This is part two of my stress fracture for runners series. In this article you will learn about the treatment plan for stress fractures as well as how to return to running after sustaining this injury.

I had done everything ‘’right’’ during my fall 2022 marathon training. I was getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night, I was fueling my body properly, staying on top of my strength training, and following my running program to a tee.

Yet, the week before my marathon, the thing I dreaded the most as a runner happened: a stress fracture. Only at the time, I didn’t know I had a stress fracture.

As runners, it is not uncommon to feel pain when we run. Uncommon, however, does not necessarily mean normal. This article aims to shed light on the topic of running with pain. When is it best to rest and when can we keep pushing through the pain?

Research tells us that about 50% of runners will suffer from Achilles Tendinopathy during their running life. (1) That is huge! Furthermore, Achilles Tendinopathy is one of the most common running-related injuries overall alongside medial tibial stress syndrome and plantar fasciitis. (2) Even more reason to try to understand what we can do to treat it and/or reduce the risk of having it even though we can never do this at 100%.

When considering running plans, one of the questions I get the most as a physiotherapist is “How often should I be running?”. I would love to be able to give a one size fits all answer. However, like most things in the fitness and rehab industry, “it depends”. With this article, my goal is to shed a bit of light on this topic and establish the recommended number of times per week to run.