Photo: Alan Lam (Fast Bananas Trail Race 2025, pre run stretch) I love running. I hate telling people they can't run. Running is great exercise and it is so beneficial for both mental and physical health. But if you run long enough, chances are you will deal with pain or injury at some point. As a physical therapist who works with runners every day, these are the five most common questions runners ask about running injuries and answers that can help you to stay healthy and ke

Elite Women at the starting Line of USATF Half Marathon Championships 2026 A week ago today, I was standing at the finish line of the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta waiting for the elite women to arrive. It was a perfect day to be running and spectating. The excitement in the finish chute was palpable. Volunteers were ready, medical staff was on standby, we were all watching the live stream on our tiny phone screens cheering for the athletes. With less than a mi

If you have been told to "just stop running" because of an injury then you may have been given poor advice. Rest may calm symptoms, but it doesn’t solve your injury. Pain relief is simply a reduction in irritation, but it does not  mean your tissues aren't ready to handle the demands of running. Some injuries do better if you continue to load them in a modified way, such as tendinopathies. You do have to stop running with a bone stress injury, but you can do things like core

You finally feel like yourself again. The pain is gone. You’ve been cleared to run. You’ve got energy to burn and goals on the calendar. So why not just pick up where you left off? Because that’s exactly how injuries come back. If you want to move forward you probably need to start slow. Runners returning from injury are often full of motivation, which is great. But when you jump back into your previous mileage or pace too quickly, you’re putting stress on tissues that aren't

Most runners don’t realize they’re overstriding. It often shows up as a subtle shift in form, especially when trying to run faster, increase mileage, or push through fatigue. But when your foot lands too far out in front of your body, you increase braking forces and slow yourself down. You also increase the risk of common overuse injuries. Overstriding  happens when your foot strikes the ground ahead of your center of mass, typically with a more extended knee and a heel-first

Every time one of my athletes or friends say they do clamshells to help with their glute strength I want to scream. Clamshells have a place in rehab, especially post-surgery or for individuals who are just beginning to engage in exercise. But for runners, clamshells are not enough. Running demands dynamic, upright, and single-leg control. Clamshells are performed lying on your side, in a non-weight bearing position, and they do not train the glutes the way they're used during

“ChatGPT, can I run through pain? Please say yes. Please say yes.” In reality, most runners don’t ask this question before  they’re running through pain. They ask it once they already are because they desperately want to keep running. Running culture has long rewarded toughness, grit, and the ability to “push through.” Pain is often normalized, minimized, or even worn as a badge of honor. But the problem is that pain is not a reliable indicator of harm, its a warning sign an

Hip flexors are one of those things runners love to blame. Tight hips. Short strides. Low back pain. That nagging feeling that something just isn’t working right. And while hip flexors are rarely the only issue, they play a meaningful role in how we run and how problems can start to show up. The hip flexors are a group of muscles that help advance the leg during running. After your foot leaves the ground, they help bring the thigh forward so you can take your next step. They

You’re training smart, eating well, doing all the “right” things but your runs feel flat, your body feels heavy, and your motivation’s dipping. Sound familiar? This might not be a training problem. It might be a nervous system  problem. Runners are often hyper-aware of physical load, but we tend to overlook the mental and emotional load we’re carrying. The body doesn’t separate physical and psychological stress it all gets processed through the same system: your autonomic ne

If you’ve been running for a while, you probably already know that rest is important. You've read about it, talked about it, and maybe even told others to do it. But are you actually planning  your rest with intention or just hoping you get around to it when you're too tired to move? As we move into the new year, we want to challenge you to treat rest with the same respect you give your training. We get it. Runners love to run. We love to run. It’s easy to fill your calendar

Low energy availability (LEA) happens when you don’t eat enough to support both your training and your basic body functions. It’s not just about being hungry or tired, it’s about undereating relative to what your body needs , and it shows up in more ways than you think. And the truth is, most runners dealing with LEA aren’t doing it on purpose. Some are trying to “eat clean” or cut sugar. Others just don’t realize how much more food they need when they’re logging miles. But

If your hips feel tighter than usual when the temperature drops, you're not imagining it. That sluggish, stiff stride you feel at the start of a cold run is a real physiological response not  a personal problem or something to just stretch your way through. This is what happens: Joint fluid becomes more viscous  in colder temps, which means your joints don’t move as freely. Blood flow to your muscles decreases , making them feel slower, tighter, and less responsive. Your nerv

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If you’re a runner dealing with nagging low back pain, chances are someone’s told you it’s just “tight hamstrings.” Maybe you’ve been...

If the holidays have a way of derailing your running routine, you’re not alone. Schedules shift. Daylight disappears. The weather turns cold. Suddenly you’re traveling, navigating social events, or juggling family and work in ways that make sticking to a plan feel next to impossible. But you don’t need to start over in January . You just need a plan that fits into real life. One that doesn’t fall apart the moment things get busy. Why Consistency Feels So Hard This Time of Yea

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Let’s talk about something runners hate to admit or acknowledge: you don’t have to earn  your rest, and you don’t have to push  to make...

Right now we are in the height of marathon season and sometimes for those runners that don't run a marathon, run fast or walk a little...

Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but every year I like to tell my story. To build awareness in our running community. I like to...