Would running around my garden work

[forressttheouut]

Bit of a random question but last year I really got into running and built myself up to a sub 30min 5k twice a week. However I tripped and sprained my ankle and haven't ran since (almost 6 months ago). I would like to get back into running but my problem is that I recently moved house and now I live rurally and there is literally no route from my house that is flat with smooth ground to run on. I'd like to build up fitness and strength before braving the uneven trails particularly as my ankle still feels weaker than the other. So would it be completely mad for me to run in circles round my garden? I measured on my watch that 1 lap would be 100m. If I run 20 laps is this going to have the same affect as if I ran 2km on roads/ trails?
The alternative is a treadmill but i'd rather not spend the money

a flat garden won't be the same as running on uneven trails. Your distance measurement probably won't be very accurate as GPS doesn't tend to do too well on tight corners, and you won't get much speed up because of all the turns. And you'll probably wear the grass out! Is there nowhere you could drive to for a run on decent paths?

Theoretically you could but it wouldn’t be ideal. For one thing, you’d be doing tight corners regularly which not only slow you down but also aren’t great for your knees.

@Lady0racle

Theoretically you could but it wouldn’t be ideal. For one thing, you’d be doing tight corners regularly which not only slow you down but also aren’t great for your knees.

This. And you'd have to make sure you alternate directions of turning clockwise/ anti-clockwise.

Are there no public footpaths nearby to do trail running on? Trail is quite good for joint strength as the muscles have to constantly adapt to each stride being different.
Pubs/ village halls often have parking if there aren't many options from the door.

How hilly is it around you? You could find a flat field and ask the landowner if you can run a round that. The worst that they can say is no.

Actually, I suppose they could say worse than no.

Personally I would run the hills but plan to go a lot slower. Good luck getting back to it.

What about the alternative of driving/cycling for a few minutes to the local football pitch/cricket ground/road and running from there before making your way home? You can't be that far from a road or big field.

I'd start just by walking the ground then build up from that once you know there terrain.

Also, I badly fractured my ankle when I was in my late teens, when I had physio she told me to 'write' the alphabet with my foot/ankle each night to help build the strength in it. 15 years later I still do it (with both feet) just before I go to bed.

Run on the trails/hills. It's better for your joints than road running anyway. You might be a bit slower, but you'll feel the benefit when you come back to running on paved ground in the future.

Why not try skipping? It's almost as hard, cardio wise, and will help strengthen your ankle/calves.

Can't see why you can't run round the garden but is a hard way to run 2k.

Second hand treadmill?

Sounds like its a no, i'm not in the UK (probably should have mentioned that) so there is no public footpaths, football fields etc.
In answer to how hilly it is, from my house to the top of the road where the trails start is 1.5km its uphill the entire way and you gain about 500m elevation over that time its dirt but a road so pretty flat. From there its more up and down so perhaps I could walk/very slowly run the 1.5km constant uphill until I get fitter

Running is running, it will definitely do you good (if you can stick to it, which will be quite a mental challenge), but personally I'd head for the trails and take it easy, walk the steepest bits.

I can’t see the issue. During lockdowns I did my 10k steps in the garden and ran some of it and it certainly felt effective! I got the idea from a guy who ran a marathon in his small garden.

I can’t see the issue. During lockdowns I did my 10k steps in the garden

The issue is the constant turning and twisting, which you would get in running but not so much in walking, being a risk for your joints. The man who did the marathon in his garden during lockdown commented on this in interviews afterwards, saying he'd changed direction regularly to try and mitigate the risk to his knees.

Obviously lots of runners couldn't avoid this during lockdown, but it's one to avoid if you possibly can.

Given the choice between hills and trails or running laps around a garden, hills and trails would be the sensible option every time.

I think repeated laps of the garden would get tedious quite quickly.
Have you been given any strength and flexibility exercises for your ankle? Make sure you do some regularly. I had a grade 3 sprain about 18 months ago and it still feels slightly less stable than the other one and would tire sooner as well. Feels better since I have done the exercises thimes a week.

Start by doing walk/run on the hilly trails - that will do far more for you than laps of a garden.

I walk hill trails and have a treadmill for running due to living rurally with nothing flat nearby