The first run back often goes better than you feared. Your breathing settles, your legs remember the rhythm, and a few runs in it can feel as if you never stopped. That feeling is why these plans hold you back. Your engine comes back within weeks, while tendons and bone take months, so the comeback feels easiest just when your slowest tissues are least ready.
Who these plans are for. All 10 plans here are Buena Vida plans, written for runners who stepped away for a few weeks to a couple of months. They ask you to run from the start, 6 to 21 miles in the first week with a first long run of 2 to 6 miles.
Pick by what you ran before. The beginner versions suit someone who was running roughly 10 to 20 miles a week before the break. The advanced versions are for runners who carried about 25 to 45 miles across 5 or 6 days. Pick the number of days that matches your old week, too.
6 weeks or 12. The 6-week plans get you running again and finish on their biggest week, so you can step straight into a base or race plan. The 12-week plans spread the climb over twice as long, usually end a little higher, and finish on a lighter week.
What's inside. Every run is easy. The only quick running is a few strides (short, relaxed pickups) at the end of some easy runs, starting around week 3. Strength sits on the calendar every week, and every fourth week is lighter. The plans also lean on one rule: if a week feels like too much, run it again before moving on. Repeating a week is part of the plan, not a failure.
Coming back from an injury, an illness or a baby. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist before you start. After a pregnancy, look for one who works with runners. Their advice comes before anything in a plan, and if something hurts in a way that isn't tiredness, stop and check in with them.
If the break was longer. If a 2-mile run in week 1 sounds like a lot, start gentler. The Start Running plans begin with short jogs and walk breaks and take you to 30 minutes of running.
What to expect. Your old pace will tempt you, and running slower than you used to can sting. Within a couple of months the same easy pace usually starts to feel easier, often sooner for returning runners.
If none of these fits your week, Buena Vida can get you a personal return-to-running plan set to your schedule and pace. Try it free for 7 days.
No plans match. Try another level or a different number of run days.
Buena Vida return-to-running plans
Want a plan made for you?
Buena Vida is a running app that puts training plans, workout tracking and daily nutrition in one place. Tell it your race, your fitness and the days you can run, and you'll get a personal plan set to your schedule and pace, with coaching on every run and food targets that keep up with your training.
Try it free for 7 days. After that, it's $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month, and you can cancel anytime.