Coming back from injury or illness
We, as runners, have all fallen victim to injury and illness which sidetracks us for a while. I was there and had to reduce my training for Grandma’s marathon to 3 to 4 days a week. I didn’t reach my goal time and my longest run was 13 miles during training; but I was able to finish strong. Sometimes – we have to do what we can do. If you can’t train for a while that is okay – this time period of injury or illness will pass.
My advice to returning to running after injury or illness if the following:
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Start easy – go out and run – see how your body feels and see how far you can go. Then walk and then try running again. Basically, do a Run/Walk method based on how your body feels until you are just running again.
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Make sure to go to your Physical Therapy (PT) sessions and do your exercises every day! Ask your doctor for a referral to PT if you have been ill because you are a runner – typically they have no problem doing this.
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Take baby steps back at it and know that it won’t be easy; but, it will get better and you will be back where you were in no time at all!
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If you need a plan – use Couch to 5K (C25K) for motivation; however, make sure to listen to your body and if you have any pain then stop and rest.
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Once you can run for a few miles or run/walk for a few miles then sign up for a 5K to keep the motivation going.
Coming soon: Happy Healthy Holidays Challenge – Join the Focus on Fitness Facebook group to learn more!
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