If you’ve been dealing with a running related injury, and you’re ready to get back to it. Approaching your training with a plan in mind will help you prevent re-injury.

If you’re a seasoned runner (20 miles weekly or more) with less than a month off due to your injury, it’s safe to assume you can be back to previous weekly mileage within another month, barring any setbacks. Start at 50% of your previous mileage, with an emphasis on slower speeds, and without any speed work or intervals and increase by 10-15% per week. 

If you had been running regularly but you’ve taken 2-4 months off, expect to take a couple months to get back to your previous level. Start at 25% your previous mileage and increase by 10% weekly.

If you were running sparingly, or generally lower mileage (less 15 miles a week), it’s safer to assume you can get back to running form in less time. Start with 1-3 miles at a manageable pace and take at least 48 hours between runs. 

And if you haven't run in a LONG time or you were not a runner at all, start with run/walk intervals at 1 minute jog, then 3-5 minute walk, then repeat that 3 times. The goal is getting more miles on your feet and gradually building run durations while reducing the walk time.  

We help runners often, and a proper warmup is also crucial to stay injury free and make sure you perform and feel the best on your runs, here is a running warmup that hits all major joints and muscle groups and primes you for a jog on the road or scamper on the trail!