Kenny Rogers' song “Know When to Fold ‘Em,” has nothing to do with endurance sports training, however, when it comes to training and racing, it’s important for athletes to know when to hold and when to fold.

Recently, one of our athletes was in a training block preparing for an event that was only about three weeks away.  Her knee began bothering her.  As athletes, we hate when our training is interrupted by injury.  We are constantly talking with each other about this or that ache or pain and deciding whether to push through or halt training.  It’s hard for us to halt our training, but we’ve learned the hard way, that if precautions aren’t taken at the onset of pain, what may have been a sideline from training for a few days, becomes weeks or months of recovery.

I (Paula) am the poster child for why pain should not be ignored.  In 2013, I did my first intense marathon training cycle with a time goal in mind.  I...

Isn’t it great to be able to wake up in the morning and know that you can head to the pool, hop on and ride Zwift, or hit the road for a run?  Every day we can do what we love is a blessing from God.  But sometimes, we get sidelined due to an injury.  It is still important to thank God for his many blessings – most of all, Jesus paying for our sins on the cross.  When I’m injured, I keep in mind all the fun times I had when I wasn’t injured and that brightens my outlook.

So, what to do when you are hurting?

Paula and I are not doctors, therapists, psychologists, etc.  We have no formal training related to any field of medicine.  But we have been treated by specialists and we will share what we have experienced.

Some of the leg injuries we have experienced have been attributed to tightness higher up the body.  It could be the neck, the back, the glutes, etc.  A physical therapist may offer dry needling and exercises to...