Marathon Training Niggles: When to Push On or Stop

Somewhere around week six or seven of marathon training, almost every runner feels it: a tightness in the calf, a dull ache along the shin, a knee that grumbles on the downhills. The question that follows is always the same. Is this just what marathon training feels like, or is it the start of something that could derail the whole block?

There's no single rule that covers every runner, but there are patterns we see again and again in clinic that help separate normal training discomfort from an injury that needs attention. Getting this right matters, because the two most common mistakes — stopping every time something feels slightly off, or ignoring pain until it forces you to stop completely — both tend to end the same way, with lost training weeks and a missed start line.

Understand what "normal" actually feels like

Marathon training asks a lot of your body, and some discomfort is simply the cost of adaptation. Generalised muscle fatigue, mild stiffness that eases within the first kilometre or two, and soreness that's symmetrical and settles within 24-48 hours are all consistent with normal load. This is your tissue responding to stress and getting stronger, which is the whole point of training.

The difficulty is that a genuine injury can start out feeling almost identical. This is why so many runners talk themselves into "it's probably nothing" for weeks longer than they should. A structured build-up, sensible increases in weekly mileage, and proper strength work alongside your running all reduce how often you land in this grey zone in the first place — something we cover in detail as part of our marathon and running preparation programme.

Signs it's safe to keep training

A few features usually point to a niggle you can train through, with some sensible adjustments:

• It's one-sided but mild, and pain sits at 2-3 out of 10 during activity
• It warms up as you run rather than getting steadily worse
• It settles quickly — same day or by the next morning
• It doesn't change your gait. If you're not limping or compensating, that's reassuring
• It doesn't linger into daily life — walking, stairs and standing feel normal

In these cases, it's often reasonable to continue training with small changes: dropping pace slightly, swapping a hard session for an easy one, adding extra recovery between key runs, or doing a session on softer ground. Keeping strength and mobility work consistent through this period — rather than dropping it when you're busy — genuinely helps here, and it's worth building this into your plan through strength and conditioning work rather than leaving it to chance.

Signs to stop and get it checked

Some patterns are a clearer signal that pushing on is the wrong call:

• Pain that gets worse during the run, rather than easing off
• Pain above 4-5 out of 10, or anything that changes how you run
• A specific, pinpoint spot of pain rather than general muscle soreness — this is more typical of tendon or bone stress than fatigue
• Pain that's still there the next morning, or that's present with everyday movement like walking or climbing stairs
• Swelling, or a niggle that's been present, on and off, for more than two weeks despite rest and reduced load

Achilles and patellar tendon pain deserve particular caution. Tendons often feel deceptively better once you've warmed up, which tricks people into thinking they're fine, but the pain returning afterwards — sometimes worse the next day — is a classic tendon pattern. Tendon issues respond well to the right loading programme, and in more stubborn cases, shockwave therapy can help kickstart recovery without taking you out of training entirely.

Why an early assessment saves your training block

The real value of seeing a physio isn't just treating pain, it's finding out quickly whether a niggle is muscular fatigue, a tendon problem, or something related to how you're loading a joint — and getting a clear, specific plan rather than a vague instruction to "rest and see." A proper assessment can usually tell within one session whether you need two easy days or two easy weeks, which is a far better position than guessing and hoping.

This is particularly true for anything involving joint pain that doesn't settle with normal recovery, where pain relief approaches combined with a diagnosis-led plan tend to work far better than rest alone.

The bottom line

Most marathon training niggles are just noise — your body adapting to a demanding block. But a persistent, specific, or worsening symptom is worth listening to. Training through the wrong kind of pain rarely just delays recovery a little; it usually turns a few missed days into a few missed weeks.

If something has been nagging at you for more than a fortnight, or you're not sure which category it falls into, it's worth getting a proper opinion rather than guessing with your race day on the line. Our team offers thorough physiotherapy assessments at our Vauxhall clinic, and can usually tell you within one visit whether you're safe to keep training or need to adjust your plan.