As the year begins, many things resume or start afresh following some new-year resolutions. Running after the long break is one of those. The end-of-year festivities and the cold season in most parts of the world make December one month when most runners are forced to pause their running.
On the other hand, January is a month in which we are likely to witness new runners taking up the new hobby and others who might have stopped running in the past year deciding to resume.
However, without the right formula, most runners might feel frustrated and abandon their new-found love of running prematurely.
Here are some tips for resuming running after the long break
1. Assess your fitness:
Before resuming running after the break, assess your health and fitness level. If you’ve been inactive for a long time, your fitness level may have decreased, so take things slowly. If you took a break due to an injury or health issue, consult a doctor or physical therapist before resuming.
Start at a level where you feel comfortable, even if it means walking for 20 minutes. Resume with shorter and easier routes. Gradually increase your pace and mileage by at least 10% per week.
2. Build endurance:
The first stages of any successful running program should involve building up mileage before incorporating other workouts later.
When you resume, alternate between jogging and walking for the first few weeks to build endurance and reduce the risk of injury. This will help you slowly shed some weight with less impactful activities and condition your muscles to handle more demanding speeds later in the coming months.
Depending on your fitness level, you may resume your training by walking or moving straight to light jogging. For those who have been inactive for months, I recommend starting with walking. Start by walking for 20-30 minutes several days a week. Once you feel comfortable walking, introduce short intervals of jogging—for example, alternate 30 seconds of jogging with 3 minutes of walking.
As you become more comfortable, gradually increase the time spent jogging and reduce walking intervals.
3. Cross-train:
To build overall fitness without overloading your running muscles, incorporate cross-training activities such as cycling, swimming, or strength training twice to thrice a week.
Set aside some days to focus on strengthening your legs, core, and hips: These muscles play a critical role in running efficiency and injury prevention. A solid strength training plan can help you avoid injury and continue running.
4. Listen to your body:
One time, while training in the same group with the 2010 World Half Marathon Champion, Wilson Kiprop, we had only covered around fifteen minutes into our 1hr 10 minutes easy run. Despite the slow pace, no one in the group talked, and every part of the body was hurting from a hard hill workout session we had done the previous day. Kiprop suddenly stopped and laughed. He then asked us to return to camp and sleep!
Don’t push through pain. If you feel discomfort or fatigue, take a rest day or adjust your training.
Sometimes, runners in a hurry to get fit by training through injury and illness will need more time to achieve their fitness goals. Be patient and flexible, and work towards realistic goals.
5. Set smaller milestones:
When my runners –whom I now coach online- have a goal marathon race sometime later in the year, we often try and find some shorter distance races in between the training cycle so they can get motivated to work on the less challenging goals and get mentally prepared to conquer the bigger goals once done with the less demanding distances.
Likewise, when a runner resumes running, setting small milestones, such as running for a set time or distance, is a good idea to stay motivated.
6. Warm up and cool down properly:
The enemy number one to runners is injury. Include dynamic stretches before running and static stretches afterwards to improve flexibility, reduce soreness, and avoid injuries.
7. Take breaks:
Allow for active rest days between runs. One virtue that makes great runners is patience. It is good to know that recovery is as essential as training runs.
Ensure you include recovery days in your training program.
8. Stay Consistent:
Staying consistent is not the opposite of taking breaks!
Consistency, which means doing something about your fitness day in and day out, is key when getting back into a running routine. Aim to run 2-3 times a week, then gradually increase the frequency as your body adapts.
9. Prioritize your nutrition and hydrate well:
Hydrate and Fuel Properly. Drink enough water before, during, and after your runs, and fuel your body with a balanced diet that supports your energy needs. Here is how the Kenyan elite runners do it.
10. Consider finding a good running coach:
Like in every other field, the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know. The advantage of having a coach is that besides your feeling obligated and answerable to someone for failing to stick to your fitness goals, they probably know a bit more about running as they may have taken some courses and are dealing with more runners whom they get different feedback and understand the common challenges that runners have.
As you resume your running in 2025, note that it should be a gradual process to avoid injury and regain strength and endurance effectively after a break.