Running With Pain

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Provided by Runner's World

Consider the Consequences

If your top priority is to run a specific time, then dropping out when you realize your goal is unattainable will prevent you from wasting your training and trashing your body on a bum race. Call it a day early enough, and you may be able to try again the following weekend. This is especially likely if you're battling a cold, the flu, a bad prerace enchilada--things that tend to resolve themselves in a few days, Dr. Maharam says. If your main goal is to enjoy the experience, then slowing down and focusing on getting to the finish as comfortably as possible is a good strategy.

There are times when a battle wound looks worse than it is. Chafing, blisters, cuts, and scrapes might slow you down, but they aren't necessarily a cue to quit. That was the case for Teri Harper, 44, of Woodland Park, Colorado, who in 2006 was navigating the jagged rocks and tree roots of the Barr Trail Mountain Race, while distracted by a full bladder. "I was looking for a place to go to the bathroom, and that's when I tripped and fell," she says. If you take a tumble, the advice is simple: "If you can run, you can run," says Terry Nicola, M.D., director of sports-medicine rehabilitation at the University of Illinois Chicago Medical Center. The tricky part? Defining running. "Limping, hobbling, shuffling is not running," he says. Despite Harper's bloody elbows, knees, and palms, she suffered no major injuries, and was able to collect herself and a finisher's medal.

Whether you decide to carry on or bow out, a disappointing race experience can make you a stronger, wiser runner. It did for Fisher, who has run two marathons since his trauma at Boston. "I learned that it's okay to back off or stop if things aren't going right," he says. "But I've also learned that I have the ability to persevere and accomplish what I set out to do. That lesson has helped me in shorter races since then, especially when I'm trying to set a PR and I feel like I can't possibly go another mile."

Moving On

Dropping out of a race isn't the end of the world. Really

The résumé of Rob Udewitz, Ph.D., a New York City sports clinical psychologist would list eight marathon finishes (not seven) had he not pulled out of the 1998 NYC Marathon. What he learned from that experience can help you.

Be Realistic: Go into a race with a positive attitude, but acknowledge that not finishing is a possibility, Udewitz says. If you recognize that it's a potential outcome of every race, and that many other runners have done it, you'll have an easier time accepting it if it happens to you.

Make a Plan: Review different outcomes and decide how you'll handle each. If your bum knee starts acting up in the final stretch, you'll press on. If it acts up early on, you'll back off your pace. Udewitz wishes he had done this. "I started out too fast, and I wasn't prepared to adjust my plans," he says. "Everything shut down on me, and I dropped out. I could have slowed down and continued on, but I didn't give myself that option."

Have a Backup: If things don't go according to plan, having an alternative race ready--an event you can immediately shift your focus to--can help you recover quickly from your disappointment.

Learn from It: You can't go back in time, but you do have control over your future. Review your race preparation--were you well hydrated, did you eat too little, did you train properly, was there anything you would do differently next time? A bad experience can be filled with valuable lessons.

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