Coming Back from an Injury

Hands down, the worst part of running is getting injured!

October 4, 2020 I was able to knock out a solid long run (my longest in 6 years) and the next day I was put on the shelf… Trying a lite morning shake out run the 5th, I had left knee pain which progressively got worse. It was the first time I had to walk the rest of the way home from a run. I was completely devastated! Running injuries tend to come when you least expect it…

For me? I was just turned the corner after building mileage for the past year (I took about 5 years off after college). It was the worst timing too. I could barely jog around at our cross country meets. Running was getting me through this pandemic. Oh! And I was trying to finish Miles of Trials… (Looks great when a running coach’s Strava shows a bunch of goose eggs.)

As excited as I was to hit the roads in December with no knee pain I knew I couldn’t just start off where I left off. Here are my suggestions to resume training without finding yourself right back on the shelf.

Taking 3-4 Days?

Maybe you took time off for an illness or just a few personal days

- Feel free to jump right back into your training schedule but EASE INTO YOUR RUN

- You may feel sluggish at first but you should feel normal in 2-3 days

Had to take 7-10 Days?

Planned time off, minor aches pains, Extended Rest, etc.

- 1st Day back 25% Normal Distance

- 2nd Day back 25-50% Normal Distance

- Days 3-4 50-75% Normal Distance

- Resume workouts 10-14 days later

o Feeling normal may take 1-2 Weeks

Multiple Weeks?

Stress Fracture, Major Strain, etc.

- 1st week running every other day

- 2nd week 2 on/1 off

- 3rd week running for time 25-40% normal mileage to build strength

- 4th week 40-60% normal mileage

- 5-8th week build to 100% weekly mileage

- After 8 weeks workouts can begin

Two special notes on these suggestions:

#1 The absolute best way to deal with an injury is to cross train. It’ll help maintain fitness and allow you get back to normal running as sooner rather than later.

#2 The injury wasn’t above the shoulders, you make THINK you can get back to running as fast and far as pre-injury but DON’T, you’ll thank me later.

No matter what training program you follow, the best training is consistent and healthy training. Taking an extra week or 2 to recovery post injury will be beneficial in the long run.

Back to my injury. I dealt with patellar tendonitis in my left knee which needed about 9 weeks to recovery. Since returning to running I’ve taken about 7-8 weeks running 20 minutes a day with a few days off. I’ve been dealing with soreness in my left calf and shin. Over the past 2 weeks though, the runs have gotten faster, feel normal and minimal pain. While it may have taken longer than I would have like, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m looking forward to healthy miles the rest of 2021!