Back to running: the plan we give almost everyone
Walk, then run a little, then run a little more. The boring plan that works, and the three rules that go with it.
Whether you are coming back from a sore knee, an operation or a baby, the way back to running looks surprisingly similar. It starts with walking and it goes up in small steps.
The three rules
One: pain up to 3 out of 10 during a run is fine, as long as it has settled by the next morning. If it has not, the next run is a step back, not a day off.
Two: change one thing at a time. Distance, speed or hills. Never two in the same week.
Three: two strength sessions a week are part of the plan, not an extra. Twenty minutes is enough.
The first two weeks
Three times a week, on days with a rest day between: walk five minutes, then alternate one minute of easy running with one minute of walking, ten times. If that goes well twice, make it two minutes running and one walking.
It feels too easy. That is the point. Nikos will tell you he has never seen anyone injured by a plan that was too easy, and he has seen a lot of the other kind.
Come and try it with us on a Saturday morning at the stadium.