Get Back To Training After Injury?

Mark over at A passion For Running is recovering from a foot injury. He’s posed the question of what to do? Should he get back into running before the end of the year, or should he just put the brakes on the Nike’s until the new year? I am also getting over my surgery, and I think that Mark is brave. I have been through the whole injury saga before many times. I remember I damaged some ligaments in my knee about 5 years ago. It took three months to get back to a stage where I could run at my peak levels. What I found was that long slow distance running (after consent from my physiotherapist of course) was a great way to keep my cardiovascular conditioning at a good level whilst in the process strengthen my ligaments. For my post ACL surgery, the surgeon believes that I should be on the treadmill at least. I’m still not at the level where Mark is, though I believe that water training should get me back into road running in another few weeks.