Is there any benefit for a 30 minute 5k runner to run high mileage

It will definitely help. I know some very fast runners that do ten-milers at 10-minute mile pace.

I can get that 100mpw at 11-minute pace ++ could maybe do more harm than good, mostly because of all the time on the feet. But 50-60mpw really isn't "high mileage", at least for the 5K. Anyone can build up to 50mpw, and anyone can benefit from that.

The gains you'll see from high mileage are primarily aerobic, which would help a lot, even for a 20-minute+ 5K.

There is a definite benefit for increasing your mileage at any level of fitness, but the key idea to remember is to be sensible about it. Slowly work your way up by about 10% of your total weekly miles and in time you'll feel the fitness running through your veins.

What's high mileage? For me it's 60-70mpw

I was thinking for others it's 70-90mpw

It's hard to answer without context. 10-15 hours of running per week is quite a bit and should show benefit. But it depends what the runner was doing before. Most likely it'll just get them injured because they were previously doing 20.

A 30-minute 5ker probably sees the most benefit by gradually upping their mileage from whatever it's currently at, doing some strides, and having one tempo, one long run, and one speed session per week. Hmm, same as everyone else.

If they were running 15 mpw to race 5k in 30 mins there is definitely a benefit if they gradually over the course of 12 months increase their mileage to 50-60 mpw, even if that mileage is nothing more than steady running. They would probably drop their 5k time to 23 mins or faster.

A 30min 5k person needs to learn to walk faster.

back woods wrote:

A 30min 5k person needs to learn to walk faster.

You're so great for the sport and helping others get into it & enjoy themselves.

I started off over 24 minutes for 5k on very low mileage and got it down to 15:xx. I think that folks who are just out there getting through 5k's will benefit greatly from adding more miles. Eventually they'll start going faster than 5k pace on easy runs as their running economy improves. Could easily take 5-10 minutes off after a year or two of putting in the miles.

Is there any benefit? (i.e., "Is the person better off doing it than not doing it with respect to anything?") Sure, probably. For a 30 minute 5K runner, one of the major benefits of running that much would very likely be weight loss. That said, is the person better off doing than than doing some other specific form of training, if the goal is to get noticeably fitter and faster in the short term? Probably not. Also, the commitment required to run that many miles when one is running at the paces involved for a 30-minute 5K runner is far beyond the norm. This will, by definition, take roughly twice as much time as it would take a 15 minute 5K runner to do the same amount of mileage, or to put it another way, it will take about as much time as it would take a fast guy to run 100-120 miles a week. I don't have any idea how it would come to be that somebody running a 5K in 30 minutes would deem it worthwhile to spend as much time training as a somebody who does it for their job.

Fifty to sixty a week isn't really high mileage at all on the overall scale but of course it would benefit a 30 minute 5km runner. Whether that runner finds the benefit worth the effort is another matter.

Would there be a benefit for someone that runs a 30 minute 5k to run 50 miles per week?

NO! 50 mpw will just cause pain or injury.

I'm not sure what the 30 for 5k runner is doing now but 50 miles a week would take them 10+ hours a week at their training pace. They'd probably be better off trying to run between 1-5 miles a day everyday for 15-25 miles a week.

Chances are they are extremely out of shape. 25 mpw is all it will really take to get them in better shape. After they are in better shape then maybe move up 5-10 miles a week.

A 30min 5K runner would be national class in several age categories, and not very likely to be overweight (b/c few national class runners are overweight).

I don't think a 30 minute 5k runner could realistically complete 50mpw in 98% of cases.

Jak Cok wrote:

Like 50-60mpw

My friend and i were having a discussion about this. I don't think there is a lot of benefit. He thinks there's 0 benefit.

I don't think you'll run say a sub 20 running 50mpw at 12 minute pace of course. But i think you will with a long run, 3 medium runs and 2 easy runs. And maybe occasionally replace one of those medium runs with a tempo run.

