Most running injuries do not come from running. They come from running more than the body was ready for. That is true of the injury that brought you in, and it is true of the comeback.
Earn the run first
Before the first run we want three things: walking thirty minutes without symptoms, ten single-leg calf raises on the sore side that match the other side, and a pain-free single-leg hop. If any of those is missing, we work on that first. It usually takes a week or two, and it saves a month of setbacks.
The walk-run ladder
Start with one minute running, two minutes walking, repeated eight times. If the next day feels fine, add a minute of running and take a minute of walking away. In four weeks you are running twenty minutes straight. It feels slow. It is faster than doing it twice.
What “fine” means
A little stiffness the morning after is normal. Pain during the run that changes how you move, or pain the next day that is worse than the day before, means you drop back one rung and hold there for two sessions.
If you are not sure which rung you are on, that is what we are here for.