trouble fathoming. Whenever I'm running, all I can think about is how boring it is and how I want to stop. (and it's not because I can't do it - I'm in pretty good shape and could probably run 3-5 miles today without having done it in a while). Any tips on learning to enjoy running?

(short: run faster); My experience is: most important: trust your inner voice, don't demand too much of yourself (be gentle and forgiving to yourself); BUT ALSO "no pain, no gain", run every(!) day at least one hour, run faster until you feel slightly(!) uncomfortable, push yourself a bit, and then try to hold your speed longer and longer (3, 5, 10, 15, ... minutes this is essential for experiencing runner's high ),…

Stretching after exercise can be harmful to recovery, actually. A massage is OK, but stretching should not be done until at least several hours later and preferably the next day.

Re: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do

#70

Post by mannicken »

rue wrote: post #67
adam_albrecht wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Runner's High" is something I often hear about, but still have trouble fathoming. Whenever I'm running, all I can think about is how boring it is and how I want to stop. (and it's not because I can't do it - I'm in pretty good shape and could probably run 3-5 miles today without having done it in a while). Any tips on learning to enjoy running?

> Any tips on learning to enjoy running? Run cross-country, or better yet, try another sport like cycling or long-distance/cross-country rollerskating.

It's an acquired taste. It's like first time you try espresso and you hate it, and then you're like "hey, espresso!" so you drink more, and then you finally love it.
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