Almost every runner will understand the frustration of being injured all too well. Having to significantly reduce, or even sometimes stop training entirely while you rehab an injury can be extremely disheartening. Then you have the task of getting back to full training post rehab. It’s perfectly natural to feel some trepidation at first, so to help put your mind at ease, here are my top tips on returning to running after an injury.
start gradually
This might seem obvious, but all too often people fail to account for the fact that they will have inevitably lost some conditioning while rehabbing - especially if the injury was a significant one. Your cardiovascular and muscular-skeletal system need time to get back to the level you were at before, so don’t try and pick up where you left off pre-injury straight away. How much you will need to reduce you training load will depend on how long you were injured for, as a rule of thumb you should increase your mileage by no more than 10% each week until you get back to your pre-injury level.
Start with steady state runs and increase speed later
Increasing the intensity of your training in moderation is just as important as gradually stepping up the total volume. Begin with some steady state runs under your lactate threshold (approximately 80-85% max heart rate) and then reintroduce faster intervals once you feel comfortable.
Listen to your body
If you don’t quite feel ready to get back to running yet, it’s probably because you aren’t. If you have any concerns, consult your therapist for their opinion and don’t try to push through any discomfort.
Don’t Run on Consecutive Days
Those first few runs after a period of time off from training are likely going to leave you pretty sore the next day - this is perfectly normal. Your muscles simply need time to readjust to running again and taking rest days is an essential part of the process.
Keep Doing Your Rehab Exercises
Just because you are now injury free does not mean that you should stop doing the rehab exercises prescribed by your therapist. One of the biggest risk factors for any injury is having had the same injury in the past, hence it’s critical that you do everything to ensure it doesn’t reoccur. You don’t have to do the same volume as when you were injured, or as frequently; 1-2 sets as part of your normal running warm-up will be sufficient.
Finally, it’s important that you celebrate your progress as you return to full fitness. Overcoming an injury, regardless of the severity is an achievement in itself. If you are looking for a personalised training program to help you take the next step in your fitness journey, contact me anytime