Performing a successful come back long term running injury can be a very difficult challenge. It is amazing how quickly the body loses fitness after an extended time off from exercise. Planning a successful come back takes a lot of patience, self-reflection, and knowledge of proper training techniques.
Patience: A successful comeback will not happen in a day, a week, or even a month. In order to rebuild your fitness, you must be willing to take a day off whenever you feel pain. It may be tough to give up a day or two of running, but you should expect minor setbacks in a come back from a long term injury. Also, do not plan to immediately jump into races. Give yourself a few months to get your legs back under you prior to competing against other runners.
Self-Reflection: Sometimes it can be difficult to look yourself in the mirror and be critical. However, unless you do a self-assessment of your running routine, your running come back could be derailed by the same mistakes that got you injured in the first place. Ask yourself the tough questions prior to your come back: Did you ignore your body’s pain signals prior to getting injured? Did you increase your mileage too quickly? Did you run in ill-fitting running shoes? Did you run in too many races? Unless you perform a thorough self-analysis, your injuries could repeat themselves.
Proper Training Techniques: Related to the need for self-reflection is the importance of understanding proper training techniques. For example, it is important to realize that increasing mileage by more than 10% per week can increase your injury risk. Additionally, performing difficult workouts two days in a row (without a rest day in between) can also lead to injuries. Running day after day on hilly terrain can also cause problems, such as achilles tendonitis. Understanding proper running principles by taking time to read this web site, and reviewing good running books can help you avoid injuries in your come back.
