“The most common mistake people make is running too fast”—an expert coach explains how to ease back into running after time off

It’s been a while since I dusted off my running shoes. Call me a fairweather runner if you like, but I doubt I’m the only one lacing up now the days are longer and the sun is brighter.

That said, with a half marathon looming, and having spoken to running coach James Stirling—aka London Fitness Guy—on his expert strategies for getting race-ready, I won’t be rushing my return back to race pace.

“One of the most common mistakes people make when training for an event like a half marathon or a marathon is they run their easy runs too fast,” Stirling tells Fit&Well. “The whole point of those runs is to allow your body time to adapt to increased mileage.”

So what should you do instead? Stirling recommends three rules for easing back into running and reaching the start—and finish—line injury-free.

3 rules for getting back into running

1. Get started with a run-walk program

“If you’re looking to get back into running after a prolonged break, the best protocol to follow is to begin with a run-walk program,” says Stirling. This applies to complete novices and experienced runners alike.

As the name suggests, run-walk training combines intervals of running followed by intervals of walking, set by distance, time or effort.

“It’s a great way to ease yourself back into running while reducing the risk of injury,” says Stirling.

Here are three simple ways to structure your run-walks:

1. By distance: run 200m, then walk 200m, repeat 10 times
2. By time: run 60secs, then walk 30secs, repeat 10 times
3. Effort: run until you reach 5/10 effort, then walk until you reach 2/10 effort, repeat 10 times (based on 1/10 being minimal effort and 10/10 being an all-out sprint)

Each week aim to increase the intervals you run or decrease the intervals you walk to ensure progression.

2. Follow the 10% rule

Now you’re comfortable with a regular routine, how do you build mileage safely? Stirling recommends following the 10% rule: increase your total weekly distance or the mileage of your longest run by no more than 10%.

“What you don’t want to do is jump from doing 5K for your long run, straight into a 10K the next week,” says Stirling.

“If you build by a maximum of 10% each week, it should help to prevent overuse and reduce the risk of injury, while providing enough of a challenge to improve your fitness week on week.”

When training for a race, it’s a good idea to work out how far you want your longest long run to be and calculate how long it will take to build up to that distance from your current level, taking the 10% rule into account.

For instance, you’ll need eight weeks to go from a 5K long run to 10K, if you increase the distance by 10% each week.

3. Microdose running-specific strength training

Finding time to run is one thing, finding time to strengthen your muscles with resistance training is quite another, but also crucial.

“What can be really hard for a lot of people is being able to balance strength training and running,” says Stirling. “It’s quite time-intensive.”

To squeeze it in alongside your running, Stirling suggests “microdosing strength workouts across your week”. Adding just 15-20 minutes at the end of your runs could make all the difference between making the start line in good shape and sitting out your race altogether.

Stirling recommends focusing on running-specific exercises that mimic the demands of running, like single-leg movements and plyometrics—dynamic moves like pogo hops, jumping lunges and broad jumps. He also says training the soleus muscle (one of the muscles in the calf) is vital, with bent-knee calf raises and tip-toe walks.

Try this strength workout for runners Stirling posted on Instagram, which he says covers the three types of movement every runner should do—strength, explosive and plyometric.

“These are the foundations for all my clients who want to build strength and prevent injury,” says Stirling he says.

Add one round of this circuit to the end of your shorter weekly runs, resting for 30 seconds between exercises. As your training progresses, aim to increase repetitions, load or repeat more rounds of the circuit.