how fast can vo2max increase after you start running again...

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Seigla
Seigla Posts: 172 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
10 days ago I did my first triathlon, ran 5 kilometers with an average speed of 13 km/h average. I did not train running for 8 months due to an injury - which btw was not due to overtraining, but I had flat feet... now I have insoles, took some time to rest after that and unfortunately didn't have time to train for the triathlon, so just did it untrained.

I am happy with that time and it was nice to discover that my legs could handle the running again, so I started training. I run about 15 kilometers per week (3 * 5) and so far I feel no pain.

Now I wonder... what can I expect to happen to my speed? In 4 weeks I have my next triathlon, also with a 5k, can I expect to do it faster? How fast does vo2max increase if you start running again? I guess it dropped considerably in the meantime... my vo2 max was 60 ml/kg/min just a few weeks after that injury.

Just wondering. Curious about your experiences! Thanks! :)

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  • Seigla
    Seigla Posts: 172 Member
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    ok I found some answers myself in this article: http://running.competitor.com/2014/03/training/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-out-of-shape_70267
  • Seigla
    Seigla Posts: 172 Member
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    "If getting back in shape after taking time off, whether for injury or a mental break, seems like it takes far longer than getting out of shape, that’s not just your perception.

    “It takes at least twice as long, if not longer, to gain fitness as to lose fitness,” said Karp. “It takes much, much longer to build a house than to knock it down.”

    Many of your systems have to be built back up from the cellular level, synthesizing protein and increasing the number of mitochondria. The half-line of decline in mitochondrial enzyme is 12 days, which means 12 days of detraining requires 36 days of re-training to return to the same levels, according to Coyle.

    Read more at http://running.competitor.com/2014/03/training/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-out-of-shape_70267#sY068EJdCm4JSyLV.99"
  • Seigla
    Seigla Posts: 172 Member
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    I also read a few other articles. What I've learned from it is that if you have been training for a long time and you take a months long break, your fitness level initially drops quickly, but then this slows down and you still retain a nice portion (like 40%) of your gain in fitness level. Also I read that you regain your endurance/strength quicker if you have trained in the past. And finally your fitness level drops less quickly if you've been cross training in the meantime, and I have done that.
  • csman49
    csman49 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    Sounds like a win then
  • Seigla
    Seigla Posts: 172 Member
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    yeah only thing is that my leg muscles have shrunk considerably, though they are still way larger than average. But anyways... perhaps I should just be patient, continue training and see what happens; I plan to keep training for years... so it doesn't really matter if it takes me 2 months to get back to my old level or 6 months... I'll get there anyways... and beyond.
  • kasaz
    kasaz Posts: 274 Member
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    Thanks for supplying the information. I'm not a runner, but a hiker. I broker my arm and am now getting back in shape for a later summer backpacking trip. I can attest to the fact that the fitness level decreases faster than it increases. Just glad to get things going in the right direction again.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    Your VO2 Max doesn't really drop per se if you take a break. Your actual "VO2Max" is a measurement of what your body is capable of - the amount of oxygen you can consume and use. That barely changes at all. What does change is your ability to actually do anything with that oxygen.

    Regardless VO2Max is not a terribly useful metric for endurance events. More important is your lactate threshold, and what percent of your VO2Max your LT is. Lactate Threshold is a measure of absolute fitness, but the closer your LT is to your VO2Max is a metric for how well you can sustain speed for a long period of time.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    glevinso wrote: »
    Your VO2 Max doesn't really drop per se if you take a break. Your actual "VO2Max" is a measurement of what your body is capable of - the amount of oxygen you can consume and use. That barely changes at all. What does change is your ability to actually do anything with that oxygen.

    Regardless VO2Max is not a terribly useful metric for endurance events. More important is your lactate threshold, and what percent of your VO2Max your LT is. Lactate Threshold is a measure of absolute fitness, but the closer your LT is to your VO2Max is a metric for how well you can sustain speed for a long period of time.

    No, VO2 max drops the way the OP described. It sounds like you may be getting caught up in semantics where you are interpreting "VO2Max" as "one's maximum genetic potential" or equating VO2 Max with HR max.

    There are short-term and long-term responses to detraining. The OP described one of the longer-term responses--decrease in mitochondria. Plasma volume decreases quite rapidly, but it is also restored quickly once training is resumed.

    Lactate threshold is an important measure, but LT is a relative measure, being that it is a percentage of VO2 Max. Someone with a VO2 Max of 40 is not going to perform at the same level as someone with a VO2 max of 60, no matter what their LT is.

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