I have been a runner for about 20 years. At my best, I was running six days a week and could comfortably sign up for a half marathon at a moment’s notice. Even when I considered myself slacking, I was still running three to four days a week. I was consistent… until I wasn’t anymore.
After running three marathons back-to-back—Berlin, New York, and Tokyo—I needed a break. When I tried to start back up again, consistency was the hardest metric to come by. Each time I would head out for a run, I would focus on how far away I was from my previous paces and how long it would take me to run what I used to consider “easy” miles. One thing I know now: Focusing on your former speed only sets you back. It doesn’t move you forward.
I learned that lesson because the last time I tried to hit my old running pace, I pulled my hamstring. It was silly, really. I was just finishing up a very slow run on the treadmill and decided to try and sustain my old pace just to see if I could. The first few seconds gave me a mini runner’s high—a feeling I had been missing—because it made me feel like my old pace was possible. Then I felt the twinge in the back of my thigh. And just like that, weeks of work went down the drain.
Fast forward through a few more failed attempts at making a return to running and about two years later, and I am back at it now—with a new approach to my comeback. Because life got in the way, and a lot of my activity got put on the back burner, I know my body has changed. My mechanics are off, running feels hard on my joints, and my body hurts. But I know this is totally normal.
When you’re coming back to running after a break, your body will feel different—even if your memory of your old splits isn’t. So, while you may think you’re ready to ramp up right now, your body isn’t on the same page.
“Endurance capabilities reduce rather quickly when an athlete halts their training,” explains Natalie Niemczyk, DPT, CSCS, a strength and conditioning coach, RRCA run coach, and running technique specialist. “Within two to four weeks of detraining, there’s a notable decrease in cardiovascular efficiency, such as VO₂ max.”
This is why what once felt like an easy pace will feel significantly harder now. Not to mention your muscular strength, activation, coordination, and range of motion have also taken a hit.
“But the piece that tends to catch returning runners off guard is connective tissue,” says eight-time marathoner Jamilé Ramírez, a certified running coach and founder of Waypoint Run Club in New York City. “Tendons, ligaments, and cartilage bounce back more slowly than your cardiovascular fitness does, and that gap is exactly where injuries happen. When you jump back in at your old pace, you’re putting load on tissue that isn’t ready to absorb it.”
Neuromuscular coordination—the efficiency and communication behind your stride—also takes time to return. “Push too hard before it does, and compensatory movement patterns set in, which is one of the most common causes of overuse injuries,” says Ramírez. “Patience in the early weeks is what separates a successful comeback from another setback.”
Knowing you must rebuild all these systems should help you understand why you shouldn’t chase old splits. And as someone who has had to rally around running more than a few times, I know that running by feel is a much better strategy. “Feel-only runs give you permission to meet yourself where you actually are, not where you used to be,” says Ramírez.
Plus, “going by feel keeps it fun and stress-free,” adds Amanda Allen Nurse, a marathoner and certified run coach. “When you’re enjoying the run, you’ll want to do it again, and again, thus creating a positive association to running again.”
Remember: Pace is just a number. “It can’t tell you how your lungs feel, whether your legs are fatigued, or if your body is ready to handle more. Running by effort—by how you genuinely feel—is the most honest conversation you can have with your body. The comeback starts with listening, not chasing,” says Ramírez.
These coach-approved tips will help ground you in all the feels as you chart your course back to PR city. Before any run, though, remember to spend three to five minutes warming up with dynamic stretches and drills to help improve range of motion and minimize risk of injury from tightness or poor form, advises Nurse.
Make RPE Your Go-To Metric
Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) is your best friend when you’re rebuilding your base. Ramírez says to think of RPE on a 1-to-10 scale: 10 is an all-out sprint and 1 is a leisurely walk. “When you’re returning to running, your easy runs should land between a 3 and a 4—a pace where you could hold a full conversation, breathe comfortably, and feel like you could keep going for hours,” she says. “If you’re gasping, you’ve gone out too hard. Consistency at a low effort will always outrun one heroic workout that leaves you sidelined.”
What’s more: Working at a conversational pace “trains the cardiovascular system and improves the overall strength of your heart, improves your musculoskeletal system’s ability to utilize oxygen, and prepares your muscles, tendons, and ligaments for the demands of running,” adds Niemczyk.
Leave the Watch at Home
Like many runners, I am addicted to my Apple Watch. If I’m not logging miles (or any workout for that matter) and seeing those activity rings close, I get annoyed. What’s even more frustrating: looking at my watch and seeing a much slower pace or shorter distance than what I used to see. I get so frustrated, and it ruins the whole run for me.
“When you’re rebuilding, your watch has a way of pulling you out of the run and into your head,” says Ramírez. “Staring at your pace invites comparison to a version of yourself that no longer exists, and that comparison is where discouragement lives.”
Her advice: Give yourself a handful of watch-free runs where the only goal is to get out the door and move. And while you’re at it, take note of what feels good and what doesn’t. “Let running be a joy again before you let it become a metric,” Ramírez says.
Pick a Single Focus
When I run, I try to pick something to focus on, like a tree, building, or how many city blocks I want to cross off. It breaks up the run for me and makes it more approachable.
Nurse also suggests pressing play on an album or playlist you love. Getting lost in a set number of songs can be a simple way to dictate time on your feet rather than a distance, as well as get you out of your own head. Plus, a 2022 study in the Journal of Human Kinetics reveals that music helps boost runners' total distance covered by 10 percent.
I also break up songs, saying I’ll run through the chorus or a verse, just to help chunk the miles even more.
Don’t Sleep on Cross-Training
Great news: Easing back into running doesn’t have to mean logging miles every single day. Low-impact cross-training like swimming, cycling, yoga, or Pilates can help get you up to speed (pun intended) as it supports your aerobic capacity while giving your body time to adapt, notes Ramírez. “It’s a gentler on-ramp that builds your engine without the repeated impact running demands. You’ll come back to running feeling fresher, and your body will thank you for it,” she says.
Rozalynn S Frazier is an award-winning, multimedia journalist, and certified personal trainer living in New York City. She has created content for SELF, Health, Essence, Runner's World, Money, Reebok, Livestrong, and others.