Bill Rodgers's training log. So why is there so much inconsistent mileage?

Read and learn- Anatomy of a Medal (Deena Kastor):

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/the-anatomy-of-a-medal.shtml

that's not why his mileage fluctuated. Hers was part of the slave to number planning that so many runners follow. Bill Rodgers just ran...when you just run and run by feel some days you feel like going 16 and come back with 12 other days something different. I don't think he really cared or gave too much thought or concern for the week to week miles.

also the % of week to week fluctuations are not as great as they appear...someone running around 60 probably goes 54, 63, 70, 49, 55 etc..= that 10% up and down or even a little more. Once you get up around 140 - big weeks are 170 and low weeks are 110.

another factor is racing. when you are not racing mileage can be much higher (30% more easily).

to the OP: his mileage is anything but inconsistent. Consistant high mileage over time is what he did.

For some of the early road warriors, there was significantly more racing than the younguns today. Could travel for races impacted his weekly mileage as well?

Rodgers would race nearly year round so he travelled a lot when he was earning appearance money. Think about it, no shoe contract deals like today. He had to race to make money.

At his peak he was making 400k a year but I don't know if that includes his earnings from his apparel line and shoe store.

The guy had to be squeezing training in between meetings and travel so it makes sense he couldn't stick to a strict training schedule from week to week.

He ran 120-150 miles a week for most of the 1970's and cut back to 90- 120 miles a week when he ran his greatest race, the 1979 Boston Marathon. I think he still ran a 120 mile week two weeks out from that race.

I recall reading about how if he was taking a flight with a long layover and would get a locker at the airport, change in the bathroom, and squeeze in an hour running around the airport.

As a coach I couldn't get college kids to get a 4 mile morning run in every day because they lived in dorms that shared maybe two or three showers.

If you read much of his log you realized that most years he raced 30-40 times a year. That means one travel day, sometimes one expo day (where he signed autographs for lots of fans or attended a spaghetti dinner or gave a talk), race day, and the travel day home for many races.

Now clearly none of these things took an entire day, but ONCE on each day he had to travel, attend a pre-race event, race, or travel again. Maybe sometimes he packed ALL those things into 2 days.

Some races I know he flew in the day before, raced, then flew back to Boston that evening. But sometimes he raced in a foreign country, probably 5 times per year, some were marathons. That takes an awful lot more.

His training "schedule" was not part of any grand plan. Sometimes he ran in the "A.M." at NOON and then finished the run at 1:30 and ran again at 4:00 PM or so. If you look at his schedule there are many days where there are just 1.5-4 hrs between runs. That wasn't scientifically the best, just what he did because he was not a rigid trainer.

Rodgers wasn't a sissified wimp, backing out of this race or that race because of a "cold". Bill had common injuries and little setbacks, but he dealt with them and adapted. Today's runners are a little sore in one spot and they back out of a race for fear that it will worsen or that things won't go perfectly in the race. Rodgers ran.I've had many, many conversations with Bill over the years. He trained, traveled and raced. Salazar pulls runners out of a race for the silliest things...if he's being honest about their condition. Yet he ran when he was not at his best in road races and marathons, even a 20k in Chicago. Times have changed. Herb Lindsay, Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Craig Virgin, etc.. of yesterday are sadly gone.

pre841 wrote:

For some of the early road warriors, there was significantly more racing than the younguns today. Could travel for races impacted his weekly mileage as well?

The real question is, why do you feel mileage should be 'consistent'? I'm shocked that there are runners who actualy think that way.

Yuki Kawauchi is the closest thing to a modern day Bill Rodgers in that he races very frequently.

If someone raced frequently and did mega mileage like Bill and won the major marathons and was American today, they would be huge.

His consistency was in his races.

Example

Four NYC wins

Four Boston wins

In 1978 he won 27 of 30 races he entered.

I ran half of what he did and my weekly mileage during the same era ranged weekly from 55-75. I never thought of a specific weekly number. Between work and family I upcoming races, I ran what I could.

Balian wrote:

His consistency was in his races.

Example

Four NYC wins

Four Boston wins

In 1978 he won 27 of 30 races he entered.

