As a runner, there’s probably nothing more frustrating than when you can’t run.

Here are 8 ways to maintain your fitness when injured, so don't despair.

Over the course of my running career, there have been several times when an injury has kept me from doing what I love most.

I have been competitively running for 32 years and working in sports clinics for over 20 years.

During this time, I have had seven ankle fractures; two ankle operations; a knee arthroscopy, and a ruptured calf muscle – just to name a few. So I personally understand the devastation runners feel when told they can't run.

My experience of having sustained these injuries has helped me to develop practical and reliable treatment and rehabilitation plans that help runners keep fit when injured and return to running as soon as possible.

While some medical practitioners will tell runners to stop training, I try to do everything possible to help runners maintain their fitness, improve their form and return to running with a better technique.

Depending on the injury, there are activities runners can do to mimic running, strengthen the relevant muscles, and help to speed up their recovery. Not all of these are for everyone, but I recommend you give them a try and find something that helps you keep your hard-earned fitness and sanity!

8 ways to maintain your fitness when injured

1. Pool running

Also known as aqua jogging, it is one of the most effective cross-training methods for runners sidelined by injury. This low-impact yet high-resistance exercise is an excellent way to engage the same group of muscles used when running.  It’s harder to keep the same posture or maintain the same cadence (steps per minute) when pool running, but because it closely mimics the movement pattern of running, it provides a great cardio workout and helps maintain most of your running-specific muscles.

You can purchase a running belt to keep you in an upright position and work in some drills to keep you focused. Adding in some variations like one-minute maximum pace or Tabata drills can help keep you focused and maintain your fitness.  Grab some waterproof headphones and you are in business.

2. AlterG anti-gravity treadmill

This space-like treadmill has revolutionised medical rehabilitation in recent years. Its unweighting technology allows injured athletes to start running again through reducing gravity’s impact by selecting any weight between 20 to 100 per cent of your body weight by one per cent increments. The AlterG is the next best thing to running, without putting more stress on injured muscles or bones”. A session on the AlterG isn’t cheap though, with the average price being $1 per minute.

3. Stair walking

Depending on the injury, a great way to build strength and rehabilitate your body back from injury and into running again is stair walking. The plyometric motion strengthens the same muscles as lunges and squats, helps to improve balance, and taxes your lungs and heart as you power to the top.

4. Walk and run

If you’re used to going for runs that last longer than 30 minutes, but are too injured to do this, then a good alternative is to lightly jog for say five minutes and walk for 20 minutes. This ratio of running to walking depends on the severity of your injury. I recommend following this interval table to structure your return to running.

A run/ walk approach will gently ease you back into running, while still giving you the mental satisfaction of getting outdoors and making progress while you are injured.

Ideally, you want to combine this with some strength, stability, and stretching, I call this Body Maintenance.

Proper Body Maintenance will help you build a stable core and muscle strength to avoid the injury from reoccurring. I recommend you try this Free Cross-Training Program. It includes 4 weeks of planned strength exercises and advice on what exercises are suitable for different types of injuries.

5. Replace one love with another

It might be hard to love two things equally, but try replacing running with another sport you enjoy such as swimming or cycling. The reason people run is usually because they get more of a high from running than they do from any other form of exercise.  If runners are injured then they should replace running with something that is just as enjoyable, yet still gives them a decent workout, so that it’s sustainable.

Some ideas are spin or indoor cycling, rowing or kayaking, swimming, or aqua aerobics. Something that gets you out in nature is always good for the soul.

6. Avoid High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

If you’re returning from injury avoid high-intensity interval training unless it’s all non-impact exercise such as boxing. There are plenty of activities you can do to get your heart rate up, but the high-impact jumping, landing, and sprinting that is a feature of HIIT is the worst thing you can do.

7. Monitor the pain

When returning to running following an injury, the best guideline to keep you from going backward in your recovery is pain. Returning to running following an injury doesn’t need to be completely pain-free, but it shouldn’t make an injury feel worse or create any new niggles.

The last thing you want to do is stir up the pain by overtraining too early. When you start back running, closely monitor the pain level, and if it’s slight and doesn’t get worse the day after, then gradually increase your training – but take it slow. This interval schedule is a great way to safely reintroduce running and monitor your pain level.

8. Stop injuries before they happen

If you’ve been injured it’s worthwhile seeing a physiotherapist, podiatrist or running technique coach to help get to the bottom of why you got injured in the first place. Choose a healthcare practitioner who is actually a runner, as they will have a much better understanding of the loads and stresses involved.

The single biggest factor that causes injuries in runners is doing too much too soon. The second factor is the way people run, so if you can improve the way you run you’re less likely to get injured.

Having a biomechanical assessment to see how the body moves when you run can be a real eye-opener for runners. Screening helps to anticipate any potential problem areas in the body and gives runners practical advice on how to adjust their running technique and what exercises they should be doing to reduce the likelihood of injury dashing their running dreams.

Free 4-Week Cross-Training Program

The Free 4 Week Cross-Training Program is a great way to maintain your fitness and build strength while you can't run.