What kind of mileage at what kind of pace are other national caliber d3 teams running? Am I crazy or in hindsight was 50-60/week at a trepid pace too little mileage this fall for xc?
Thanks.
What kind of mileage at what kind of pace are other national caliber d3 teams running? Am I crazy or in hindsight was 50-60/week at a trepid pace too little mileage this fall for xc?
Thanks.
80-100. Some of the top guys get by on 70, some of the top guys run up to 120.
70 minimum unless you are chalked full of talent. Even then there's no excuse for doing less than 70 unless you are injury prone.
Were you averaging 50-60? Or did you hit you top-out at that for a week or two in late August?
The top guys at my school (top 10 program) were doing anywhere from 60-100 mpw. Most probably averaged 70-80 mpw in-season.
While I did believe in the "more mileage is always better" philosophy, 1) there's a point where the returns are marginal (for me it was 85+ mpw), 2) high mileage when racing every other weekend can take a toll, and 3) it's really difficult to be on top of academics and life in general when running 90+ miles per week. Not only is it a time drain, but it's a total energy drain as well.
In my experience, build-up nice and easy in June and July, hit peak mileage in late August/early September when school hasn't started or is still easy. In regard to pace: in my most successful seasons (believe me, there weren't too many of them), I crushed the mileage, but not the pace. You may feel good in the summer months, and therefore want to pick-up the pace on your easy days, but keep the easy runs relaxed (6:50-7:15). If you run too quickly all the time in the summer you'll be just asking for burnout come November.
Last thing, and maybe the most important advice from my experience is that consistency is key. If your body isn't ready for high mileage, don't force it. It took me 4 years before I was ready for 100 mpw. Focus on staying healthy, hitting consistent mileage, and the results will come--maybe not in the season that you're training for, but in a season down the line.
In my experience, it is more important to get consistent mileage in week after week rather than focusing on max-weekly mileage. It definitely depends on how much you ran in high school and what you are building up to.
I found good success and improvement with:
70-80 Freshman year
Low 80s average sophomore year
High 80s average junior year
mid 90s average senior year
I had the most success my senior year, but I think that was less due to mileage than due to my build up. I got up to 80 or so by the beginning of August, 90 by late august, and then held low to mid 90s all the way through early October with one down week (70ish).
Also, I kept the runs at a solid pace 6:40-7:15, except for one day a recovery day a week which I took ASAP (as slow as possible), usually before a race or after a hard workout, depending on the week.
I was one of the 120-140-plus guys at a time when that stuff was laughed at but I never saw the World-Class Kenyans laughing and we were far behind the rest of the World.
It got me 14:20's in the 5k, nothing great in D1 ranks, but I debuted a 2:17 marathon while still in college and got to run the Olympic Trials. If I were to do it all again, I would have stayed around 100-105 miles per week. It's solid enough to stay at the top of the D3 ranks and still have the energy to keep up on the school work and have some fun with the team - all of which you'll want to remember, too, when you age. The body will crumble in your forties if you attack the really insane mileage and sustain it so make sure being the best you can be was worth it to you. For me personally it was definitely worth it.