Eff eff wrote:
Background: ran 4:04 mile in college, 1:52 800, 14:30 5k. About 80ish mpw. Haven't really run in 3 years.
I'm looking to get try and train again now that my injuries are healed and I live in a perfect running area. I've been attempting to run again but am ridiculously bad right now. I'm alright with that, but I really have no idea how to train. My typical runs are between 8-9 minute pace and I generally feel terrible. How the hell do I come back? Should I try and hit the track to work on my speed or just stick to running some miles? Anyone been here before and made it back?
Help me letsrun.com.
Start by getting out and running every day as slowly as you need to do it again the next day. Run by time, not miles; it is less depressing. Given your age, a reasonable plan would be to do mostly easy running, nudging the time up bit by bit until you're averaging 60 minutes or so a day.
Once or twice a week, do strides, preferably on grass. These are all about regaining form and turnover. They will make the rest of your mileage better.
One more bit of advice -- I think one of the biggest mistakes post-collegiate runners on the their own make is to try to do the workouts that they did in college. Certainly I made that mistake. You will want to figure out workouts that are right for you now.
For now, though, you don't need to be doing "workouts". Get your mileage up and your turnover back, and lose any weight that you might need to lose. If you keep at it, you'll have that first day when, toward the end of the run, you'll start to feel it coming back. It's rather like false labor, but it should fire you up enough to get your hopes up.
After enough of these moments, you'll want to look for a race. Go for it, and expect to take a beating. You learn from it and decide what to do next.