35 replies to this topic

[Peterhorse]

Have just started back after nearly 8 weeks of absolutely nothing.

Lost just about all my fitness i think (except for muscle memory i hope)

As at 25th May 08
- could cruise a half mara at ~4:40's with av. HR of 131bpm
- was doing 3:50's for 1k reps
- had resting HR of 46-47bpm
- weight 79-80kg

As at 14th Jul 08 (day of starting back)
- can only manage 8-10k at ~5:40's for av. HR of 132-134bpm
- fastest k i could do this week in the middle of a run was 5:18
- resting HR 58-59bpm
- weight 84-85kg

I still have 6 weeks of recovery type slow base building and strengthening to fully recover from the injury but interested in anyone having a guess what the stats will be at the end of Aug 08 (6 weeks) if i do the following?
- 3-5 runs a week, 8-10k each, plus one building to 15k, all aerobic
- 2-3 rides a week, 45-60 min each, also all aerobic

Great to be moving again. Thanks for any thoughts.
PH

[Bellthorpe]

I think you'll be surprised at how quickly your fitness returns. And wish you all the best with it.

[sunny1]

I reckon 3 weeks and you will be feeling like flying again.

[dropbear]

Peterhorse, on Jul 20 2008, 11:43 AM, said:

H interested in anyone having a guess what the stats will be at the end of Aug 08 (6 weeks) if i do the following?
- 3-5 runs a week, 8-10k each, plus one building to 15k, all aerobic
- 2-3 rides a week, 45-60 min each, also all aerobic

PH,

If you are expecting any money on this, it's out of the question! Remember Hansie Kronje!

db.

[serena]

Only 8 weeks? You're laughing - no probs. Just try not to overdo the transition.
SJ

Edited by sjnathan, 20 July 2008 - 01:19 PM.

[glenda]

Drop that excess weight fatboy and you will be fine...jeepers when I came back after 8 weeks I couldn't run a km in 5mins...

[kathmandu]

glenda, on Jul 20 2008, 01:16 PM, said:

Drop that excess weight fatboy.

thats what i wanted to say, but was too polite to do so.

[Danny]

Hi Peterhorse,

You sound like you have a good plan - good luck coming back!

Cheers,

Danny

[Beki]

Sounds like we are in the same boat. I stopped running around the same time as I was sick of the bad shin pain I was getting and now feel like I am ready to start easing back in. Planning on a pre-work run tomorrow and it's going to be interesting (read: bloody hard)

I was nowhere near as fit as you before my break so the come-back trail will no doubt be a lot longer but it's nice to know I'm not the only one

[Colsy]

Peter, you've got that runner look about you, I think you will return pretty quickly. Just mind the injury in doing so. Good to see some bike riding in the program, that will do well to get the legs going without the impact.

Mate, I would like to see a report in three weeks time.

[runningmum]

You have made a lot of us feel so much better. I've been struggling to come back after a break which wasn't of my doing. I thought it was just me, and that everyone else would hardly drop any fitness.

Just seeing your figures made me realise that I'm not the only one, and that there's hope. I was ready to give away the running on the grounds that I was hopeless.

Now I need to know how to lose weight and run at the same time! Much easier said than done!

[blair]

Pete, I'll wager that I'll be eating your dust at PCRG within a couple of weeks.

[sol]

Wont take long peterhorse - but I know how discouraging it can be.

Just keep at it, take it easy, don't re-injure, you'll be fine.

Cheers,
sol

[Dom]

Colsy, on Jul 20 2008, 08:46 PM, said:

Peter, you've got that runner look about you, I think you will return pretty quickly. Just mind the injury in doing so. Good to see some bike riding in the program, that will do well to get the legs going without the impact.

Mate, I would like to see a report in three weeks time.

