Injury & comeback
Back to running after a niggle, one step at a time.
Tell RunWay something hurts and your plan changes right away: no hard workouts, no long runs, then a gradual run/walk return with check-ins. The app never diagnoses anything. It keeps your training sensible while you get back on your feet.
Free on the App Store · iPhone
Report a pain in a few taps.
A sore calf after the long run, a knee that complains on the stairs: say so from your plan, from a run debrief or in the chat with your coach. RunWay asks a few simple questions.
- Where. The area of your body that hurts.
- How much. Its intensity, from 0 to 10.
- Since when, and whether it gets worse when you run, with swelling or limping.
Your answers stay in your profile with their follow-up. You can update or erase them anytime. They’re only used to adjust your training.
Your plan adapts by fixed rules, not by the AI.
As soon as you report a pain, your week is rewritten by the same careful rules every time. The AI can encourage you; it never decides on its own what you should run.
- No hard workouts, no long runs while it hurts.
- Rest or cross-training counted in time: cycling, swimming or the elliptical, checked off automatically from Apple Health.
- Short easy runs of 15 to 20 minutes only if it’s mild, with limits per session and per week.
- A race too close? A calm explanation, and the option to move the date or change the goal.
- 0hard workouts while it hurts
- 0long runs while it hurts
- 15–20minutes of easy running, only if it’s mild
- 6–12run/walk steps to get back to running
A run/walk comeback with check-ins.
When it settles, you don’t jump back to your old week. You climb a run/walk ladder in 6 to 12 steps (more when the break was longer), three outings a week at most and never two days in a row. You move up a step only if the pain stayed at 2/10 or less during the run and isn’t worse the next day. Otherwise, you go back one step.
- Then a gentle ramp. About +10 % a week once you run continuously again.
- Quality comes last. Intervals and tempo return after your volume is back.
- A softer coach. In your earbuds, the coach switches to a soft mode: no pace pushes, just patience and encouragement.
For the general principles, read our guide on how to start running again after a long break.
Right after the run
How much did it hurt, from 0 to 10? Above 2, you step back right away.
The next morning
Still 2/10 or less, and no worse? The next step unlocks.
Back after a long break? Restart lower.
Life happens: illness, travel, a busy month. After three weeks or more without running, RunWay doesn’t pick up where you left off. The current week, or your new plan, restarts at a lower level so your body can catch up with your motivation.
Careful by design, never medical.
RunWay is a training and wellbeing app. It adapts your running; it doesn’t assess your body.
No diagnosis
No guesses about what you have, and no treatment advice.
Fixed rules
Plan changes come from set rules, never from the AI alone.
Cross-training counts
Cycling, swimming and elliptical sessions from Apple Health.
Your data, your call
Update or erase your pain log anytime.
FAQ
Does RunWay diagnose injuries?
No. RunWay never makes a diagnosis or suggests a treatment. It only adjusts your training to what you report, and shows a fixed rule on when to see a health professional.
What happens to my plan when I report a pain?
Hard workouts and long runs come off the plan while it hurts. Depending on what you report, you get rest, cross-training counted in time, or short 15 to 20 minute easy runs if it’s mild. When it settles, a run/walk comeback in 6 to 12 steps leads you back, then volume grows by about 10 % a week, with quality sessions last.
Can I cross-train instead of running?
Yes. Cycling, swimming or the elliptical can replace a session, counted in time. When you record them in Apple Health (with your watch or another app), RunWay checks the session off automatically.
When should I see a health professional?
Sharp pain, swelling, limping, or pain that lasts more than a few days or gets worse: have a health professional take a look (doctor, physical therapist).
I haven’t run for a month. Where do I restart?
Lower than where you stopped. After three weeks or more without running, RunWay restarts your current week, or a new plan, at a lower level, then builds back up gradually.
Your running coach, in your ears.
Download RunWay, put your earbuds in, and go.
Free on the App Store · iPhone · iOS 18 or later