Simple steps to regain your fitness after a layoff
By Ed EyestoneImage by Thomas Kuhlenbeck
As a college coach, I get a new crop of talented athletes every year. But after seeing them develop in their first year of college, I go through an unusual experience. At Brigham Young University, where I coach, these students leave college and suspend extracurricular activities for two years while they go on a mission for their church. Very few of these athletes run regularly while they're away. They often return two years later, 15 to 25 pounds heavier, or occasionally 10 to 15 pounds lighter and suffering from some kind of amoebic dysentery. Neither scenario is exactly ideal for racing 10,000 meters!
Since a new group of detrained athletes returns every year, I've had access to a unique laboratory in which to test protocols for regaining fitness. The following training principles yield the best results for making a strong comeback.
START SLOW Runners returning to action often carry extra weight, which puts more stress on the body. To avoid injury caused by that stress, run no more than 20 consecutive minutes for several weeks.
JOIN A GROUP Athletes respond best when they return to a team setting. For my runners, their teammates may be running longer and faster, but many have made their own comebacks. Even spending the first few minutes of the workout with the group helps returning runners realize that they, too, will eventually regain their fitness.
GO AEROBIC Think of aerobic easy running as the foundation of your ultimate fitness. The more fit you want to be, the greater the foundation you must build. Just as Rome was not built in a day, reestablishing your base after a long break can take months. As you advance from 20 minutes a day, increase your runs by no more than one mile per workout.
RECOVER WELL Run every other day for the first few weeks. Rest days reduce the risk of injuries.
CROSS-TRAIN After a month, gradually change your recovery days from rest only to cross-training days. It will help build your aerobic development without increasing your injury risk. For 30 to 60 minutes ride a bicycle, use an elliptical, or do pool running in deep water.
RACE SPARINGLY And only when the result will be encouraging. You don't have to be ready to run a new PR, but you don't want to end up being discouraged by your performance, either. Avoid comparing your results with those from before your layoff. Say to yourself: "That's the fastest I've run since I made my comeback!"
When and How to Rediscover Speed
After building a solid fitness base, add quality workouts to your schedule to reactivate dormant fast-twitch muscle fibers and increase your ability to run fast.
Introduce STRIDES
When: After two weeks easy running
How: Do eight to ten 100-meter strides twice a week at the end of your easy run. Build speed to 80 to 90 percent effort for 40 meters, maintain it for 30 meters, and diminish it through the final 30.
Introduce TEMPO RUNS
When: After three weeks easy running
How: Do a short six-minute surge in the middle of a 30-minute easy run once a week. Increase the duration by two minutes every time you do a tempo run.
Introduce INTERVALS
When: After six weeks easy running
How: Once a week, run speed sessions of 5-4-3-2-1 minutes of hard running followed by equal amounts easy running. Gradually increase the duration until you can run 10-5-3-2-1 comfortably
