3w ago

Training plans for the easily injured?

I've been running for two years and I love a structured training plan from an app, as it keeps me motivated. However, I have tried humango (I also swim/bike) and garmin training plans and even with having data from my previous runs, they always make me go too fast and too far. For example, I'm trying a garmin 10k plan and told it I ran 1-8 km/week before starting, and it has me doing 12k first week, 18k second week and the third week starts with a 12k long run! This is when I set my goal date in october, so plenty of time to build up slow. I have had trouble with shin splints in the past and try to keep to the 10% rule (even 5% when I do other sports) but this means I cannot follow these training plans. A lot of training plans for 10k also require 4 runs a week, while I cannot do more than 3 without feeling like I'm pushing myself to hard. Does anyone know a nice training plan or app that can link to a sports watch and doesn't go overboard on distance?

5 comments

Perhaps the plans in 80/20 Running by Matt Fitzgerald would work. The level one plan has one day off per week and three days of cross-training (or easy running.) I've found that, as I have aged, cross-training works better from me than running too much and getting injured.
I think running lots would be better for getting faster, BUT you can't run lots if you are injured. Second best is a structured plan incorporating cross-training.
If you're at a sub-10k week and still having issues i would probably start with a C25K program and probably start doing some strength training alongside of that. If the C25K is still too much, just walk and do strength training until you can manage it.
- So with sub-10k weeks I don't have issues and I have done a 10k race this year already. My problem is that I want to follow a plan for a slightly faster 10k but all the plans go way to high in distance. I hope to build up to 20-30k weeks and have done 16k weeks before.
this book was written to help new runners avoid injuries and to help them slowly and safely train to the point of being able to run a race:
The Beginning Runner’s Handbook: The Proven 13-Week RunWalk Program by Ian MacNeill and Sport Medicine Council of British Columbia
It may not be as relevant to you as you have been running for 2 years, but I highly recommend this book as a way to train while avoiding injury, especially to anyone else in this thread who are new runners looking for a resource.
I also had lots of shin splints when I was a beginner runner, and I followed this training program. I essentially just repeated weeks in the program as many times as it took until I was pain free and able to progress to the next week (basically each week incorporates more solid blocks of running and fewer walking breaks, so the first weeks of the program start with the most walking and least running, and the final weeks are when you're just running the whole time).
- Sounds like a really good suggestion and way to proceed.