How to get back into running | 3 top tips you need to know

Returning to running after a break can be challenging—sometimes even more daunting than starting from scratch. 

We find ourselves comparing our current abilities to what we used to accomplish: the paces we could sustain and the weekly mileage we once conquered. 

It’s frustrating, but here’s a sliver of good news—despite how it feels, you’re not starting from square one.

Some studies ^{1 2} suggest that your muscles retain their adaptations to training for quite some time, which can mean a faster return to running.

When you embark on your return to running journey, whether it’s after a break or post-pregnancy, your body requires time to rebuild musculoskeletal strength—strengthening your bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. 

While it’s crucial to be cautious and gradually increase your weekly mileage to avoid injuries, restarting your running routine can be easier compared to someone who’s never run before.

If you’re ready to discover how to reintegrate running into your life, you’ve come to the right place. 

Today, we’ll dive into strategies for rebuilding your running fitness, establishing a solid running foundation, and uncovering the motivation you need to stay on track.

Let’s get started.

Affiliate Disclosure: I’m here to help you grow as a rider and runner. So to keep things running smoothly and the content free, I participate in the Amazon Services program and select affiliate networks. So, when you click on those affiliate links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

HOW TO GET BACK INTO RUNNING

Starting running again after a long break? Here’s how to rebuild your running fitness

Although you’ve run before and your muscles hold onto the adaptations from your running history, you’ll still need to rebuild your running stamina gradually to avoid injury.

Begin with walking workouts and work your way up to walking for 30 minutes. Once you can walk for 30 minutes without pain, keep this going for at least another 2 weeks to rebuild your running fitness.  

We’re starting with walking workouts because walking is a low-impact and gradual way to build your running muscles without risk of injury.  

Then, use walk-run intervals to get your body accustomed to the high-impact nature of running. 

In this phase, you’ll keep the total workout time the same—30 minutes—but you’ll throw in a few seconds of running in this walk-run workout. 

Your walk-run workout might look like this:

• Do a warmup routine for runners, such as walk for 10 minutes to warm up the body
• Walk for 45 seconds, run for 15 seconds
• Repeat walk/run intervals 10 times
• Walk for 10 minutes to cool down

You can play around with the walk/run interval ratios*, but keep the walking warm up and cool down to ensure you’re not doing too much too soon. 

*For example, you could walk for 50 seconds and run for 10 seconds. Or you could walk for 30 seconds and run for 30 seconds.

As you continue with walk/run workouts, extend your running time while reducing your walking time to run for longer blocks of time. 

Do walk-run intervals every other day to give your body time to rest.
Extending your running intervals and building up to running continuously for 30 minutes will take a few weeks, and once you do so, you can continue to rebuild your running stamina to run faster, train for a 5K, 10K, half marathon, or a marathon.

Continue to rebuild your running stamina

Now that you can run nonstop for a half hour, where should you take your running? How much should you run a week? 

Your weekly mileage is personal and unique to you—there’s no ‘right’ mileage to aim for a week because as runners, we have different goals, schedules, and susceptibility to injury. 

Consider these questions as you set out to find your ideal weekly running mileage:

What’s your running goal? A specific running goal will give you motivation, purpose, and direction, especially if you choose to do a race. That’s because a training plan naturally gives you mini goals (such as weekly mileage) to reach before the end goal (your race.)

Do you want to run for fun or do you want to train for a race? If you want to run for fun, your running mileage can be more flexible than if you want to train for a race. 

If you’re running a 5K or 10K, consider a minimum mileage of roughly 20-30 miles a week.

If you’re running a half-marathon or marathon, consider a minimum mileage of roughly 35-40 miles a week to build the endurance needed for longer distances. 

What’s your schedule? How much time can you spend running every week? Are you injury prone? If you are, you may have to adjust the number of miles you run in a week and focus on strength training for runners.

Staying motivated on your return to running

Returning to running after a long break has its twists and turns, so I hope the following tips can help ease the frustration that may arise throughout this process. 

If you’re frustrated because your running isn’t where it used to be, remember that you don’t have to rush this process because your endurance will come back with every walk and run you do. You’re setting aside time to move your body, and that’s always an accomplishment. 

It can help if you record your runs—the days you went for a run, the time you spent running, and how you felt—because your notes will help you monitor your progress and remind you of how far you’ve come. 

If you’ve felt unmotivated for several days, take a break. You may be tired or stressed, and taking a day (or a few) to rest may be what you need to get your motivation back. 

If you’re bored with your running routine, shake things up with a new trail, go for a hike (the hills will work your hips, hamstrings, glutes, and calves), or try some at-home leg workouts for runners. 

Yes, returning to running after a break can be hard—sometimes more so than setting out to run for the first time because it’s too easy to compare ourselves to the past. 

But you also have an essential tool that you’ve picked up during your past running journey that will help you on your return to running—the mental toughness to keep going.

---

Sources