I ran half of what he did and my weekly mileage during the same era ranged weekly from 55-75. I never thought of a specific weekly number. Between work and family I upcoming races, I ran what I could.

Good point about the winning consistency.

Question though, if I wanted to train like Bill when I move up to the marathon would I just:

1) run twice a day every day except Sunday

2) long run Sunday

3) just run however long and fast I feel like for each run

4) race pretty much all the time

5) Some cruise intervals on Tuesdays

anything else? or is it that simple?

agc5k wrote:

Balian wrote:

His consistency was in his races.

Example

Four NYC wins

Four Boston wins

In 1978 he won 27 of 30 races he entered.

I ran half of what he did and my weekly mileage during the same era ranged weekly from 55-75. I never thought of a specific weekly number. Between work and family I upcoming races, I ran what I could.

Good point about the winning consistency.

Question though, if I wanted to train like Bill when I move up to the marathon would I just:

1) run twice a day every day except Sunday

2) long run Sunday

3) just run however long and fast I feel like for each run

4) race pretty much all the time

5) Some cruise intervals on Tuesdays

anything else? or is it that simple?

That is pretty much it. but there are much better ways to train

agc5k wrote:

Balian wrote:

His consistency was in his races.

Example

Four NYC wins

Four Boston wins

In 1978 he won 27 of 30 races he entered.

I ran half of what he did and my weekly mileage during the same era ranged weekly from 55-75. I never thought of a specific weekly number. Between work and family I upcoming races, I ran what I could.

Good point about the winning consistency.

Question though, if I wanted to train like Bill when I move up to the marathon would I just:

1) run twice a day every day except Sunday

2) long run Sunday

3) just run however long and fast I feel like for each run

4) race pretty much all the time

5) Some cruise intervals on Tuesdays

anything else? or is it that simple?

6. some intervals

the rest will work pretty well as long as you feel like running pretty dam fast some days

agc5k wrote:

Question though, if I wanted to train like Bill when I move up to the marathon would I just:

1) run twice a day every day except Sunday

2) long run Sunday

3) just run however long and fast I feel like for each run

4) race pretty much all the time

5) Some cruise intervals on Tuesdays

anything else? or is it that simple?

Bill ran twice a day on his long run days too, most weeks.

[quote]80's Runner wrote:

Rodgers wasn't a sissified wimp, backing out of this race or that race because of a "cold".

Bill had common injuries and little setbacks, but he dealt with them and adapted.

Today's runners are a little sore in one spot and they back out of a race for fear that it will worsen or that things won't go perfectly in the race. Rodgers ran.

I've had many, many conversations with Bill over the years. He trained, traveled and raced.

Salazar pulls runners out of a race for the silliest things...if he's being honest about their condition. Yet he ran when he was not at his best in road races and marathons, even a 20k in Chicago.

Times have changed. Herb Lindsay, Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Craig Virgin, etc.. of yesterday are sadly gone. [quote]pre841 wrote:

All true AND Bill Rodgers wasn't afraid of getting beat. He ran the Crim several times in his prime and NEVER won, not once. This is not the same as Ritz running the Crim and announcing that he's shooting for this time or that time because he's not in top shape. You are right, Bill Rodgers just ran.

training 101 wrote:

Read and learn- Anatomy of a Medal (Deena Kastor):

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/the-anatomy-of-a-medal.shtml

A quote from Vigil, "The record has shown that since 1968, 95% of all Olympic and World Championship medals from the 800 through the Marathon were won by athletes who lived or trained at altitude."

This is flat out false.

I think saying that Bill Rodgers just ran misses one point. I would say Bill Rodgers just WANTED to run and race.

OKAY, so Deena Kastor sets an American Record for Half Marathon in a Women's only race while under Vigil, but now, as a 41-year old drops a 69:36. Are you freaking kidding me? I hate this sport.

I do love how Vigil calls out Paula Radcliffe's psychological weakness over the course in that she was not prepared mentally or physically for the 8 mile climb on the Athens course. She was so used to running London, Chicago, pancakes.

COKM,O9DFAVN wrote:

I think saying that Bill Rodgers just ran misses one point. I would say Bill Rodgers just WANTED to run and race.

Oh, because YOU say it it's right, but others are missing the point. Others don't want to run and race, is that your idiotic point?