High Mileage?

Member

Strictly opinion only:

What weekly mileage would you consider "high mileage?"

What would you as a runner be impressed by?

Member

It depends a bit on the race distance:

5K, 10K > 100
Marathon > 130

I'm not sure if "impressed" in the right word, but that implies I think it is a good thing. But I have a friend who routinely tops 150 miles a week, which sure seems like a big number to me.

Member

Regular people (aka for those who have non-running related jobs or those who run 9mm or slower): 55 for a highly committed life, 65 with less commitments

People who have running related jobs or who run fast: 70 for a highly committed life, 80 with less commitments

Secondary question: doesn't 100mpw for a 5K sound ridiculously excessive? Geez, I talked to Jen Rhines in September and she said she did 150 mile weeks to prepare for Athens.

Frightened Inmate #2

I'd probably draw the line at >70MPW. That just seems like a lot of running to me.

Side note :: I did the math for 100 MPW @ 7:30 pace and it's only 12.5 hours/wk. That's just a little more time than I spend on the bike every week.

12-1/2 hrs. / week of running sure sounds easier than 100 MPW. Maybe it's just me.

Excelent

Anything over 75 miles per week

Member

Frightened Inmate #2

Gone Fishin

The way the question is phrased is really personal opinion afterall. "What do 'you' think?..." So that in itself makes a bit of background necessary since we come from various schools of thought. Like CoachCraig, I've had my nose in this game for enough years to have learned about the legends like Gerry Lindgren who experimented with 200+ miles per week. And I've read just about every bio on distance runners from 1500m to the marathon and if there is one common denominator, it is that 100-mi week. I can recall reading about Steve Holman, the USA's best 1500m runner through the 90's and his weeks would often hit 100 with long runs of 20 every weekend. So race distance versus weekly totals doesn't always jive. What does jive though is what I see as the spectrum of reaching to ultimate potential you've got. And I do believe that does lie somewhere near that 100 mpw mark. But it's a hugely diminishing return. I think people can get probably get 90% of their potential of probably half of that at 50 mpw. So to get back to the question, what is actually 'high'? I'll take the 3/4 point and say going beyond 75 is high. And to be 'impressed'? To me, anything in the triple digits is really impressive.

Member

triple digits impress me whether the person works five jobs or none. I guess it's hard to impress me with mileage that I, myself have done....and I've worked very hard at avoiding 3 digits (unless it includes a decimal point Wink

)

. Not to say that I can't be impressed by someone that does 70 miles a week when I know their individual situation, but if I'm presented by just the numbers.....it'll take 3 digits.

Member

Ever since my baby came, high mileage for me has meant anything more than 15mpw. Very Happy

But that's more than made up for in smiles, giggles, and drool.

Member

The cutoff for what I consider high mileage is based on a level that is high enough that the runner might start doing more harm than good.

Even for a 5K runner, a jump from 70 to 100 mpw will cause most people to improve. Going above 100 is probably no more likely to help than hurt a runner's 5K times for most people, so that is my cutoff for "high mileage." For a marathon, the limit where you start pushing beyond what many people would say is helpful is a little higher, and hence my 130 number.

I'm currently training at around 90 miles per week in preparation for 5K's and 10K's. Already I've seen solid improvement over how I was running at 50-60 mpw, in spite of the fact I'm doing a lot less speedwork and intensity. Once I have a lengthy block of training at that mileage, I give a full report about how well (or not) it works.

Bob Kennedy is reported to have routinely done 140 mpw during base building back when he was exclusively a 5K runner. Interestingly, he is reported to have only been doing 120 mpw in the last few months to get ready for the NYC marathon.

I should also point out that many "low mileage" top runners do tons of cross training, plyometrics, and other work that doesn't count toward their weekly mileage totals. Of course there are big variations in the intensity of the runs as well, so you have to look beyond just the mileage totals to really get the full picture of someones training.

Member

Newbie

Hi,

Most people would be surprised at the range of mileage and intensities that the cream of the crop elites of this world run. I have a buddy that runs 2:09, he run 90-100 miles per week (at very high intensities). Whereas many japnese marathoners runners occasionally top out at 200 plus miles a week (at ridicously slow paces).

Mike

Member

Here is the answer: anything over 70 mpw.

It begets another question, "What is the record for the most miles in a week?"

You Elite Marathoners run 130+, what if you just went nuts for one week?

Member

For 6 days, the record is 639 miles. He kept going and completed 1000 miles in 10 days, 10 1/2 hours, so while no offical record was taken at 7 days, it is safe to say he was over 700 miles for the week. He ran 254 miles in the first 2 days of that 10 day stretch.

Most elite marathoners could easily pop a 200 mile week without too much trouble. The fastest marathoner I know personally routinely runs 140-150 and has an all-time high around 175. Although I used to be coached by a guy who only ran 105 and I think he had a similar PR in the 2:13-2:15 range.

High Mileage?

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