If I take a month off in between track and xc will I get too badly out of shape

David Rudisha takes three months off every year. Lots of runners take a month off.

I had hernia surgery last month and ended up taking five weeks off. I did do some walking, however. I just started running again this week (short, easy runs) and I feel like a fat, out of shape pig. I'm not sure that I'm starting from "scratch" again, but it sure feels like it.

I have the exact same question.

You will lose a bit of fitness, but you will get back in shape in no time. Like others said, many athletes take a month off and this is normal so don't worry about losing too much fitness.

^

correction. you will lose A LOT of shape and it'll likely take you a month or two (maybe even more if you have little life time base) just to get back to prior shape. but then you can hopefully build to higher levels.

Burned out junior wrote:

So I just finished up my track season. I had a bad, dissapointing year, I trained way too hard on the track over the winter and early spring, and I didn't have a single good race the entire season. I really want to have a good xc season, so I'm considering taking a month off to recover physically and mentally. At the end of the season, I was totally burned out mentally, I couldn't dig nearly as deep in races and I wasn't even enjoying training anymore. So basically, my question is if it is worth it to take a month off.

Take two weeks off completely, and then start back with two weeks slow, slow, slow running.

But, if you were so burned out that you weren't enjoying running...maybe you don't like running that much.

Burned out junior wrote:

my question is if it is worth it to take a month off.

"Active rest" -- bike, hike, surf, swim, play ultimate frisbee, hit the gym, zoomba, yoga -- you get the picture: whatever is fun but lots of it.

Don't do it. Focus, use your anger and disappointment to run 12 miles every day.