Regarding running, are there any general formulas coaches use to calculate how much fitness an athlete has lost after a short lay off. I had been running about 35 miles per week for several months (5x5+a long 10 on the weekends) and recently had to take a week off due to sickness. Now when starting my running again I was curious as to here to start the mileage to mitigate injury due to a too quick ramp up after a week off.
I think it is next to zero. After 3 days, you should be back to speed and perhaps even ahead…you likely got sick cause your body was run down and you needed rest anyway. Nature’s way of forcing rest into your program.
I pretty much agree with that too. I would start back very near the same volume.
jaretj
I agree with the others on this thread, but I just want to add that your first run may feel like crap. After the second or third, though, you’ll be back at it.
In the Jack Daniels book on Running he gives an exact answer to your question. And it is not 0%, although I can’t remember what it is off the top of my head. If no one posts Daniels’ answer I’ll get it for you tonight.
You won’t lose any real fitness but it may be another week or two before the body is fully recovered from the sickness. I had the same problem in the fall. Got sick for a week and didn’t run, came back that weekend and did a 1/2 M and pretty much crashed & burned with a 1:38, did only moderate training the next week and 7 days later did another 1/2M in 1:32. So I’d back down the first week back and let the body fully recover then you should be able to train at 100%
JJ
Regarding running, are there any general formulas coaches use to calculate how much fitness an athlete has lost after a short lay off. I had been running about 35 miles per week for several months (5x5+a long 10 on the weekends) and recently had to take a week off due to sickness. Now when starting my running again I was curious as to here to start the mileage to mitigate injury due to a too quick ramp up after a week off.
This was a while ago, but in one of my kines classes, the general formula we got was after 3-5 days (Depending on the individual), you would start losing 2 days of fitness for every one day you are out. So, you may have lost 4 or 5 days of fitness, pretty insignificant considering your base. I’d just do your normal week, maybe skip one easy day.
John
Regarding running, are there any general formulas coaches use to calculate how much fitness an athlete has lost after a short lay off. I had been running about 35 miles per week for several months (5x5+a long 10 on the weekends) and recently had to take a week off due to sickness. Now when starting my running again I was curious as to here to start the mileage to mitigate injury due to a too quick ramp up after a week off.
This was a while ago, but in one of my kines classes, the general formula we got was after 3-5 days (Depending on the individual), you would start losing 2 days of fitness for every one day you are out. So, you may have lost 4 or 5 days of fitness, pretty insignificant considering your base. I’d just do your normal week, maybe skip one easy day.
John
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a “value” being taught in a class. I find it interesting because it’s pretty much exactly my experience when it comes to swimming. It always seems like it takes me 2 days for each day missed to get back to where I was. Can’t really comment on running/cycling because I don’t remember the last time I missed more than a few days, but would except it’s pretty much the same, although maybe slightly less due to the lower “technique” component (and I’m swim challenged:))
Thanks for sharing.
Scott
It seems to me that the answer to your question hinges upon how you define “fitness”.
I find that by the 3rd run after a week off I’m back to normal.
Regarding running, are there any general formulas coaches use to calculate how much fitness an athlete has lost after a short lay off. I had been running about 35 miles per week for several months (5x5+a long 10 on the weekends) and recently had to take a week off due to sickness. Now when starting my running again I was curious as to here to start the mileage to mitigate injury due to a too quick ramp up after a week off.
About zero. You may start back a bit slow due to general fatigue from being sick, but yoru run fitness will lose next to nothing–esp. if you’ve been runing for a long while.
Wouldn’t be surprised if you had fitness gains after a week off…it’s amazing what some enforced rest can do for your health.
actually…no loss…in fact, better gains and I have always been a bit more faster after a week lay off. But if you having a week off because of illness, then some loss but it can be easily recovered. Now taking two weeks off is whole another story!
. . . when it comes to swimming. It always seems like it takes me 2 days for each day missed to get back to where I was.
Yup. That was the rule of thumb with swimming for me as well. On the run, my BOP experience is that the first day back after a few days off hurts, but things get better the next day.
I don’t think you really lose any fitness in a week but you lose blood volume and your body takes time to adjust to running again. This is esp. true if you were sick.
Daniels says if you take 6-28 days off then you restart at 50% for 1/2 x (# missed days) then 75% (1/2 x missed days) - all easy so you would run 3 1/2 days at 50% voulme and 3 1/2 days at 75% volume. Again - all easy. Sounds reasonable to me.
Dave
where does he get these numbers?
I don’t think you really lose any fitness in a week but you lose blood volume and your body takes time to adjust to running again. This is esp. true if you were sick.
Daniels says if you take 6-28 days off then you restart at 50% for 1/2 x (# missed days) then 75% (1/2 x missed days) - all easy so you would run 3 1/2 days at 50% voulme and 3 1/2 days at 75% volume. Again - all easy. Sounds reasonable to me.
Dave
gotta be at least 45.2341%
.
Not too much
After 12 days: 7% decrease in vo2 max. Stroke volume and cardiac output will also decrease by 6 and 11 percent repsectively during that time.
citation Coyle, EF, et al. Time course of loss of adaptation after stopping prolonged intense endurance training. J Appl Physiol 1984;57:1857
Today was my 1’st run after 8 days off due to sickness. 6.6 miles were 8 seconds faster per mile than the 6.6 I did the day before I got sick.
Not scientific, and I’m sure there are many factors to effect the results, but its a comparison.
TC, is that with bedrest for those 12 days or just not intense activity (usual Activities of Daily Living)?