How to Choose Alternative Exercises When Recovering From Running Injuries

By Darcie Murphy,
CTS Ultrarunning Pro Coach

The longer you are engaged in ultramarathon training and racing, the more likely you are to suffer an injury. Research indicates 65% of runners report at least one training-related injuries per year. On average, these injuries lead to 14 lost training days (PMID: 24416176). Well planned training, recovery, and nutrition strategies can mitigate injury risks but not eliminate them. As frustrating as this can be, here is a guide to choosing non-running training options while you are recovering from an injury

How to choose alternative exercises

Determining the best options for alternative exercises is highly individual. Do you enjoy the alternative option(s), or does it feel like a castigation to be forced into a different way of moving? Are the movements of the cross-training activity biomechanically familiar or will it require learning new movement patterns? Is some amount of running or hiking still possible? In this case, one needs to replace some of the previous run volume with an alternative and it may not entail a full shift away from running. What will be the cost to available resources by deploying other modalities with the goal of healing and maintaining fitness? These are just a few of the questions to ask before launching a full-scale engagement with non-running options.

Prioritize Fun

Familiar and enjoyable activities are the best options for alternative training, even if they are not perfect analogs for the physiological demands of running. Maintaining a positive mental outlook while working through an injury is a powerful advantage but can be a challenge. Often athletes derive a high level of self-identity from run training and it can be a significant source of social engagement. Choosing the alternative that is most satisfying, from a personal and social perspective is a good first step.

Seek Physical Similarity

Biomechanically and physiologically, you want to strike a balance between novelty and familiarity. Novel movements and learning new skills can be beneficial overall, particularly to diversify training stressors and spread physical strain across more muscles. However, novel movements also introduce new risks for injury at the same time you’re recovering from an existing injury. On the other hand, movements that are familiar or similar to your previous activities may aggravate the existing injury.

If the goal is to recover and resume your run training program, you may benefit from prioritizing familiar patterns. These allow for more muscle recruitment and coordination which can result in a greater potential for increased levels of training intensity and less muscle soreness. For example, if a competitive swimmer transitions to training for ultramarathons for several years, they’ll likely lose some of the feel for the water. But they’d likely remember and regain much of that technique in a handful of sessions. The stroke patterns would be familiar and likely much of the muscle mass and coordination is intact to a degree.

Compare this to an athlete that has very little exposure to lap or open water swimming. The second athlete may spend most of their time learning to feel comfortable in the water and learning the basics of one or two strokes. The latter example is less likely to allow the athlete to engage with swimming at a high level of cardiovascular intensity. Additionally, their stamina for swimming is likely to be much lower, therefore limiting the time they can dedicate to the cross-training option.

You could replace “swimming” for a host of other activities in the above example, from cycling to various versions of skiing or even strength training. It’s especially important to use strength training cautiously. The less familiar an athlete is with strength training, the more conservative they should be when integrating it into an injury-recovery plan.

Equipment for Cross-Training

Consider the anticipated duration of your injury recovery process when planning for equipment purchases and maintenance costs. Does the investment both financially and from a time perspective make sense? You may be better off with a short-term gym membership rather than purchasing all your own equipment. While spending time in gyms may be very antithetical to some athletes’ view of being an outdoor trail runner, gyms contain equipment that can be very helpful for rehabilitation. Equipment like exercise bikes, ellipticals, rowing machines, and ski erg machines can enable runners to exercise with modified movements that don’t stress existing injuries. Decide what the goals are, ideally in conjunction with a coach and other professionals that are part of your recuperation plan.

Takeaways

Athletes rarely welcome being sidelined. It can be one of the biggest challenges to overcome in sport. But there may be some silver linings. Consider the opportunity to find new friends, develop new abilities and strengths through alternative activities and environments. New settings and routines can be an unexpected chance to ultimately become a stronger athlete and to expand your community. Consider past experiences with cross training modalities, the options you can deploy immediately versus those that require new skills and/or gear. And account for the financial and time resources you’ll need to allocate toward cross training options.

Keep your long-term vision intact. Injuries are part of the running experience for just about every single athlete at one point or another. Be patient and self-supporting and lean on your resilience and the best rehabilitation team available. Your return to running may not be linear but look for positive surprises you can discover along the way. Undoubtedly, you’ll emerge a wiser, stronger and more patient runner!