Recovery & Injury
The big-five running injuries, return-to-run protocols, mobility, HRV, taper.
9 articles · sorted by most recent
Do Eccentric Heel Drops Work? The 2026 Data on Achilles and Patellar Tendinopathy Non-Responders
Up to 45% of patients don't respond to eccentric heel drops for Achilles tendinopathy, and the right next step depends on the tendon and the protocol you switch to.
Long COVID and Endurance Training: The Return-to-Sport Protocol When HRV Won't Recover
Long COVID keeps HRV suppressed for months and a third of athletes never return to their old fitness. Here's the VT1 pacing ceiling that actually works.
Does Heat Acclimation Improve Running Economy, or Just VO2max?
Ten days of heat training lifted cool-weather VO2max 5% and time-trial output 6% in one trial. The mechanism is plasma volume, not a cleaner running stride.
Ultramarathon Inflammation: IL-6 Peaks in Hours, CRP Takes Days — Why You're Resuming Hard Training Too Soon
IL-6 clears in 24–48 hours after an ultra — but CRP, the marker that tracks actual tissue repair, stays 8x above baseline on Day 7. Your legs feel fine. Your blood disagrees.
The 10% Weekly Mileage Rule Is Wrong — What 23,047 Runners Actually Show
The 10% rule has no founding research paper. A 532-person RCT found zero benefit. Here's what the real injury data says you should do instead.
Am I Overtraining? 7 Signs the Research Says Actually Predict Overtraining Syndrome
64% of male endurance runners hit overtraining syndrome at least once. Here are the 7 research-validated signs — with specific thresholds — that separate real OTS from normal fatigue.
Does AI Running Coaching Cause Injuries? The 2026 Data, the Runna Story, and What to Watch For
AI running apps aren't inherently dangerous — but the injury risk is real when load guardrails are absent. Here's the ACWR data, the Runna pattern, and 8 numbers every runner needs.
Return to Run After a Bone Stress Injury: The Evidence-Based 6-Phase Protocol
MRI grade predicts return-to-run timeline with r=0.554 — Grade 1 averages 42 days, Grade 4 averages 99 days. Skipping phases risks recurrence rates up to 29%.
HRV Readiness: Why the Daily Score Is Noise and the 7-Day Trend Is the Signal
Your morning HRV score is dominated by noise — daily RMSSD swings 10–20% from alcohol, sleep position, and measurement error alone. The 7-day rolling trend is what actually predicts readiness.