18 months w/o running...still have a shot?

No chance at all of doing it in that timeframe.

at least 1 year

It's very doable. Just start running. Easy runs to start, gradually build mileage. Pay better attention to diet, and get enough sleep. Back off on the drinking.

I was way slower than you in high school (4:50 mile). I took three years off from running, drank too much, put on 30 pounds (155 to 185). I started running a few miles a day in December of senior year. By March I could handle doubles with the track team. At the end of April, I ran 17:02 after having run the 10000 in the same meet (finishing dead last in the 5000, ha ha).

You will be way under 17:00 by the end of August. You will be amazed at how quickly the fitness returns.

You are 20, so yeah.. but I'd say it'd take a good 6-9 mo. to get back in shape at that age.

I dont know about 17min, but definitely stop drinking and start eating better. I took 2 years off of running after college, drank a lot and put on 30lbs (160 to 190). Just this Jan. I decided to change that and I am already down to 170, even though I still have the occasional weekend beer.

I was in 4:20, 1:55 shape before quitting. Now after 4 months of running like 15-20mpw(I need to be doing more), and about 4 weeks of workouts I'm pretty positive I'm back to being able to break 5 in mile.

So drop weight (less beer is the biggest thing), and run more consistently and you should have a shot of at least getting into the 17s.

Also a big thing when I started training again was adding in biking. I would bike for an hour and then run 1-3 miles afterwards every other day. This was just to help with shin splints. But it definitely made a difference.

1. You let yourself get out of shape. There are no extenuating circumstances.

AND

2. You are setting a goal that you're very unlikely to achieve in the time frame.

AND

3. Instead of just going out and working your butt off to get as good as you can, you're asking on a running board whether we think your goal is possible.

I see no evidence that you have to Stick-to-itiveness required to even get close. Either get off your butt and train, regardless of whether it takes 5, 10, or 15 months, or stop fantasizing.

A.B.C.D. wrote:

at least 1 year

I'm 33, hadn't trained seriously since highschool. I had run at all in 5 years and even then it wasn't very much. Its been about 9 months of trying to traim seriously and I'm in probably 17:30-17:40 shape. 18 months isn't nearly as long and maybe he has more talent than me. Ive been averaging about 1 vdot improvement per month. So I'd say under a year, but at least 6 months.

Lol, you can go screw yourself. I'm just looking for tips/advice/insight from folks who've done similar things so that maybe I can minimize mistakes along the way. There's other ways than running to measure "Stick-to-itiveness" (something I've learned during my time off) and if you knew anything about me then you'd never question the dedication I put into things I prioritize.

well....... wrote:

1. You let yourself get out of shape. There are no extenuating circumstances.

AND

2. You are setting a goal that you're very unlikely to achieve in the time frame.

AND

3. Instead of just going out and working your butt off to get as good as you can, you're asking on a running board whether we think your goal is possible.

I see no evidence that you have to Stick-to-itiveness required to even get close. Either get off your butt and train, regardless of whether it takes 5, 10, or 15 months, or stop fantasizing.

I posted earlier about being much slower than you, taking three years off, then running college track senior year. You have only taken 18 months off. You were running 16:20. Fitness will return quickly once you start running.

Unless you have a history of injuries, you will be able to ramp up the mileage pretty quickly. Start with 2 miles a day for a few days. Then start adding a mile a day for a few days, back off for a day or two, then start building again. As the weight comes off, it will get easier and easier. Work up to 40 miles a week, then start adding a weekly long run of 12 miles.

As I mentioned, from December to March, I lost 25 pounds, and was able to keep up with the slower guys on the track team. When I ran 17:03 after just four months, that was a PR.

It took me another year to get down to 16:10, but you have already run that or close to it. Not really very long ago! Go slog through two miles today, and you're on your way. You WILL run under 17 by late August!

And enjoy being back on the XC team. Why the heck not?!

Yes! Its absolutely possible!

- 8-10 weeks of just easy runs to get your volume up

- 5-6 weeks of aerobic runs, steady states and tempos

- 3-4 weeks of tempo intervals and race pace stuff

- 1-2 weeks of speed, sharpening, and taper

That should get you back in good shape for august, but if you're looking to run xc next season, you should just do base building between now and the beginning of xc. You'll want to be ready to work in september, not already in peak shape.

BTW, if this is who I hope it is: check the name, and if you get it, send me a snap.

Tip: Don't wear a watch* for your first month (or more) of running again. It is too easy to get discouraged by comparing where you are at now to where you used to be. So while your main goal is a 17ish 5k, I would suggest your immediate focus just be on running daily, eating healthy, and getting enough sleep. Those are goals that are within your power to accomplish on a daily and weekly basis. Do that for a few months, until they become your new habits, then start looking at your pace. Good luck!

* When I say don't wear a watch, I really mean do not look at your pace. I actually configured my Garmin to show only distance and heart rate when I was working my way back into shape.

OutOfShape wrote:

Is this possible? I'd like to rejoin my d3 XC team if possible.

No. Forget it, won't happen. You're done.

well....... wrote:

1. You let yourself get out of shape. There are no extenuating circumstances.

AND

2. You are setting a goal that you're very unlikely to achieve in the time frame.

AND

3. Instead of just going out and working your butt off to get as good as you can, you're asking on a running board whether we think your goal is possible.

I see no evidence that you have to Stick-to-itiveness required to even get close. Either get off your butt and train, regardless of whether it takes 5, 10, or 15 months, or stop fantasizing.

Seconded.

OutOfShape wrote:

Hey LR,

I'm 20 years old, 5'11", about 190 lbs. I'm out of shape.

About 18 months ago I was in 16:20 5k shape and 4:30 mile shape. I ran faster than that in high school. At my peak fitness I weighed about 155-160.

I've been eating terribly, drinking a lot, and living a rather sedentary lifestyle for the last year and a half...and I'm sick of it. I want to run and be fit again.

Any ideas on a training plan that could put me around 17:00 5k shape by the end of August (about 5 months away)? Is this possible? I'd like to rejoin my d3 XC team if possible.

Thanks in advance.

of course. You weren't super fast in the first place, so the extra motivation you now - that you clearly didn't have when you quit - shoudl be more than enough.

The physical is not the differentiator- its the mental.

So stay away from the snacks, work out and build. Don't go crazy too early.

Good luck to you. Deciding to have a go is the most important thing you can do in running.

Former D3 runner here -- here's what you need to do.

Stop drinking entirely.

Eat less, and eat better.

Start running doubles now. Get out the door for 15 minutes twice a day. Run as slowly as possible; you'll find it to be fast enough. Increase the time as you feel able to do so until you're running 60 minutes a day -- 30/30, 20/40, 15/45 60/0 -- it doesn't matter. If you keep almost all of the running quite slow, you'll be able to get there in 6-10 weeks.

Along the way, you should see some weight come off. I suggest you weigh your fat ass every day, but designate, say, Monday as the official weigh-in. By weighing yourself every day, you'll take heart every time you see that you're down a half-pound.

Weight loss will happen in fits and starts. Some of it may be so-called "water weight" -- that's fine, because it's still weight that you don't want to carry around.

Don't worry about speed or anything else for some months. At your age, you can get that back fairly quickly. For now, you want to focus entirely on dropping weight and rebuilding your base. However, it probably wouldn't hurt to do some strides a few times a week, say 5 x 20 seconds faster than you usually run. This will help your legs get working again.

As for getting your head back in shape, you need to commit to doing this for six weeks. If you can do that, you can get all the way back.

If you quit running for a reason and haven't resolved that reason for quitting yet then you're going to have a hard time getting back in shape in 5 months.