Is 70mpw too much for a freshman?

Just run 35 miles a week or 10-15 mpw more than you did last summer, whichever is more. You'll wind up injured at 70 mpw if you have never run much before anyways.

*and I did very little (less than 20mpw) between xc and track season.

run 40 mpw. any more and you'll regret it later.

there's plenty of time for 70 mpw later in your career.

just go run this summer and you'll probably drop 3 minutes off of your 5k.

Typical Americans. I guarantee Kenyans his age are running this mileage at a much earlier age.

Seriously though, don't go more than 10-15 MPW than you've gone before. There are no shortcuts, you have to build one step at a time. I'm guessing that's nowhere close to 70 MPW for you.

choco-lardiac arrest wrote:

Seriously though, don't go more than 10-15 MPW than you've gone before. There are no shortcuts, you have to build one step at a time. I'm guessing that's nowhere close to 70 MPW for you.

The problem is I've never really run base before.

I was planning on trying to work my way up to 70 mile weeks at the end of summer, but apparently this is a bad idea. Instead, I'll probably stick to 40-50 miles at most.

Lofty Goals wrote:

choco-lardiac arrest wrote:

Seriously though, don't go more than 10-15 MPW than you've gone before. There are no shortcuts, you have to build one step at a time. I'm guessing that's nowhere close to 70 MPW for you.

The problem is I've never really run base before.

I was planning on trying to work my way up to 70 mile weeks at the end of summer, but apparently this is a bad idea. Instead, I'll probably stick to 40-50 miles at most.

Try and keep it on a soft surface, trails, not pavement!

That makes a world of difference. I found that 6 miles on pavement, made me as tired and sore the next day as ten miles on a gravel path...

choco-lardiac arrest wrote:

Typical Americans. I guarantee Kenyans his age are running this mileage at a much earlier age.

A Kenyan running 20 mins for a 5k isn't running, he's taking his cow to the market or some other such chore.

I coach high school and start out my freshman at low 30mpw unless they have more of a background in running which may get them to 40mpw. Basically each year i give them a little more. Freshman 30-40mpw, sophomores 40-50mpw, juniors 50-60mpw, seniors 60mpw (70 for those willing/hardcore boys). Girls are 5-10miles less depending. I currently have 7 sub-5 guys and graduating my first group of seniors. Probably had one or two more sub-5 guys but i kicked them off.

Your freshman prs are nearly identical to mine my freshman year. I was about 10 seconds slower than you for 1500.

I was running 20-30 miles a week but bumped that up to 50 miles a week after the season and through the next fall. Then 60-70 by early spring my sophomore year.

That summer I got up to 75-90 miles a week and kept around there all year round my junior/senior year.

I ran 14:19 for 5000, 3:52 for 1500 and 8:08 for 3000 my senior year.

You probably should wait about a year before running 70 a week and get very comfortable with good solid training in the 50-60 mpw range.

it is even too much for a college freshman.

break it up wrote:

I was running 20-30 miles a week but bumped that up to 50 miles a week after the season and through the next fall. Then 60-70 by early spring my sophomore year.

That summer I got up to 75-90 miles a week and kept around there all year round my junior/senior year.

I ran 14:19 for 5000, 3:52 for 1500 and 8:08 for 3000 my senior year.

You probably should wait about a year before running 70 a week and get very comfortable with good solid training in the 50-60 mpw range.

Did you do additional runs during the season, or just what your coaches told you to do? Also, what kind of mileage did you do during the season?

Great Times, btw.