[sk8]

I’m 3 weeks into recovering from a mountain bike accident that left me with broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken clavicle/collarbone. Last week, i was cleared by my orthopedic doctor to resume running with his caveat that the rib pain could be a limiting factor on how fast I could run. Having completed a couple of runs, I’ve found that what was easily Zone 1 pace pre-accident now puts me into Zone 2, most likely because of the rib pain my doctor mentioned. That said, my legs feel totally fine and don’t feel like they are at Zone 2 pace.

So my question is whether it’s okay to put myself in Zone 2 to resume my base building workouts if it appears that my rib pain is the primary contributing factor to why I’m now in Zone 2 most of the time. Thanks.

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on October 22, 2020 at 10:56 am #46178

Having completed a couple of runs, I’ve found that what was easily Zone 1 pace pre-accident now puts me into Zone 2, most likely because of the rib pain my doctor mentioned.

Totally normal and largely due to a drop in mitchondrial mass. The mitochondria that are created in five weeks of training are reduced by half in one week of rest (Olbrecht, 1997).

So three weeks off is going to have a big impact on your aerobic capacity. The good news is that it comes back quicker the second time.

A good rule of thumb is to spend at least one day in Z1/2 for every day missed. So plan on at least three weeks before you feel like your back to where you were.

As far as rib pain goes, I would follow your doctor’s recommendations.