Good advice. I'm also on the come back (from almost a year out due to injury) and the two things that are holding me back are: (1) my physio due to (2) minding the injury. I'm on a slow progressive build up, now up to 4 runs per week with the longest up to 14km. Currently my week is looking something like:

Mon - 5km
Tues
Wed - 6km
Thurs 4km
Fri
Sat - 14km
Sun

This has come about over about 8-10 weeks of being allowed to run following on from an operation last november, then 8 weeks in cast/boot, then strengthening, then some light running drills before actually being able to "go for a run". In all this, although i'm slower and heavier (72kg vs 68/69kg) but my aerobic fitness isn't the thing that's been holding me back - it's being conservative to get my ankle back in shape. I'm a bit disappointed that my weight hasn't really dropped but then again i was running 110km-140km per week to be at 68kg so considering i'm only on 30km per week, its not that surprising.

Pete, i reckon in a few weeks you'll be back running well and feeling good

[southy]

Peter , I think the most important things is to remember the old proverb 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'. I know it seems like a long ways but enjoy the journey as well as the destination. The most important thing is that you are back running again. Now be very careful. I find one of the most dangerous times for a lot of people (including myself) is when starting back after injury, or after going away on a holiday. It is so easy to get over-enthusiased and get another injury (or re-injure yourself).
Whenever I have been out for a while, I have always been surprised at how quickly I came back (as long as you have kept up the core strength work and done sone some cross training).

Just get back out there and enjoy yourself (but don't over do it!).

[moby]

Another vote here to say you will recover a fair bit of fitness faster than you might think.

This time last year I missed about 4 months of serious running due to a stress fracture with only some exercise bike work as cross training. I started back running easily without forcing myself to stick to a schedule. Ran only on days when I felt like it and for as long/far as I felt like and made sure I was enjoying it. It was a bit hard initially but I then deliberately focused on getting ready for a 5km, then after that a 10km etc. This worked really well for me with a series of PBs this year.

I did however find losing that bit of extra weight I’d put on to be more difficult. Even when I started increasing my running it wasn’t going away. I had to make a deliberate effort to cut down the amount I was eating at dinner and the smaller portions resulted in the weight dropping off quickly.

[cameron]

I am trying to come back from 7 months with no running. After finishing the Bogong to Hotham in Jan, I have run a total of about 30km. Mostly due to way to much work.

I have signed up for the ultra around the Tan now so I will be interesting to see how much weight I can drop in 4 weeks, and how many laps I can get through with very little preparation. My experience in the past in particular for long events is that as long as I don't try to push the pace I have been running for long enough that I can plod through most distances without much training. Mind you the pace is nothing to be proud of

[Tilly]

Don't despair too much Peterhorse...while injury can be frustrating you will regain form pretty quickly. I'd be saying about 4 weeks and you'll be back on board!

Goodluck!

[Peterhorse]

Peterhorse, on Jul 19 2008, 08:43 PM, said:

As at 25th May 08
- could cruise a half mara at ~4:40's with av. HR of 131bpm
- was doing 3:50's for 1k reps
- had resting HR of 46-47bpm
- weight 79-80kg

As at 14th Jul 08 (day of starting back)
- can only manage 8-10k at ~5:40's for av. HR of 132-134bpm
- fastest k i could do this week in the middle of a run was 5:18
- resting HR 58-59bpm
- weight 84-85kg

Colsy, on Jul 20 2008, 05:46 AM, said:

Mate, I would like to see a report in three weeks time.

thanks everyone for the feedback and encouragement. it's going pretty well so far. the injury is still improving slowly but surely. some longer stretch sessions have loosened up the hips and legs which were very tight at first. the gentle cycling is helping a lot i feel.
as per your request for an early update Colsy...

As at 3rd Aug 08 (3 weeks after starting back)
- managing 8-10k runs at ~5:15's for av. HR of 132-134bpm
- fastest k on the same km marker i use has gone from 5:18 > 5:12 > 5:06 > 4:50 > 4:48 >4:40 >4:32 (today)
- resting HR 52-53bpm
- weight still 84-85kg

next update end of Aug as per the originally recovery plan

(forcing oneself to report in helps with motivation i should say)

thanks again, cheers

PH

Edited by Peterhorse, 03 August 2008 - 10:25 PM.

