Returning to Running
This article will hopefully answer any questions regarding:
- Common running injuries
- How to start running again
- How to progress a running program
- How to increase speed
Whether you’ve had a break from running due to an injury, a busy holiday schedule, or maybe you just didn’t follow through with that new year resolution, getting back to running can take time and some planning. In an ideal world, we could just pick up right where we left off: running that sub 5:00/km for 5k’s. Unfortunately, when we rest from a particular activity like running, our body will adapt. This will be most noticeable in your cardiovascular fitness. To put this simply, you’ll be out of breath quickly, and find it hard to keep up with your ideal pace. This is because our bodies adapt to stimulus like exercise, and rest. So if we provide a stimulus like running, we get fitter and stronger. When we rest, our body adapts in the opposite direction. These adaptations include muscles and tendons weakening, cartilage and joint structures losing their capacity to tolerate forces, bones losing density and strength.
This means that not only will you feel absolutely buggered, but your risk of injury has also increased. Common running injuries include:
· Muscle strains and tears
· Tendinopathies (Tendon injuries)
· Bone stress injuries (shin splints and bone stress responses/fractures)
· Joint irritations and inflammation
Typically, I will see patients with these types of injuries in the new year, during pre-season sports training, or simply when trying to increase their running levels in a short space of time. These injuries generally occur because people attempt one or both of the following:
· Too much (Running volume or speed)
· Too often (Not enough time/rest between sessions)
Our bodies need time to build and improve, and if you try to rush this process either by being impatient or failing to plan, that’s when you’re most likely to experience an injury. Muscles take at least 5-8 weeks BEFORE they begin to increase in size and strength. Bones can take anywhere from 3 months or longer BEFORE they begin to increase in density in response to exercise. This is why it’s so important to assess and plan.
If you’re experiencing these types of injuries or recurring injuries despite a consistent running program, you may need to consider factors such as diet, sleep quality, stress, excess physical activity, illness, or your own hormonal cycles. These factors can equally contribute to the development of an injury or increase your risk of injury as much as running too much, too often. So, if you suspect this, speak to your physiotherapist or your GP.
Getting Started
Firstly, you will need to identify a starting point for running. For this, you need to consider what your training history with running has been like? Were you running marathons every few months or just doing a Park Run once a week? How long has it been since you stopped or reduced your running? What other activities have you been doing since then e.g., walking, gym, cycling? I would usually recommend being slightly conservative when identifying a start point.
If you’re returning to running after an injury or surgery, it’s important to consider recommended timelines, and whether you are going to tolerate running at all. For this circumstance, I recommend speaking with a physiotherapist to help figure this out. Common tests I would use to help identify readiness to run include:
· Single leg calf raise test
· Single leg squat test
· Double leg hop test
· Single leg hop test
This isn’t an exclusive list, and often depends on the type of injury you’re returning from. An ankle or a hip injury will include different and more specific testing to get a clearer idea of how much you will tolerate.
To get things started, I will usually prescribe a short duration of running followed by a short duration of rest. Something like this could be a very low start point:
- 5 rounds of (30sec jog/30sec walk) at a slow and comfortable pace.
Whatever the starting point, so long as you recover well and didn’t experience a sustained increase in your pain, you’ve likely gotten it right, and next time you can add a small progression. This could mean adding an extra round of running or making the rounds slightly longer i.e. 45sec jog/45sec walk.
Put simply, find your start point, increase gradually.
How Much and How Often
As mentioned earlier, too much and too often can be a big contributor to running injuries. Building up steadily and sensibly will be helpful, but you also need to consider how many times per week you will run. Yet again, this will depend on healing and surgical timeframes, along with your previous running history. If you haven’t been running for a number of months, then sticking with 2-3 times per week might be the maximum initially. Rest time between sessions allows you to recover fully.
If you do happen to feel a sustained increase in your pain (>24hrs), or it takes a long time (>2-3 days) to recover from a running session, then you may be doing too much, and need to take a step backwards until you’re ready to progress. Remember, time and consistency are your two biggest allies when trying to get more mileage on your legs.
Gimme Speed!
How fast to run? This depends entirely on your goals. Obviously, a field sport athlete (AFL/Rugby/Hockey) will need to run at variable speeds, however if your goal is just to run for health or enjoyment then it may not be necessary to sprint or run fast. I would usually recommend beginning with a steady pace that you can maintain for the session, if you can have a conversation while running without losing breath, this is probably a good pace to maintain. Once you have spent a few weeks at this type of pace, you may begin to tolerate faster speeds. If your goal is to run fast, or you need to sprint for sporting reasons or enjoyment, then adding a speed session can certainly be helpful. I would generally recommend one fast paced/sprint session weekly or fortnightly.
Summary
Injuries are complex, and you need to consider a range of factors when identifying the cause.
When returning to run, consider your running history and be realistic about what is currently achievable for you.
If you are returning from an injury, speak to a physio to help determine your capacity and to develop a plan.
Start small, be slightly conservative, and add volume and intensity slowly.
Listen to your body and watch for any sustained pain symptoms.
Be patient, and consistent.
Enjoy.
