What about HIIT (Tabata) training?
TRABATA EXERCISE
I think you have a winner there!
The duration is not extreme, 5 or 10 minutes, here & there, not 1 or 2 hours which kills. Half hour is a good limit for running.
A commonality with straight running is the “sprint”. At the end of a run, a 1 or 2 minute sprint is performed where you run as fast and hard as you can. The idea is to hit the limit, so your body knows where the limit is.
Trabata has several sprints. And it smartly avoids a persistent sprint, such as, sprinting for an hour, is overdoing to be avoided.
Trabata sounds great because you are sucking up oxygen, deep breathing, using your whole body, like the hunter gatherers of old. The body is designed to run, at least, somewhat. The ankles are durable. It is a fantastic machine we have been given.