Don’t Rush Into Running! Build Yourself Back Up With Walking

If you haven’t been running for a while, perhaps you’ve been out of action due to and injury – or simply life has got a bit busy and its been hard to get round to your training programme – it’s important to build tissue tolerance and get back to running safely.

It can be exciting to finally be ready to hit the road, and you may want to just cover the same distances you used to before your break. But if you go all in straight off the bat – you may find that you are putting yourself at risk of developing an injury. Without proper preparation, you risk overloading your muscles, tendons, and joints, setting the stage for injury.

Walking is the perfect bridge between inactivity and full-on running. It’s a low-impact activity that gently reintroduces movement to your body, allowing you to build tissue tolerance gradually. Walking puts less stress on your body compared to running, allowing your muscles, tendons, and ligaments to adapt to the demands of movement again. It’s like a warm-up for your entire musculoskeletal system, preparing it for more intense activity.

By starting with walking, you reduce the risk of overuse injuries common among runners returning from a break. It gives your body time to rebuild strength and resilience without overwhelming it with sudden stress.

You can tailor the pace, duration, and terrain to suit your current fitness level and comfort. As you feel more confident and capable, you can gradually increase the intensity by incorporating intervals of brisk walking or gentle jogging.

Remember, patience is key when reintroducing running into your routine. Rushing the process can lead to big setbacks and prolong your journey back to running.

Our team have put together two great programmes to help you build your tissue tolerance;

1. Return to Run Programme for those coming back from injury is a great starting point and manages your training load as you recover.
2. Starter 5k aimed at those building towards their first 5k run, getting you confidently to the start line.