I was an NCAA track and xc runner on a national-caliber team. I wasn't the best, but I did run a sub-33 10k, and competed at xc nats. after my junior year, i broke my ankle and had to take some months off. it was never the same since then, though. i started training back up again during senior year, but was plagued with frequent injuries - probably just from trying to get back into shape too aggressively. i was always a little over-zealous. i never had very much talent, but i worked harder than anyone, putting in 85-100mpw during my "heyday." long story short, it's been two years since i've competed, or had any sort of workout whatsoever. i run maybe once a month, just for the nostalgia and the occasional high, but, at this point, it seems that all the overtraining has caught up to me. i'm not old, but my body certainly feels like it. i long to get back into it, and maybe get some PRs before i pass my prime, but i just can't seem to get over some extremely persistent PFPS. i went to a sports dr and confirmed moderate cartilage damage. he told me to crosstrain for a while, but swimming biking just don't give me that amazing feeling.
basically, i haven't gained much weight (10lbs maybe - but i was 135 in college), but i can tell i'm out of shape by the fact that there's no way i can do anything faster than a 7mm