How to get back on track

ErickM5500

Good afternoon,
Around October of 2022 I felt a strange pain in my left knee while running this pain continued to increase until I couldn’t run/jump anymore without feeling discomfort. I went to my doctor who told me it was runners knee and that I needed to stop running while it heals. The pain never went away and I wasn’t able to do my favorite physical activity…. Running. The holidays came and went and without being able to run I gained a lot of weight. I recently changed doctors and my new doctor ordered X-ray and turned out I actually suffered a partial tear in my meniscus she explained that I was lucky and that the tear occurred in a manner where it actually healed itself however I did need physical therapy to help with mobility.
Before the injury I was 190-195 running 20-25 miles a week at 6-8 min/mile I’m now 225 struggling to run a mile under 13 min. Can anyone help with a running routine to get me back on track? I began running after boot camp so I was in great shape when I stated so it was easy to pick up running as a hobby but now I feel heavy and sluggish

StevefromMichigan

Running is very stressful on the knees. I tried it years ago, but had to give it up for this reason. Now, I get my cardio primarily on the elliptical, which is low impact and much better on the knees. YMMV.

Lietchi

To build back your fitness level, I would suggest doing run-walk intervals. The Couch to 5k program is a well known version of this. I wouldn't focus on speed, first build up your endurance (although I know it's hard to resist when you're trying to get back to a previous fitness level).

As for your knee: if you haven't do so already, I'd make sure you're using appropriate footwear (some stores offer gait analysis). Running surface also makes a difference: woodchip trails are good if you run outdoors (but not easy to find, depending on where you are) and I find treadmills also reduce the impact on the knees (although that will depend on the specific model).

spiriteagle99

I second the idea of doing walk run. After surgery sidelined me for two months, I found an online plan for returning to running after injury and more or less followed it until I was able to run the distance I wanted (currently around 6 miles). I am still much slower than I used to be, but I can run pain free. https://thebodymechanic.com.au/guide-to-return-to-running-after-injury/