Advice

It's hard to say without knowing what your nominal performance level is, but some thoughts:

If you were seriously over-trained before your rest period, 10 days isn't necessarily sufficient to recover - you could still be in the hole.

6 minute mile pace, at 17 years old, usually doesn't count as "easy running", and doing it every day may just be starting up where you left off.

Agreed. Why do those training runs at 6 minute pace? Step it down to 7:00 or once in a while even 7:30. I think wejo said that even he doesn't do normal training runs much below 7:00 anymore. Isn't that what he said? If you can't take advice from a 28:10 10,000 guy, then I don't know who you can take advice from.

the guys are certainly right. if you've overtrained it can take a long time to recover.

i remember when i was around 15 i started to run really well and was racing great. then for some reason running became hard. i was 17 by this time and couldn't find a reason. i hadn't increased the mileage or intensity. just ran 3 times a week training and raced on the weekend, so nothing huge. about a year later i started feeling good again.

i didn't have glandular fever or anything and felt good within myself, i just put it down to growing. i certainly increased in height in that time and think my body was using a lot of energy just growing.

just a thought.

Hey man, it would help a lot if you'd give us your PRs and stuff, so we know how hard 6 minute pace is for you. But unless you run sub 4:05 in the mile, it's probably too fast, especially coming off a layoff.

To answer your question about how long it takes to come back, I'd say if you run easy enough, within a week you'll be able to do 8s and 10s without too much trouble.

As has been mentioned, the real concern is that 10 days might not've been enough to recover. What do you have coming up this fall? HS XC? College XC? Nothing? You need to get a plan together.

From my own experience, the first few days of running after a ten-day lay-off will feel awkward, and I'll probably be lethargic both during and after running.

I wouldn't worry about it. Just let your body adjust to the return to running. Keep the pace slow -- 6-minute miles are almost certainly much too fast -- and just concentrate on building a distance base for the next season. As you will discover over the years, progress in running is not a straight line up; there are cycles, with peaks and valleys, and you need to recognize those cycles and train within them.

Simply pick a pace that feels good and let it get faster as you feel better. But the advice that most people are giving you to slow down and take some easy days is appropriate. Often, less is more.

I learned in one of my classes that you can lose fitness in less than 3 days.. So you could be a little out of shape. Also I think most of this is mental. I remember reading a qoute on here about a week ago that is one of the best I have ever read. It went something like "the only burnout is mental, the only physical burnout is death."-Kenny Moore

Now I know I totally butchered this qoute, in fact he used a word other than "burnout" but you get the point. I think your problem is mental. Dont make running a chore! You started it for a reason didnt you.. you need to make it fun again. Get yourself psyched up about it. Buy some new shoes, try a new trail, run with some friends.. (or even with that hot chick you are trying to get on), think of that race you want to do well at in month or so, or that guy who beat you and really pissed you off, read a running book (try Once a Runner) or watch a Without limits or something.

What I am saying is that you need to spice things up a bit..then you'll be ready to go! good luck

I have to disagree with some of SCRunner's stuff. 3 days is for losing high level fitness, not overall aerobic, running easy fitness. That's part of the definition of having a distance training base - you get to the point where your basic "easy run" fitness remains.

And going around saying its all mental is, well, Pollyannish. Read the above posts - there are folks stating they tried to "gut" their way through it, and just got slower. Plus 5 points for enthusiasm, minus about 1000 for helping the guy recover.

My opinion, of course.

Thanx all Ill try a few of the suggestions and hopefully things will improve!