Coming Back from Another (Hopefully Minor) Setback: Some Tweaks to My Approach

For a 2nd time I've had a knee pain flare and now I've begun mileage building for comeback attempt #3. Obviously I went too far and/or too fast (I'm leaning towards "and" being the culprit here). I'm now back up to a 9-mile long run (and a 25-mile week) and I'm taking care to slow down my long runs this time. On the previous two failed build-ups (both times failing after 11.5-mile long runs/31-mile weeks), my longest runs were also my fastest (with many sub-10-min/mile splits and a few sub-9:30-min/mile splits). I'm going to try separating the speed and endurance elements a bit more and put a strict speed limit on my long runs...no more sub-10-min/mile splits. I haven't restarted any kind of speed or quality work yet, but I'll embed speedwork in my medium run once per week starting pretty soon (if everything goes okay).

I think it this comeback falls short again, I might need to try something very different. I'm thinking that I'll take a long rest and then try to build up knee strength and stability and work on my stride before starting serious running. Maybe I could replace the long run and medium runs with sprint workouts (as if I were a rehabbing team sports player). I would also increase the strength training...maybe with a return to band work. The goal would be to maximize strength, stability, and overall knee function before beginning more serious running.

I feel good that I've already lined up my next comeback approach should this one fall short. Rather than feel sorry about another failure, I can begin executing my backup plan immediately. I also need to take care of details medically. I should check in with a rheumatologist and perhaps have a follow-up with an orthopedist. I am prepared to keep fighting!