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Running Again After Injury, Let’s Make A Strong Comeback

After treating thousands of runners and assisting them in returning to running after injury, we’ve discovered that using a combined rehab strategy is the best way to ensure a quick and complete recovery. You must learn proper running techniques, increase your strength and flexibility, and gradually increase your volume by incorporating progressive and frequent walk/run intervals. Let’s see how you can start running again after injury.

a woman is warming up

Prepare for returning to running after injury

Running is a strenuous activity. It wears down and damages our bodies while strengthening our bones and increasing muscle resiliency. While injuries cannot be avoided, if you have been running for years or decades, you are statistically more likely to sustain a running injury that requires time away from the sport.

The good news is that the vast majority of damage is reversible. You can resume running after an injury. Even eight weeks is not too long in the grand scheme of things if you are diligent in your rest and avoid delaying the recovery process. Returning to running after an injury and four to eight weeks without running, on the other hand, necessitates a four-to-eight-week rest period.

Both fitness maintenance and fitness loss are simple

Jack Daniels, a well-known exercise physiologist and coach, introduced the concept of ease of maintenance in his book Daniels’ Running Formula. According to this principle, “it is easier to maintain a level of fitness than it is to obtain fitness.” Even if you are forced to take a few months off due to an injury, you do not have to start from scratch. Your body is intelligent, and it will maintain the changes it has made to your heart and muscles. You will return to your starting point in less time than it took you to get there.

You will, however, become deconditioned over time. Even if you keep making minor workout changes. After an injury, you do not regain your previous level of fitness.

Deconditioning occurs at a rate proportional to the amount of time spent not jogging. A two-week vacation loses less fitness than a two-month vacation. Daniels, on the other hand, believes that even long layoffs result in no more than a 20% loss in fitness.

How long does it take to return to running after an injury?

The length of your break determines how quickly you return to running. In general, you should expect to spend roughly the same amount of time rebuilding your mileage as you did running. Even though long-term layoffs may only take a few months to recover from, it is preferable to do so gradually.

For shorter layoffs, such as a couple of weeks due to a minor muscle complaint, two weeks of easy running at a reduced volume (one week easy at 50%, one week easy at 75% ) can be used to get back into running. After an injury that requires six to eight weeks off, such as a stress fracture, the recovery process is more gradual, beginning with a couple of weeks of one-third of your usual training load and gradually increasing over the course of six to eight weeks. If your injury kept you out for several months, you’ll need to spend more time at a lower volume.

The type of damage also has an effect on your comeback rate. For bone damage, gradual reloading is required as the callus strengthens. Soft tissue injuries heal at varying rates, depending on the severity of the injury, the source of the injury, and how well you’re doing in physical therapy.

Gradual reloading

The mind is better prepared than the body after an injury. Your stress fracture will not heal faster simply because you are supposed to begin training for the Boston Marathon, and your IT band will not stop aching simply because you have a marathon on the calendar. There is no event on the calendar that will help you recover more quickly. Rather, it’s critical to ease back into running after an injury, even if it means skipping a race.

Your bones, tendons, and muscles will need to retrain depending on the length of your injury. Your musculoskeletal system would not be ready for such stress if you returned to your typical training volume after eight weeks off. You’d be putting yourself at risk of injury once more.

Do not return to your old training load, even if you have maintained your aerobic fitness by cross-training. Because cross-training is low-impact, it does not retain the same musculoskeletal strength as jogging. Your body must re-acclimate to the impact of running.

Intervals of run-walk are an excellent way to reintroduce running after an injury. They allow you to work more efficiently while gradually reloading your musculoskeletal system.

If you have a stress fracture, choose softer surfaces such as flat dirt trails (avoid anything too difficult), grass, or indoor or outdoor tracks. The treadmill has a soft surface and can be stopped at any time, but it should be used with caution following an accident. Set your pace based on your effort rather than your ego.

a man is tighting his shoes

See also: 7 Most Common Running Injuries: Causes and Correctives

 

Tips for running again after injury

1. Build a habit

After a long absence, it can be difficult to get back into the habit of jogging on a regular basis. And, if you’re like most runners, you set yourself lofty pace and distance goals.

When you get back into running, it’s critical to prioritize consistency. Don’t be concerned with your speed or distance; instead, set simple goals for yourself to run on a regular basis.

For example, in the first week or two after returning, you could aim for two 3-mile runs at a moderate pace. These workouts will simulate how your body will feel when you return to your sport.

You could also start with brisk walking or intervals of running/walking. Keep in mind that you’re renewing your running habit as well as reconditioning the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissues in your legs. This could take some time depending on how long you’ve been away from your jogging routine. But making time for physical activity, even if it’s just walking, counts as progress.

Another option is to run on a track or a treadmill for your first few runs so you can stop more easily if pain or exhaustion set in. These types of workouts, however, may not be motivating for some people, so it all depends on what works best for you.

Recommitting to your sport, regardless of how you resume training, will provide you with a sense of pride and accomplishment. You’ll rediscover your love of running by setting and achieving small goals that don’t put your body at risk of injury or burnout.

