As a running coach, I often hear from runners who have to take some time off from running, whether it’s due to illness, injury, vacation, or an extremely busy schedule. They’re sometimes panicked that the days off will ruin all the progress they’ve made up until that point, and they immediately need to know how to get back to running after a break.
I always tell runners to not beat themselves up about missing some days. I don’t know any runners who haven’t had to skip some of their training for one reason or another. So don’t worry! Things happen during the course of training for a race and adjustments can be made. Here’s some expert advice on what to do if you’ve taken some time off from running.
Should I Make Up Days I Missed on my Training Schedule?
If you miss some runs on your schedule, don’t give into the temptation to try to add more miles to future workouts or sneak in an extra run on a rest day. You shouldn’t cram for a race like you might while studying for an exam. And doing so might lead to overuse injuries and extreme fatigue from overtraining. Instead, if your training has gotten derailed, follow the below advice, depending on how much time you’ve missed.
What to Do After a Few Days Off from Running
If you’ve been off for a few days, don’t sweat it. It’s possible to take up to a week off from running without losing any ground. In fact, a few days of rest may even improve your performance, especially if you’ve been feeling exhausted and sore. But after a week of not training, you’ll quickly start to lose your fitness — a lot faster than it took you to build it up.
If you’ve been suffering from a cold or other short-term illness, make sure you’re healthy enough to get back to running. The general rule of thumb for running with a cold is that if your symptoms are from the neck up (sore throat, runny nose, etc.), then it’s OK to run with a cold.
If your symptoms are below the neck (chest congestion, diarrhea, etc.), it’s best to wait until you’re feeling completely healthy.
If you haven’t run for less than seven days, don’t attempt to “make up” the miles you missed. Just get back to your training schedule and move on.
You may feel a bit sluggish during your first run back, but give it another run or two, and you should feel like you did before your break.
What to Do After a Week or Two Off from Running
If you’ve been out for only a week or two, start at about half the distance you were running before you stopped.
If you were recovering from an injury, go easy when you first return to running because if you run too hard, you risk re-injuring yourself. You should be able to build back to your former level in a couple of weeks.
What to Do After Two or More Weeks Off from Running
With a layoff of more than two weeks, you need to be more conservative. If you’ve been injured, be certain that you’re definitely ready to come back. Are you under the care of a doctor or physical therapist? Make sure you’re cleared to run again.
If you’re not ready to come back, you could possibly cross-train in the meantime, as long as you’re not re-aggravating your injury.
Follow these tips for dealing with the emotional impact of a running injury, so you don’t get too bummed out about not being able to run.
Once you’re ready to run again, don’t assume you have to run your entire distance. Start with a run/walk approach. As you build your endurance, you’ll be able to extend your running segments and reduce your walking time.
When you first return to running, make sure you give yourself enough rest time in between runs. During the first week or two, take a day off after every running day.
Follow a Training Schedule
If you’re not training for a race, but you want to get back into a consistent running routine, you may want to follow a beginner training plan such as this 30-Day Beginner Running Schedule.
Not only will a training schedule keep you more motivated, but sticking to it will also ensure that you don’t do too much too soon, which often leads to re-injury.
More Beginner Training Schedules:
- How to Build Up to Running for 30 Minutes Without a Break
- 5K Training Plan for Beginner Runners
- 10K Training Plan for Beginner Runners
- 4 Week Beginner Training Plan to Run 2 Miles
Running coach, avid runner, and fitness writer Christine Luff is an RRCA-certified running coach and ACE-certified personal trainer. Founder of the website Run for Good and author of the book Run for Good: How to Create a Lifelong Running Habit, she coaches runners, from beginners to advanced, who are training for races, from 5Ks to marathons.
It’s so tempting to go and give it your all after a long break, but you’re right. It’s better to take it easy and slowly get back to it. I’ll keep this saved for when I can finally go again. Thank you!
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