Do any of you believe that having a two up week then a down week schedule would work better than three up weeks then a down week schedule?
Do any of you believe that having a two up week then a down week schedule would work better than three up weeks then a down week schedule?
Back in the 80s I ran 2:22 and 30 min 10k, 103 20k and 1;22 25K .
I would run a 100mile week then drop to an 80 week. I really think doing a less miliage week is good for mental and physical break.
I also raced a lot on this schedule and it worked.
I also would do 2/3 weeks 90/100 then drop to 70 the week of a race. Works good.
Monty
Depends on the runner, whether you're focusing on short-term performance or long-term development. For most of the runners I work with on this type of cycle we do 4 weeks up 1 down, some do 3 up 1 down. None do 2 up 1 down. For somebody who we determined can't handle 3-4-5 up weeks without a break I'd think about changing to a 15 day cycle (in order to keep it to monthly periods), 12 days up followed by 3 days down or something like that.
It's all about finding your sweet spot. If you try 2 up 1 down and your racing is good then stick with that, but if you're more interested in long-term development I think most runners need at least 3 consecutive weeks up before taking an easier week.
Thanks for the inputs from both of you. I have a follow up question. How much do you increase in the 4/3 week cycle? How much do you drop during the down week? What made you decide that these cycles were what you wanted for your program?
monty wrote:
Back in the 80s I ran 2:22 and 30 min 10k, 103 20k and 1;22 25K .
I would run a 100mile week then drop to an 80 week. I really think doing a less miliage week is good for mental and physical break.
I also raced a lot on this schedule and it worked.
I also would do 2/3 weeks 90/100 then drop to 70 the week of a race. Works good.
Monty
back in the late 70's and early 80 i did lot's of 100-115 mile weeks with no down weeks, except for maybe two-three weeks of 70 during my break.
ran many pr's off of 110 mile weeks at distances from 15k- 30k
the_magnificent wrote:
Do any of you believe that having a two up week then a down week schedule would work better than three up weeks then a down week schedule?
Back in the early 90s, I would do three weeks in a row of over 100 MPW (up to 140 MPW) and then drop down to 70-80 for the 4th week and then go back to 100 mile weeks. Worked fine for me, but that was definitely pushing it...I would have gotten injured if I didn't step it back that 4th week.
back in the 1920's i would 6 180 mile weeks followed by 2 weeks completely off, and then a 60 mile week of hill sprints. these were NOT traditional hill sprints but rather could be classified as leaping or bounding with very long recoveries. my PR's from this period were 2:18 for the marathon and 36 mid for 10k. also wound up splitting 59.xx on a relay but it was handtime so who knows.
I feel like this became a pissing contest when I just wanted some real information.
the_magnificent wrote:
I feel like this became a pissing contest when I just wanted some real information.
3 weeks on and 1 down has worked for me. Just try it out for a few months and see what works. If that feels bad, try 2 up one down, one up and one down, or the same every week. Keep in mind that if you're running more than you ever have, you WILL feel bad/tired almost all of the time that you're not running. If you feel like shit during all of your runs, you need to both slow down and cut back. The problem is that there is no correct answer, and that it will take time to figure out. Good luck
the_magnificent wrote:
Do any of you believe that having a two up week then a down week schedule would work better than three up weeks then a down week schedule?
that's exactly what i do when moving into mileage i've never done before.
that third down week includes an off day, too.
while i'm racing i'll keep mileage consistent, not building or tapering much
i cant tell whats best for you but you could do both
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The reason I am asking is because I have been on the 3 up week program and it has gotten me injured each time right before cross country season for the past two years. That is why I was looking for a different way to structure a program so that I don't end up injured again.
bump