So, long story short, I got a severe overuse injury last May and have just started running again after some treatment and PT. Was crosstraining in the meantime a little bit, but eventually had to stop after a few weeks when the pain became too much to push through.
From all the ancillary stuff I had to do, my form and body feel more fluid and strong than ever, but my aerobic fitness has taken a dive, as my easy pace is closer to 8 minutes now. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but Garmin had my VO2 max at 74 before the injury. It's at 54 now and climbing steadily.
While I'm not concerned about the pace or being able to get back into shape, I'm wondering how long it could take to get back into that shape. I'm trying to debut at club cross in December and am hoping to be in shape to start working out about 12 weeks out after building back up to a safe 65 mpw.
Anyone have experience or can point to literature on coming back from a long-term break from the sport? I guess I didn't need to add all that background, but I would like to know if I should plan on a longer comeback or if I should be ready to roll.