12

12 Year Layoff, What should I expect? (Read 253 times)


SlowSteps

    I hope all of you are doing well. I ran pretty regular from 2000-2003 and kind of quit after that other than an occasional attempt to get back on the road. Decided out of the blue to sign up for and run (crawl) a 5k 10 days ago. I did survive but man the layoff and another 13 or so years (40 now) sure showed up on the splits. I'm wondering if any of you had a comeback like this and if so, did you ever get back to the PR's you ran in your mid to late 20's. My running log avergaed in the high 7mpm range back then and over the last 10 days I'm in the mid 10mpm with much shorter runs (around 2 miles average) I was only a 21 minute 5k guy then, so I would assume I could get back to that level. Your thoughts?

    Goals: 5K Sub 21:00

     

    Running helps keep me sane & gives me a lot of time to think. 

     

    "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

    Runningnoob


      I started running 6 months ago after taking a nice break.  I was doing some biking at work before this though.  Anyway, I started running only about a mile at a time.  Now I'm built up to around 16-18 miles a week, running anywhere from 3-6 miles each workout.  I'm currently down to around a 740mpm average pace.  I could go faster, but I'm more concerned with adding more miles per week than running them faster.  I'm 35 years old btw.


      SlowSteps

        Great story Runningnoob, thanks for sharing. I know I can get back going but I have a tendency to go too fast, like jumping in a 5k not having run any in over a year.

        Goals: 5K Sub 21:00

         

        Running helps keep me sane & gives me a lot of time to think. 

         

        "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)


        an amazing likeness

          You need base miles. Slow base miles. Lots of slow base miles. Walk a lot, run occasionally. Miles will lead to results, your 40-year old you can out train your youth, and for a while, father time.

           

          Here's my (mid pack jogger) data for a 5-miler I ran in 1987, then again in 2009 after taking up hobby jogging in my late 40s...

           

          1987 = 40:46

          2009 = 37:11

          2011 = 36:55

          2014 = 36:14

           

          Still getting "faster" 22 years later., that's miles at work.

          Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.


          SlowSteps

            True milktruck. Your log says you know a lot about miles. Thanks.

            Goals: 5K Sub 21:00

             

            Running helps keep me sane & gives me a lot of time to think. 

             

            "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

            Joann Y


              I think it really depends on what you want to put into it. I ran 25:00 5k as an untrained 19 year old. And 22 something as a mildly trained 42 year old. You can definitely do it.


              SlowSteps

                No doubt Joann, training has a lot to do with it. You put in a lot of miles and have a really nice 1/2 and full marathon time. I'm hoping my best times are ahead of me. Thanks for posting.

                Goals: 5K Sub 21:00

                 

                Running helps keep me sane & gives me a lot of time to think. 

                 

                "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)


                Walk-Jogger

                  My first running life was from age 28 to 36, then I mostly stopped running until age 52, and gained 40 lbs along the way. At 52 I started running again, and lost all the extra weight (back to what I weighed in my 20's) and got faster every year up until I was 59. My first few miles when I started back were around 11 minutes and I could not go 3 miles non-stop. I'm 60 now and have been through radiation and drug  treatments for cancer this past year, yet I can still today go to the indoor track and do a fairly easy 5k in 21 minutes or less as a training run, something I could not do at age 40 because I wasn't running then.

                   

                  I have not quite equaled my best actual running times again from age 32, which was my fastest year, but my age-graded times all the way through my 50's kept getting faster, and I ran my fastest age-graded mile ever last year at age 59.

                   

                  You're still just a youngster, and you might be pleasantly surprised at how fast you can still run when you're only 40, if you really want it and are willing to work for it. I could have easily run faster at age 40 than I did at 32, if I had trained like I did in my 50's.

                   

                  Best of luck,

                  - Cecil

                  Retired &  Loving It

                  wcrunner2


                  Are we there, yet?

                    After running PBs of 35:11 for 10K and 2:54 for the marathon in my mid-20s, I had a series of very low mileage years averaging about 500 miles a year for 4 years. I started training hard again rebuilding my base and eventually ran 36:10 and 2:56 in my mid-30s. My speed suffered more as I never challenged my mid-20 times for 5K and under.

                     2024 Races:

                          03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                          05/11 - D3 50K
                          05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                          06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                     

                     

                         

                      You can still get back to lifetime PRs at any almost distance if you want. It takes longer to get back into shape at age 40 than it did at 30, but if you have the patience and persistence you can get there.

                      Runners run


                      SlowSteps

                        Very encouraging Cecil60, you're doing well. Wcrunner2 I think the speed is what I'm most concerned with because I'm a 5k to 1/2 marathon runner, with 5k being my typical race. However being my best was a 21min, I'm sure I have the speed for that once I build the base. Thanks for the encouragement mikeymike.

                        Goals: 5K Sub 21:00

                         

                        Running helps keep me sane & gives me a lot of time to think. 

                         

                        "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

                          What should you expect?

                           

                          Pain.  A ton of pain.

                           

                          But seriously, I didn't train diligently or race at all for 15 years - birthing etc.....but coming back has been a blast.

                           

                          Take it slow and re-set expectations in the short-term.  But in the long-run (ahem) you should be able to get back to something that pleases both your mind and your body.

                          Ready, go.

                           


                          SlowSteps

                            Ha Ha Tara, thanks for pointing out the obvious. I think resetting expectations in the short term is very wise advice. Nothing is more discouraging that unrealistic goals that we can never achieve. I think my run times will be easy to over look until my old times seem within reach, then I imagine I'll push the limits. Thanks for your input.

                            Goals: 5K Sub 21:00

                             

                            Running helps keep me sane & gives me a lot of time to think. 

                             

                            "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

                            sluggo


                            John

                              I took a 20 year break. Quit when my youngest turned 2 and started when she turned 22 and said, "Hey Dad, want to run a 5K with me?"

                               

                              I was terribly out of running shape but not overweight. I did the C25K, more or less, and we entered a 5K cross country. It nearly killed us, walked a lot, did I mention hills?

                               

                              Never-the-less, we kept plugging along, my pace did improve, and are both still going.

                               

                              I was running low 7's, high 6's when I stopped. I never saw that again. I did get to low 8's but I am 64 now and low 8's aren't going to happen again.

                               

                              My next goal is to still be running at 65 and then the next one is to be running at 70.

                               

                              My philosophy is, it's the ride and not how quickly you can reach a destination.

                              John
                              www.wickedrunningclub.com

                              In the beginning, the universe was created.This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

                              --- Douglas Adams, in "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"


                              SlowSteps

                                I appreciate your input sluggo. I am making some progress 2 1/2 weks into this restart. You are right though, it's the journey that's important.

                                Goals: 5K Sub 21:00

                                 

                                Running helps keep me sane & gives me a lot of time to think. 

                                 

                                "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

                                12