Almost all trail runners struggle with running-related injuries, yet few have specific strategies for overcoming these injuries in ways that make them stronger runners or leave their injuries gone for good. Injury cycles or repeated injuries caused by rushing recovery or failing to fix the original weaknesses plague even the best trail runners. Although running is not an outwardly aggressive physical contact sport such as hockey, football, or wrestling, the repeated physical contact on our feet with the ground generates extreme force for our muscles, tendons, and joints that can break down even the best trained and strongest runners.
Injuries may last for days, weeks, months, or even years, leaving some runners feeling lost and missing a large part of their identity. Injured runners often seek to return to the sport they love as quickly as possible and may focus less on the healing process and more on how to return to their training routine or still be able to compete in their next race.
It’s no wonder so many runners fall into the injury cycle trap, yet with a few easy changes to their recovery process. Runners can not only overcome their injuries more quickly but also avoid the pitfalls of injury cycles. Below are my five tips for injured runners who don’t want to rush from one injury to the next but to stay healthy and enjoy long-running careers. Embracing the fact that almost all runners face injuries is the first step to learning from these injuries and returning to the sport with methods that will make you a stronger and more efficient runner.
#1 Are You Really Resting?
Runners typically don’t like to rest, even when injured, and know they need it. Runners may think they’re resting but don’t realize that active daily chores and cross-training activities add stress on the body and can slow down the healing process. When injured, runners often worry about losing fitness and engage in excessive cross-training on bikes, skis, ellipticals, etc. These activities may maintain or increase fitness, yet fitness doesn’t heal injuries.
If your goal is to return to running, then fitness is not the priority as much as focusing on the most essential ingredient in the healing process for almost any injury: rest. Some injuries, such as foot stress fractures, may never fully heal without non-weight-bearing periods of weeks on crutches and/or medical boots. Other injuries, such as Achilles tendonitis, may require an initial period of little physical activity, followed by “active recovery,” which includes light stress to the area or activities that increase blood flow, such as various exercises to improve tendon strength and potentially some short, slow runs. Every injury is unique, and working closely with experienced physical therapists, medical professionals, and experienced running coaches, as well as listening to your body, is the best way to determine how much rest you need.
Photo by: Tayte Pollmann
#2 Isolate and Fix Weaknesses
Most injuries will heal with enough rest and time, yet it’s common for runners to return to running without fixing the root causes of their injuries. This can lead to the same or related injuries in the future. When you return to running, one of the first questions you should ask yourself is, “Did I fix the issues that led to my injury in the first place?” Although this sounds simple, it’s surprising how easy it is to forget to ask ourselves this question. We can easily get excited and caught up in the emotions of how enjoyable it is to be running again after injury, yet neglect weaknesses lingering throughout the recovery process.
Remember that weaknesses in one part of the body often result in injuries in another. A calf strain may be caused by weak glute muscles. When the calf strain heals, the runner may assume their body is ready to run without realizing that they need to fix their hip weakness or the strain will simply return once they return to running. As a general rule, don’t return to running unless you have put in the proper strength work, physical therapy, rest, etc. When you decide to return to running, you should perform specific physical strength assessments on a regular basis as determined by medical or coaching professionals to confirm your body is prepared to handle the specific stress loads of your training. Such assessments might include gait analysis, physical therapy/strength exercises or mobility tests. It is also helpful to evaluate repetitive activities done on a daily basis. How you sit, stand, and walk often provides a window into imbalances. Identifying and fixing your weaknesses is a great way to know your body better than you ever have and prevent injuries.
#3 Chase B Goals, Not A Goals
When coming back from injuries, it’s important to maintain a balance of staying motivated yet not putting too much pressure on yourself to perform at your top level in workouts or races. Coming back from injuries takes time, more time than most think. Chasing large “A goals,” such as completing your first 5K, ultramarathon, or placing well in your age group are great ways to stay motivated and push boundaries when you’re fully healthy and have been training for months or years consistently. However, when coming back from injury, chasing such “A goals” can be detrimental to recovery. The added stress of pushing your limits or training with “race-specific” workouts that mimic the conditions of your race distracts you from the easy, consistent running you should be doing post-injury.
