I'm trying to get back into the sport after a 2 year layoff. I was recruited to a mid level d.1 school out of high school. My high school PRs were 50.5 1:57 4:22 and 9:59. I had never run much over 40 miles at this point in my career. Before sophomore year I jumped my miles to about 90 a week. I ran some decent PRs that season of 3:51, 14:43, and 30:35. I managed to get all-conference the following year in XC. Unfortunately, this is the last season I'd be healthy
. I was initially diagnosed with a torn meniscus. I luckily got a 2nd opinion saying I didn't need surgery. Regardless,I had inflammation that wouldn't go away and could barely walk. Flash forward it's 2 years later and my knee is finally good enough to run on. I've been running 15-20 miles the last 3 weeks.
The bad part is I feel terrible. I can barely maintain 7:30s. Anything near 6 minute pace feels all out and just a short sprint leaves me gasping for breath. I'm only 24 so I think I can get it back. I'm dedicated but other peoples' experiences and thoughts would be great. A couple other facts. I did very minimal exercising in this time off. Also, I currently weigh 165ish and usually did my best running in the 135-140 range. Maybe it's just my weight holding me back. Thanks in advance for the help!