If you’ve been running long enough, you’ve probably tangoed with an injury or two. Maybe it was a cranky Achilles, an IT band flare-up, or that one knee that only complains when you go downhill. It’s annoying, it’s discouraging, and it always seems to show up right when training’s going well.
But what if you could dramatically reduce the risk of getting sidelined in the first place — or at least make your comeback smoother when you do? That’s where prehab and rehab come in.
They’re not buzzwords. They’re the bookends of smart, sustainable training.
Prehab: The Work That Keeps You Running
Prehab (short for prehabilitation) is proactive injury prevention — the kind of work most runners skip until something hurts. It’s the body-maintenance work that builds durability instead of just fitness.
Think of it like changing the oil before the engine light comes on.
Prehab isn’t about doing fancy PT exercises on a stability ball. It’s about reinforcing your movement foundation — your strength, mobility, and coordination — so you can handle the stress of training without breaking down.
For runners, that usually means:
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Strength training to build load tolerance in key muscles: glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core.
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Mobility work that keeps hips and ankles moving freely so the rest of your body doesn’t have to compensate.
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Form and drills that sharpen proprioception (your body’s awareness of where it is in space).
When you get this right, your tissues become more resilient, your movement patterns stay efficient, and you can actually train harder without constantly flirting with injury.
And for masters and menopausal athletes, prehab isn’t optional — it’s essential.
As hormones shift, tendon elasticity decreases, recovery takes longer, and connective tissue stiffens. This doesn’t mean you’re fragile; it means your system now needs deliberate input to keep adapting. Prehab is how you send that signal.
If you want a place to start, check out my Tendon Health + Rehab Guide. It breaks down the exact principles of tendon loading and recovery that most runners miss — especially the ones in this life stage.
Rehab: The Way Back — Done Right
Even with the best prehab routine, things can still go sideways. Life happens. Mileage spikes, fatigue creeps in, or you step funny on a trail.
That’s where rehab takes over.
Rehabilitation isn’t just about healing an injury; it’s about restoring function. It’s the bridge between pain and performance. The goal isn’t to “rest it until it feels better” — it’s to progressively reintroduce load in a way that rebuilds strength and confidence.
The biggest mistake runners make during rehab? Rushing it.
The body doesn’t care about your race date; it cares about tissue adaptation timelines. Skip steps, and you’ll end up chasing the same injury for months.
A good rehab approach includes:
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Targeted strength work around the injury and supporting structures.
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Gradual return-to-run protocols that rebuild confidence and coordination.
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Form and gait assessment to identify what caused the overload in the first place.
When done correctly, rehab doesn’t just get you back to baseline — it upgrades your durability.
And if you’re coming back from something tendon-related (like Achilles, hamstring, or hip flexor issues), the Tendon Health + Rehab Guide or Tendon Health + Rehab Mini Guides pair perfectly here. They’ll walk you through evidence-based strength protocols and real-world recovery progressions — without the fluff.
Making It Routine — Not Reactive
Here’s the reality: most runners don’t need more training; they need better tissue management.
Ten to fifteen minutes a few times a week is all it takes to make a huge difference. A short pre-run activation sequence, a weekly mobility circuit, or even one strength session focused on hips, glutes, and calves can extend your running life by years.
Prehab and rehab aren’t about doing more work — they’re about doing the right work consistently.
Running strong for life means learning to think like a builder, not a firefighter. You don’t wait for something to burn before you shore up the foundation.
So build. Maintain. Adapt.
Because the runners who last the longest aren’t the ones who never get injured — they’re the ones who know how to stay ready, recover well, and come back smarter every time.