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Getting to the point where you’re pain-free after battling an injury is an incredible feeling. But it can also be a scary one, like standing out on a ledge. You’re probably eager to get back to running, but also a little fearful of re-injuring yourself.
The most important thing is that you’re listening to the guidance of any medical professional who you’ve been working with. But when they give you the OK to start running again you might feel like you’re on your own.
We spoke with several professional coaches about how to properly ease back into your routine after an injury and they gave us three key pieces of advice.
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Test the waters, then focus on consistency.
If you’ve been handling the injury on your own, coach Heather McKirdy of McKirdy Trained recommends that you’re at least 72-hours pain free before thinking about returning to running. The name of the game is caution.
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Once you’ve been pain-free for 72 hours, McKirdy recommends you test out your body with a set of drills (A-skips, B-skips, C-skips, cariocas, high knees, butt kicks, etc.) and check in with your pain level. If any pain arises, give it a few more days of rest.
If no pains come up during the drills, you can give running a try and start working back up to your pre-injury schedule. “The general philosophy should be to build back up to the normal days per week of running before trying to significantly extend the duration of the runs,” says McKirdy. So if your normal routine was to run five times a week, your first milestone to reach is five days of short runs.
“The consistent load over the span of the week will actually help to incrementally strengthen soft tissue (like muscles, tendons, and ligaments), with a lower risk of re-injury,” says McKirdy.
As for pace, start by leaving the smart watch at home. Running without it will help you avoid the inevitable ego-check when you realize that you’re not running as fast as you want. McKirdy recommends that you start running by feel. “In the return to running phase, it’s so important to keep your runs easy, and there are a lot of external factors that can impact what that actual pace is.” And if your injury kept you out for eight weeks or more, focus first on a walk/run routine.
Be prepared for the build back to feel slow. McKirdy says that until you are back to your full training load, every week should end feeling like you could have done more, but didn’t because you chose not to. That patience is what will keep you from re-injury.
You don’t have to go it alone.
Some runners need help to slow down.
New York–based running coach and founder of The Laughing Runner coaching practice, Natalie Dorset recommends that injured runners find an expert, like a coach, to lean on. “A coach is like an on-ramp,” she says. “They will help ease you back to training by keeping workouts less intense, less frequent, and shorter to help the body have time to adapt to the training load. Your coach will also check in to make sure you are keeping up with any exercises/stretching that are needed to keep the injury at bay.”
If you’re in the beginning stages of dealing with an injury, a coach can help you figure out what kind of specific professional you might need to see, such as a physical therapist, chiropractor, orthopedist, or nutritionist. If they see a pattern of re-injury, they may recommend you get blood work done.
Chances are high that your coach has worked with an athlete before that’s had your injury, or they’ve had it themselves. And they’re there to answer all your questions.
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Don’t skimp on rest and recovery (for your body and your mind).
When you get back into your running routine, you want to treat your body as best as possible. That means stretching, foam rolling, hot baths, whatever you need to do to help your muscles recover properly.
And don’t forget to take care of your mental health while recovering from an injury. “You’ll make more progress with a positive mindset,” says Dorset. You might feel like you are behind and harbor a desperation to ‘catch up.’ But that will only make it more likely that you’ll get re-injured. “It’s a vicious cycle,” she says.
It’s important to go easy on your ego. “It seems like there is a culture of shame that surrounds injuries to a certain extent,” says McKirdy.
After 12 weeks of no running after recovering from a bilateral fasciotomy, she recalls her first walk/runs back as being the most joyous moments of her running career. “While being injured is absolutely the worst, it can also bring a beautiful dose of perspective,” she says.
Be patient with the training process. Fitness is a result of quality and consistency over time.
“I’m not aware of a single professional runner who hasn’t dealt with an injury at some point in their career,” says McKirdy. “So if you find yourself injured, trust that you’re in good company.”
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