[sunny1]

Some nice improvements there Peterhorse! Well done and keep at it!

[mikel]

Sounds like you are doing really well PH, just remember to take it easy and you will regain fitness in a injury free way. I have built up slowly this year after a frustrating spell of shin splints and starting too quickly but i have now very slowly built up to 250k's a month and you used all the slow running to improve my technique

[funrunner63]

Peterhorse, on Aug 3 2008, 06:23 AM, said:

As at 3rd Aug 08 (3 weeks after starting back)
- managing 8-10k runs at ~5:15's for av. HR of 132-134bpm
- fastest k on the same km marker i use has gone from 5:18 > 5:12 > 5:06 > 4:50 > 4:48 >4:40 >4:32 (today)
- resting HR 52-53bpm
- weight still 84-85kg

Hey Peter,

Nothing ordinary about those 8-10k runs at 5:15s. They're nice steady runs if you were training for a 3:30 marathon.

Hang on to that patience. The improvements are obvious- no need to hasten the recovery, it is happening,

Funrunner aka Craig

[Peterhorse]

OK, well the original idea was to see where i was at at the end of August which is today. I won't continue the self indulgence after this one. . One interesting thing is the RHR?!

As at 25th May 08
- could cruise a half mara at ~4:40's with av. HR of 131bpm
- was doing 3:50's for 1k reps
- had resting HR of 46-47bpm
- weight 79-80kg
As at 14th Jul 08 (day of starting back)
- can only manage 8-10k at ~5:40's for av. HR of 132-134bpm
- fastest k i could do this week in the middle of a run was 5:18
- resting HR 58-59bpm
- weight 84-85kg

As at 3rd Aug 08 (3 weeks after starting back)
- 8-10k runs at ~5:15's for av. HR of 132-134bpm
- fastest k on the same km marker i use has gone from 5:18 > 5:12 > 5:06 > 4:50 > 4:48 >4:40 >4:32
- resting HR 52-53bpm
- weight still 84-85kg

As at end 31st August (7 weeks after starting back)
- 8-10k runs at ~5:05's for av. HR of 126-131bpm
- managed a whole run of 11k, at sub 5min k's
- have done a couple of 17.5-18k runs at 5:10's, with av, HR 130-134
- fastest k on the same km marker sitll is 4:32
- resting HR 43-44bpm?? (lowest it's ever been yet i'm not running as fast??)
- weight 81-82kg

So, gradually improving, lost the extra weight, but not yet near previous cruising speed. the resting HR is weird? Might be another thread in that one.
PH

[funrunner63]

Progress over last 4 weeks is great Peter.

No mention in there of any pain/discomfort- hopefully that's a good sign.

If things warm up weather-wise from here, progress might be slower or harder to measure- continuing to build aerobic base without speed improvements would still be very significant.

All the best,

Funrunner aka Craig

P.S. I'd be happy to have that resting HR at the moment- mine is slightly up with a cold.

[anzo]

After an extended break like this you will be almost back to square one if:

It is noted that if you have not completed at least to sessions per week (duration and intensity the same) you would have lost the majority of fitness

Also aerobic gains are lost at a faster rate (as quick as just a few weeks) than anaerobic fitness.

Important: regaining fitness is much quicker if you previously attained a high level of fitness is a MYTH.

If you have any further questions please ask.

Cheers and goodluck!

Edited by anzo, 17 November 2010 - 10:48 PM.

[todd75]

Maybe I'm just cynical but I always find it a bit suss when a new member dredges up such an old topic

[RacingSardine]

todd75, on Nov 18 2010, 08:04 AM, said:

Maybe I'm just cynical but I always find it a bit suss when a new member dredges up such an old topic

I wouldn,t call it suss , maybe not realizing or seeing post dates in the corner and just concentrating on what was written in previous posts. And what is the problem with bringing up old posts anyway ? Some new members may be only starting out running or have had the same problem as in the topic that they have dug up from the archives.

