If you want to train mostly pain-free and keep making gains, you need to understand:
You can only tolerate what you've been exposed to.
The more consistently you're exposed to something, the better you can tolerate it.
Think of it this way—there’s a threshold where your body starts to say, “Whoa, this is a lot.”
That might be around mile 3 of your run, when your knee starts acting up. That’s your current limit.
Just above that limit is your sweet spot—that’s where real progress happens. It’s where your body adapts and gets stronger.
We call it the “Goldilocks zone”….Not too little, not too much.
Pushing into that zone can look like:
Adding a little more weight
Doing another rep or set
Increasing your pace or mileage
What you adjust depends on your goal—but some level of challenge is key for improvement.
Go too far beyond that zone, and you’re in the land of soreness, fatigue, and possibly injury. That’s the “too much, too soon” zone.
So here’s what to watch for:
If you're wrecked for days after a workout, pull back the next time.
If your knee starts hurting around mile 3 every run, hang out at that distance until it doesn’t hurt anymore. Then bump it up gradually.
Give your body the time it needs to build up its capacity. The goal isn’t to avoid stress—it’s to get strong enough to handle it.