Although I advise steering clear of “A goals,” having no race goals at all can be difficult to deal with mentally. I advise chasing “B goals,” or smaller goals that provide additional motivation and purpose to your training without pushing your body to its limits. Such “B goals” can be gradually working up your mileage to be able to run your favorite long run loop, favorite mountain, or run a local race NOT at race pace but as a slow training run. B goals can inspire you with reasons to perform the healing routines that might be difficult or boring for some runners to perform— daily PT exercises, stretching routines, icing, etc. that can bog down our busy schedules and seem too miniscule to make a difference even when we know they are what’s best for our overall health and wellness. Such routines take on more purpose when you recognize that they are bringing you closer to your B goals and closer to running again. Chase your B goals and after you achieve these, you may find your body is ready to move on to chasing A goals. Follow this process and you’ll be running at your top level in no time.
Photo by: Tayte Pollmann
#4 Increase at the Speed of Your Joints and Tendons, Not Your Muscles and Lungs
Motivated runners can do an exceptional job of staying in shape when they’re injured, yet just because you feel fit enough to pick up right where you left off in your training before your injury, doesn’t mean that you should. Runners can maintain strong cardiovascular fitness through aqua jogging, cross country skiing, cycling or other low-impact training techniques https://trailrunner.com/trail-news/how-to-maintain-and-maximize-fitness-with-low-impact-cross-training/ that can actually improve your cardio beyond what running can do. With this high level of fitness, some runners are tempted to run too fast or too long before their body is ready for increased levels of physical stress.
Although low-impact cross-training techniques can keep your muscles strong and your cardio high, they often fail to prepare your tendons and joints for the heavy impact of running. Strength training, specific PT exercises, and a gradual return to running is the best method for ensuring tendons and joints can handle the loads of your training. Cardio fitness is no indicator of your joints and tendons’ level of strength. I advise working closely with physical therapists, strength coaches and running coaches who have experience working with injured runners. There are many methods for creating effective return to running plans. Listed below are examples of both “accelerated” and “conservative” return to running plans that I find effective for many types of injuries. An “accelerated” plan is best if your injury has only taken you out of training for only days or a few weeks, whereas conservative plans are best for those who have been unable to run for months, years or for more injury-prone athletes.
Accelerated Return:
Day 1: 15 min run
Day 2: 15 min run
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: 25 min run
Day 5: 25 min run
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: 35 min run
Day 8: 35 min run
Day 9: Rest
Increase by ten minutes in each three-day cycle until you have achieved your desired level of weekly running mileage. Then resume your traditional running schedule.
Conservative Return:
Week One: Three 25 minute runs: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Week Two: Four 25 minute runs: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
Week Three: Five 25 minute runs: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
After the first three weeks, repeat the same three day, four day, and five-day weekly running cycle but increase each run by 10 minutes (35 minutes each run instead of 25). After the next three-week cycle, increase by 10 minutes again (45 minutes). Continue this three-week cycle until you have reached your desired weekly mileage.
Photo by: Tayte Pollmann
#5 Accept New Limits
Sadly, there are some injuries serious enough to leave runners changed for the rest of their careers. Extreme cases include Ultrarunner of the Year, Dave Mackey, who lost his leg in an accident and has now become a successful adaptive athlete (check out the incredible story of his Leadman journey here at the Leadville Trail Series Races). Less extreme cases might be surgeries that leave muscles or tendons unable to handle training loads they may have before, degeneration of cartilage in knees, or general imbalance from injuries on one side of the body that never quite reach the same level of performance as the opposite side.
I’m a firm believer that with time and dedicated specific recovery (as well as following the five tips in this article), injured runners will not just return to their level before the injury but reach higher levels than they’ve ever achieved in their running career. This is because of how the process of injury and recovery when done correctly, generates new awareness of your body, eliminates weaknesses you may have never known existed, and creates healthy routines of injury prevention techniques and strength work that non-injured runners rarely recognize the importance of. Injuries can be blessings in disguise. Having your running ability stripped away by injuries is often the best way to understand your strengths and weaknesses. Injuries force us to make critical decisions about the sport we love, while teaching us to adapt to challenges and find new meaning in running and in our lives.