[twoeggs]

i was just wondering how much fitness i could lose in 3 weeks, and how fast i could get it back again

[glenda]

3 weeks is not that long, give it a couple of weeks and you will be fine. Unless you are as old as me , it takes a bit longer to get back, but can be done, fingers crossed. I should know i am on my zillionth come back, and a lot longer than 3 weeks break.

[maryclaire]

twoeggs, on Nov 18 2010, 07:04 PM, said:

i was just wondering how much fitness i could lose in 3 weeks, and how fast i could get it back again

It seems to me that we SHOULD take breaks (ie. periodise). If we don't, our bodies will do it for us (ie. injury).

Having said that, I am just this week back to running 5km without walking, after rehabbing shin splints (off running since 30/9/10 - except for a marathon on 10/10 ). During this time I have maintained fitness with a LOT of spin classes - I practically spent the time that would have been spent running in a dark, sweaty, smelly spin room. So the fitness is still quite high. However, my running is laboured and as noted in above posts, my previous "easy" pace is now well out of reach, as effort and pace are no longer in sync. But with each run it gets just that bit less difficult - so I soon should be in a position to set myself some nice little goals.

Therefore my guess is that even if other activities are done to maintain general aerobic capacity during a layoff period, the "specificity" of running will mean some fitness needs to be rebuilt. Possibly with the exception of deep water running.

[Luckylegs]

This is an interesting thread because I too have been sidelined since Blackmores Sydney Marathon on September 19 during which my right knee was extremely painful and gave up on completion of the marathon after several months of pain prior to the run.

Last week, after x-ray then MRI I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee for a large complex tear of the medial meniscus, and since that day no pain whatsoever....cured, a miracle!

However now, after 9 weeks off running I am just beginning to regain my fitness with physiotherapy, quad strengthening exercises and deep water running. I have 4 more weeks before I can run again but, I hope that with the intensive work I'm putting in each day, by the time I get the OK to run, I'll have restored most, if not all, of the lost fitness.

I think time is of the essence with recovery and, when injured give the body what it has asked for : time to recover and restore what has been lost. Patience and perseverence is all that's needed! LL

Edited by Luckylegs, 18 November 2010 - 10:14 PM.

[mgi11a]

todd75, on Nov 18 2010, 08:04 AM, said:

Maybe I'm just cynical but I always find it a bit suss when a new member dredges up such an old topic

I think this topic is still current, sure it may be 2 years old but have you seen Peterhorse run lately?

hehehe

mgilla

[Bellthorpe]

Very few people have ...

[cakeboy]

I read it and thought "don't tell me the horse has broken down and whacked on 5 kegs again...."

[Peterhorse]

mgi11a, on Nov 18 2010, 08:28 PM, said:

I think this topic is still current, sure it may be 2 years old but have you seen Peterhorse run lately?

hehehe

mgilla

Heheh, oh, you're referring to that finish line photo from last Sunday with me in front of you by 37.21m? . Ok, so yeah i'm a swimmer now.....pauses... bah ha ha, bah ha ha...

Reading back over the stats from there, you're right, i still have work to do - 2.5 years and that injury has only just dissipated, and i'm still carrying more than a racing weight. logged 895kms this year so far, about one third last year's.

Don't know they found this thread? but thanks for the reminder

cheers

PH

[luckysack]

anzo, on Nov 17 2010, 11:47 PM, said:

Important: regaining fitness is much quicker if you previously attained a high level of fitness is a MYTH.

I totally disagree with this comment. I am absolutely positive that if I maintain a good level of fitness then I'm able to return to that level after forced lay offs.
My other big rule is when I'm laid up with injury I always concentrate on weights and resistance training. I know many runners are paranoid about increasing muscle mass and body weight but I'm a big believer in maintaining strength. When I return to a running schedule I soon lose those couple of extra kgs and find I've lost little ability to push the pace.