Good morning!
Check out some of the new Smiley faces that Eric hooked me up with…
:alien: :angel: :blush: :cwy: :biggrin: :kissing: :sleeping: :w00t: :wub:
Good times.
For breakfast, I craved one thing and one thing only.
In the Green Monster: 1 frozen banana, 3 cup spinach, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1/2 scoop Amazing Grass Wheatgrass powder, ice.
Engines are revved.
Losing Endurance and How To Get It Back
Last night, I headed out for a run. Since I had my groin pull back in April, I have not been on a long run since the end of March and I have only been on 2-3 runs during all of April. This does not bode well for half marathon training- My race is on May 30th!
However, I knew that I wasn’t going to run as long as I felt pain in my groin area. It just isn’t worth it to risk injury (groins are notorious for taking a long time to heal).
Now that my groin is finally feeling better, I need to get right back in the game for my half training. My last long run was at the end of March in Florida when I ran 12 miles. That was 5 weeks ago. :blush:
Yesterday, I headed out and decided to see where my body took me. Maybe it would be a long run or a short run, I really wasn’t sure. I went out and the first mile, while tough, felt good. I settled into my normal 8:30 min/mile pace and was enjoying being able to run pain free. I finished my first mile, including a large hill, in 8:34 min/mile. I felt good!
However, the next couple miles were a complete struggle. My pace started to drop and I knew immediately that I had lost endurance since being off running for those few weeks.
The symptoms of lost endurance:
- More difficulty breathing
- Cannot maintain normal pace
- Cannot go long distances
- Did not feel as automatic or as relaxing
- Doesn’t feel as fun as usual
My first thought was, OK now I believe the readers who said that swimming doesn’t really help with running endurance! :lol: The thing that gets me is that I feel like I am in amazing shape, but all that work I have done on the bike and in the pool doesn’t seem to translate into running endurance!
The splits:
Mile 1: 8:34 mile/min (ascent- 164 ft)
Mile 2: 9:10 mile/min (ascent- 95 ft)
Mile 3: 9:20 mile/min (ascent- 61 ft)
Mile 3-3.55: 5:06 mile/min (ascent- 57 ft)
As you can see each mile got slower, even though the ascent decreased.
My overall time was 32:11 mins. with an average pace of 9:11 min/mile, which is not a bad pace by any means, however what matters to me is how I felt while running it. It was a complete struggle and prior to April, I could have done that run in my sleep.
I am 19 days away from my half marathon on May 30th and I am going to try to re-build some of my lost endurance without over-doing it. I previously set a goal for myself to beat my last half marathon time (1:56:33), but in all honesty this race may not be the race to do that! And I am ok with that. Not every race that we sign up for will turn out like we hope. Things get in the way of training and there isn’t much we can do about it sometimes. I have also been juggling my try-a-tri training (the race is June 6th) and in all honesty, training for two different events at the same time is not easy.
My goal for this week is to get in another shorter run and then attempt a long run this weekend. I am hoping with some consistency over the next couple weeks, I can get back some of that lost endurance. I may end up running the half with no goal time at all, it really just depends how the next two weeks go!
Today’s question- Have you ever taken time off training (for an injury, travel, or to focus on another sport) and lost endurance? How did you get it back?
How discouraging! I’m a little worried about my endurance and I’ve only been off a week! You’ll get it back though, keep it up. It’s probably a great idea you didn’t push yourself to run with an injury!
I’m actually in the same boat right now. I took a week off of Pilates because of a shoulder injury, and it ended up turning into three weeks. Before my break, I was super on top of everything, I could push my body to limits I didn’t know I was capable of, and felt very powerful. I just started going back, I’m a few weeks in and everything just feels harder. I know I’ll get back to where I was eventually, and I’m trying my hardest to relish the challenge instead of get frustrated at my own drawbacks.
I’m going through a similar situation – it’s really hard! I try to remind myself that this time around won’t be as hard. Sure, my body needs to be trained again, but I haven’t lost everything. I know what to look out for, pain-wise; I know that I need more fuel and more sleep; I know how to zone-out during a run, if I need to; I know what kind of music gets me ready to run; I know what to eat before and during my runs….at one point I didn’t know any of this and had to learn as I went, making mistakes along the way that surely slowed down my training. I’m hoping my ‘mental endurance’ will make it easier to build up my physical endurance this time around!
Wow! Great responses and advice from everyone! I had to wear a walking cast for 8 miserable weeks, in the middle of the summer while living on Maui. I was so antsy to get back to working out, but took my time to slowly ease into things. My ankle has been fine since then, I think that the rest & recovery really helped. I say to listed to your body and if race day comes and you aren’t ready, then wait until next year. I know that’s hard to do, but if it means saving yourself from reinjury, it’s worth it. Take care!
