140 a week is no joke. A teammate and myself are currently inbetween XC and indoor, and decided that it would be a good time to see how much we could actually run in one week. We had been to 110-112, but not close to 120 so we set that as the goal. Throughout the bulk of cross we averaged about 90 mpw including the peaking period. Prior to that we had numerous 100+'s. Since it was supposed to be a real shitty week weather wise, we decided to get 20 the first day in order to stay ahead of the game. We ended up doing that everyday:
Mon- 6,14
Tues- 7-13
Weds- 8,12
Thur- 6,17
Fri- 8,12
Sat - 9,7,7
Sun- 14
Week total = 14 runs, 140 miles
Each run was a progression, usually starting at 6:40's and working down to 5:50's. We ran by feel, and since we had no specific workouts that week, it was manageable. After about 110, everything started to feel the same. The two of us ran everything together, and by the end of the week, there was nothing really to say between us, it was just understood (we were still going to class and doing schoolwork which was a kick in the balls).
Since we are not racing in our main events until January, we thought it was a good idea to try now. Many people criticized doing this volume, but at this point, we are average runners at a mid major D1 program in the northeast - (i.e. long term development is not taken into account) Both of us have goals in the marathon which is not something any of the people around us seem to realize. Within the 2 weeks after doing 140, there has already been a decrease in race times, an increase in comfort during hard efforts, and quicker recovery between those efforts. Maybe its just confidence or some other placebo, but everything just seems easier now - I guess we'll see when its time to race...