Am I on track after 8 weeks off? Can't run more than 3 miles but before I did 12.

Geez, I don't know where to start.

GET A COACH!

:(

I'm curious. How do lungs get tired? I have never heard that before. Yeah, I would have cracked 2 hour minutes for the marathon. Everything was great. My legs were fine, not tired at all. My lungs, however, they were exhausted. (Cue the trombone sound....)

:(

You say your legs don't get tired at all, but then you say your legs fatigue badly after 3 miles, so which is it? Taking 8 weeks off sucks, and you gotta build up again slowly. Do more lower leg strengthening too, that weakness probably led to your stress fracture in the first place.

I am confused by it all. Legs fine the calves hurt, then lungs tired. 25 mpw, 12 mile runs with 6-8 milers too. Its all just a mish mash of conflicting information.

I am interested though about how lungs fatigue...

Altough lungs getting tired sounds fun, I'm more interested in understanding what are 2 hour minutes.

(I don't have a trombone however)

2 hour minutes? If you have to ask, you never been to the Matrix.

On track for what? A marathon? If so, try not to get lapped.

Well before the 8 weeks out, my legs would get tired and slow me down but they got strong. After 7 weeks my legs retained their strength but my I run out of breath fast. This is during the race but afterwards my calves are a bit sore but that's from running barefoot and is getting better every week.

Week 4

23/03/15 = 3 Miles EZ

25/03/15 = 3.6 Miles Barefoot.

26/03/15 = 11 Miles.

27/06/15 = 3.9 Miles Barefoot.

28/03/15 = 3.6 Miles Barefoot.

29/03/15 = 1 Mile EZ

26.1 Miles

Week 2

06/04/15 = 6.5 Miles

07/04/15 = 4.3 Miles Barefoot

09/04/15 = 12.7 Miles Trail

11/04/15 = 7.6 Miles Race barefoot

31.1 Miles

That was the week I stopped because of foot injury.

Now I can't even run more than 3.5 miles because my calves burn up. I can't remember how long it took me before to do my first 10K. Is it really like starting all over again? That's what I don't get, why can I reach my old PB which took me 7 months to do, but I can't run more than 3 miles?

Does this mean when I reach 30mpw again my 5K time will be sub 20?

Also, here is my latest week mileage.

Week 1

10/08/15 = 3.4 Miles. Barefoot grass

12/08/15 = 3 Miles. Treadmill.

14/08/15 = 3 Miles. Barefoot

15/08/15 = 3.1 Miles. Parkrun, barefoot.

16/08/15 = 3.1 Miles. Huaraches, trail

15.6 Miles

Dunno what to do once I reach 3 miles 7 days a week. I'm trying to build up slowly this time with no big jumps and no fast running.

Bruce - Please address the tired lungs issue. Still trying to understand this.

Well basically my legs are in better shape than my lungs lol. When I run at a faster pace it's my lungs holding me back, I'm just out of breath, at the end of the race I collapsed on the floor to rest because I was breathing so hard but my legs were fine.

You're back to square one. My sense is you're not a natural runner. Your cardio system needs regular training to run the way you did before. I think most LRers here can go out and run 12 miles easily with lengthy time off.

Start over slowly. Why did you take so much time off? Even a run or two per week would kept things in pretty good shape.

That true? Most runners could run 12 miles after no running for 8 weeks? Bare in mind they aren't running barefoot which must take longer for the calves to get used to, which is stopping me running over 3 miles at the moment. So it's not my cardio, I could do a 12 miler but my calves would be burned alive.

I took so long off because that's how long it took until I could hop on my left foot again. I crosstrained 45 minutes a day hard on elliptical and stairmaster whilst strength training which didn't do jack shit as my first run I was so out of shape. I felt fitter than ever crosstraining but there is no substitute for running, you only get better at crosstraining!

Also you say my cardio needs regular training but why can I reach my old 5K PB so soon after layoff?

I did start slowly in July, I ran 1 milers 3 times a week, then 2 milers, had a week off then 2 milers 4 times a week then 3 milers. My calves have been feeling much better lately after a 3 miler but I don't believe you could run a 12 miler after 8 weeks off especially if you were a new runner on only 30mpw.

Or am I wrong?

Wait a second.

I know Bruce Tulloh.

He was a sub 4 minute miler, a European 5k champion, and a man who once did 80+ day run across the USA. He's from England.

What gives?

YEY someone recognised my handle. Yep he was famous for running barefoot too. Won the european cahmpionships 1962 5000m barefoot and 13:12 5K barefoot, maybe faster.

He is one of my fav runners that's all.

help me get as fast as him hehe

Why do you keep saying that you've reached your old PB? You are 12 seconds off your PB. Does Bernard Lagat ask why his works are worse when he can still run his PB?

I run.

I ran.

I have run.