I love this post!! I fractured my foot and had to take 2 months off of running (and wearing high heels gasp). When I came back it was hard, and I found it discouraging but there is something about the mental preparation part and knowing that you have done it in the past that gets you through it. And sometimes there are just bad days where your body is just not feeling it. Good luck in the 1/2!!
I’ve had the endurance issue happen to me before. I took a break from running for a month or so around Christmas last year – and it was a tough haul getting back into it. I’m sure you’ll get rebuild your endurance in no time – good luck with the Half, and the Tri!
I am taking time off from running right now due to a foot injury. I’m in the middle of a 5K training program. I’ve never been able to run much before and I was finally feeling like I am getting somewhere! But now I have to wait until things heal… On the bright side, I can still bike and use the elliptical. Which means I can boost my endurance and ability another way for a while. It’s probably good for me too :)
Good luck, I’m sure you’ll be running easy again before you know it!
Jill
I’m working on endurance right now, after 2 years of not running more than 3 miles. Not so easy! But the way you’re approaching it is awesome!! I’m sure you’ll rock the race :D
xo
K
OMG, I took off in 2008 after my last big triathlon because my bulging discs finally said quit, so I had to take a few months off from everything in order to do physical therapy and epidural steroid injections. It took me a long while to get my endurance back. I was able to swim, cycle and light walking but no running. Then recently in Dec. I had a major surgery (female stuff) and at the moment am having to build the endurance back up. It’s hard but I know from experience it takes time. Speaking of time, since you know you might disappoint yourself and for the sake of injury again, do this race “for fun”, you might surprise yourself even if you don’t push it. :)
I have definitely lost endurance before! It’s not fun, but just know that you’ve been there before and are totally capable of getting back to your bad self. :) I think someone said something similar already but I would recommend slowing down a little. Training at a slightly slower pace would make working your way up distance wise easier. I haven’t done this but have you ever tried heart rate training? My impression is that you concentrate on increasing your distance all while running in your target heart rate and never pushing yourself beyond (this includes walking if you have to). After a while you’ll be able to go faster while maintaining the same heart rate. This way, you’re naturally increasing your speed as you increase your distance and are not burning yourself out trying to improve both.
I actually lose endurance pretty easily. Especially when there’s hills involved. I find that doing interval runs full of short sprints and recovery time gets ke back in shape quick!
hi! i am working through recovery for my groin right now, still having trouble balancing rest and working out…when i read this thought your experience could help me. what happened to you and how did u recover? thanks
Hi!! I feel your pain!! despite having shoulder arthroscopic surgeryand being 10 weeks out, i have not gained any endurance back since i was released 2 weeks ago. I am having difficulty with running 2.5 miles when i was running a schedule of :
s:off, m:5, t:4 and aerobics, w: off, th: 7, f: off, s: 3 or 5m. And with thehope of running a 1/2 marathonin fall (that was put on hold). I am jut disgusted with myself and I want to run longer runs and also not die from exhaustion. Please someone say i am not the only one who feels this terrible and not to give up!
Wow, I’m so glad I came across this page because I definitely feel less alone now. I took 4 weeks off from all activity and now I’m back to running and my endurance has gone to pieces. I could run 6km before fairly easily but now I’m lucky if I can make it to 2.5km. I have a 10k race in just 3 weeks and I think I have to accept the fact that there’s no way I can be ready in time. It feels horrible that all the work I’ve put into my fitness can be taken from me in such a short amount of time!
Also have to agree about the swimming. I was a competitive swimmer up until the age of 23 and running and swimming are totally different. Most of the propulsion in swimming comes from the arms (I believe it’s 80%+) and your body weight is supported by buoyancy whereas running is the legs and the legs also have to work against gravity. I actually think swimming is one of the worst cross-training sports for running as a result!
I used to be a runner, then moved on to mountain biking within a group, and ultimately became a triathlete… and won in the female division in a small town. However i got into bodybuilding and then cut down all my cardio.. its been almost 2 years since ive switched over… and my endurance is completely down! I cant even run a mile without taking deep breaths… but hey run everyday, push yourself and challenge yourself everyday. ANd you can be that again! Why?? Because you once were & you are perfectly capable! Im upping my cardio more and more.. running, biking, and swimming.. expanding my lungs again.so i can conquer more races… the thrill is so awesome. These sports i love… my ultimatum is to be a bodybuilder triathlete!!! Strong mindset: endless possibilities. Good luck. Make a goal & just stick to it… most of all stay strong, and consistency is key! Also, youre stronger than you think! ☺