2. Gradual reloading

The mind is better prepared than the body after an injury. Your stress fracture will not heal faster simply because you are supposed to begin training for the Boston Marathon, and your IT band will not stop aching simply because you have a marathon on the calendar. There is no event on the calendar that will help you recover more quickly. Rather, it’s critical to ease back into running after an injury, even if it means skipping a race.

Depending on the severity of your injury, your bones, tendons, and muscles will need to be retrained. If you returned to your usual training volume after an eight-week break, your musculoskeletal system would be unprepared for such strain. You’d be putting yourself at risk of further injury.

Even if you have maintained your aerobic fitness through cross-training, do not return to your previous training load. Cross-training does not maintain the same musculoskeletal strength as running because it is low-impact. Running’s impact on your body must be re-acclimatized.

Intervals of run-walk are an excellent way to reintroduce running after an injury. They allow you to work more efficiently while gradually reloading your musculoskeletal system.

If you have a stress fracture, choose softer surfaces such as flat dirt trails (avoid anything too difficult), grass, or indoor or outdoor tracks. The treadmill has a soft surface and can be stopped at any time, but it should be used with caution following an accident. Set your pace based on your effort rather than your ego.

3. Cross-training & strength training

Cross-training improves aerobic fitness while decreasing stress and impact, especially during low-frequency and low-volume running weeks. Aerobic cross-training includes activities such as pool running, elliptical or arc trainer use, swimming, cycling, and cross-country skiing. Strength training helps to strengthen your bones and muscles, lowering your risk of compensatory issues when you resume running. If your physical therapist recommended specific exercises, make sure to do them on a regular basis as you reintroduce running.

Cross-train and/or strength train on days when you don’t run. Cross-training will be more frequent in the beginning and less frequent as you add more runs. Schedule one rest day per week to allow your body to heal and adjust to the increased training load.

4. Get enough rest

Maintain as low-key a running schedule as possible. Don’t run two days in a row if you’re just starting out. Take an active rest day or cross-train in between runs. Including a full day of rest in your recovery plan can also be beneficial.

Resistance training on rest days is essential for injury prevention and healing, especially for runners. Strengthening your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves, as well as incorporating core training into your workouts, can help you maintain proper running form.

Stretching can also be useful on rest days—to prepare for and recover from runs, perform stretches that relax the hip flexors while stretching the quadriceps and calves.

If you’re in pain on a day when you’re supposed to run, skip the run and go for a walk instead. Using pain relievers to get through a run is not a good idea in general.

5. Stay positive

It can be discouraging to think about your previous running accomplishments, and it may feel as if they are out of reach right now. However, don’t be too hard on yourself. Simply focus on the positive actions you’re taking and build on them.

As you set and achieve milestones, you’ll feel better about your progress, and your confidence will grow. Patience is required during this stage of construction.

They’ll have plenty of time to train and get faster. Simply try to have fun while running and gradually and carefully increasing your fitness level.

If you’re becoming dissatisfied with your progress, talk to some sympathetic running buddies who have almost certainly been through something similar. Also, tell yourself that you should be grateful and joyful that you can run at all, even if it isn’t at the same pace as before.

 

An easy-to-follow plan for a strong comeback

So, how can we turn all of this physiology into practical training applications?

Before beginning any of these progressions, make sure you can walk for at least 30 minutes without pain. These are examples; modify as needed based on recommendations from your physical therapist or orthopedist, assistance from your coach, and common sense in your own unique situation.

Running at a low intensity should be done for several weeks. Do not compare your current paces to those prior to your injury. Maintain a light effort that allows you to carry on a conversation.

In this article, we introduce you to a plan which reduces the risk of injury and optimizes the redevelopment of your aerobic base: Start to run powered by WellTraining!

Download app here: Android | iOS

1. Click on the Training button on the main screen. Choose Start to run. 

Start to run step 1

 

2. “You have to start where you are, not where you think you should be. Start a plan right now!” – said the developers. This plan is for those who want to practice and get used to the intensity of running by the run/walk method.

There are 2 types of exercises:

  • The first one is a 7-week challenge.
    • This plan is for the already active, including “Walking routine” finishers.
    • You are looking to run for 4 days a week. The rest of the days are for rest.
    • You will run for 25-60 mins of each workout.
    • The final goal is to run an average of 30 minutes a day.

WellTraining 28-day start to run

  • The other is a 12-week challenge.
    • If your BMI is 35 or higher or just want gradual progression.
    • You are looking to run for 4 days a week. The rest of the days are for rest.
    • You will run for 30-35 mins of each workout.
    • The final goal is to run an average of 30 minutes a day.

WellTraining 48-day start to run

 

3. Decide what works best for you & Choose your mode of training. WellTraining will create a training that suits you.

Just follow it! Each day, WellTraining has detailed instructions for you.

This app also has a Recommend Pace function that will be read by the device’s voice while running. This Recommend Pace will be customized for each user based on their past stats.

 

Start to run 1

 

4. After you finish the workout of the day, click on the Pause button and then Save your daily workout. Track your metrics on the result page. Show details for more information.

Start to run 2

 

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to running again after injury. Just be careful not to return too hard or too quickly.

WellTraining

Read more:

Sign And Symptoms Of Dehydration While Exercising

Running Injuries of The Foot (Symptoms, Causes & Treatment)