I don't know if running a sub 20 5k takes more aerobic capacity and if it requires any part of your anaerobic system.

I'm pretty sure you need some speed to run sub 20 but it's mostly aerobic

What are the goals of the person?

Why not first do some of the things that will bring large drops, such as fartleks, hill repeats, tempos, track repeats, and progressions, before moving to mileage increases for this category of runner? The time is just too easy to take off in these simpler ways.

Pappy wrote:

Would there be a benefit for someone that runs a 30 minute 5k to run 50 miles per week?

NO! 50 mpw will just cause pain or injury.

I'm not sure what the 30 for 5k runner is doing now but 50 miles a week would take them 10+ hours a week at their training pace. They'd probably be better off trying to run between 1-5 miles a day everyday for 15-25 miles a week.

Chances are they are extremely out of shape. 25 mpw is all it will really take to get them in better shape. After they are in better shape then maybe move up 5-10 miles a week.

I'm assuming that the runner here wants to be faster than a 30 minute 5 km runner. I don't know whether or not s/he wants to do that badly enough to put in something like 10 hours a week but that would get them to much faster times. Running as slowly as they are isn't going to generate much impact so the injury risk is at worst no greater than it is for anyone. It would improve them a lot but the issue is whether or not they want to spend that kind of time for results that on the overall spectrum will likely still be pretty slow. Personally, I don't know why you'd bother competing in a sport if you aren't doing what you can to be as competitive as possible, but that's just an opinion.

back woods wrote:

A 30min 5k person needs to learn to walk faster.

Wait tell you get old!

Running 50 - 60mpw would entail at least 10 - 15 hours of running per week. Seems like a lot for trying to improve a 30 min 5k. Time and effort would be better spent doing something pursuing some other activity that could bring better results.

Angry Willy wrote:

Running 50 - 60mpw would entail at least 10 - 15 hours of running per week. Seems like a lot for trying to improve a 30 min 5k. Time and effort would be better spent doing something pursuing some other activity that could bring better results.

What about the runner who ran 15+ hours per week to run a 21 minute 5k? Seems like a lot to improve a couple of minutes on what they might have run off 3 or 4 hours per week. Ed Whitlock is the runner's name.

Some people enjoy running more than other activities even though they have little natural ability and some of those people don't enjoy intense training like intervals, hill repeats or fartlek runs. For those people, if they run 10 hours per week instead of 3, their 5k time will get faster. If their goal is to run faster, they should try it and ignore criticism for running "too much".

The thing people usually ignore is sprint development.

(I know you say distance runners never sprint at anytime during a 5K, however you are dead wrong. They should be able to sprint at the end IF they paced it correctly. Classic running form should always be worked on.)

Do not get me wrong, I come from the groups who wanted to do lots and lots of hard interval training.

A good 10 day microcycle would include all of the elements of training.

Doing MULTIPLE speeds prevents injuries as well as improving overall speed!

Sunday: Long run (Starting with your longest and every two weeks adding a mile to it. 9 miles is not too far for a 5K runner!)

Tuesday: Recovery run (Start at 1 mile go to 6 miles at a relaxed pace)

Wednesday: Sprint Training

1 mile jog, dynamic running drills, 4 x 60 strides; 5 X 70 @ 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, and 99%. (Later 5 X 70 or 6 X 80) This is an important day. Do not follow it with a tempo run!

Thursday: Recovery run similar to Tuesday

Friday: Fartlek run starting at 2 miles going to 5 miles. Vary the length of the hard run between 2 to 5 minutes with shorter jog interval between.

Saturday: Recovery run

Sunday: Progressive run of 4-6 miles

For a 30 minute 5k runner this might mean 11 minute mile, 10:50 mile, 10:40 mile, 10:30 mile for the 4 mile run. You will want to beat those times nearly every week.

Monday: Recovery Run or Tempo run if feeling very fresh.

Tuesday: Hill workout. One way might be to take a slightly steep hill and

run 3 X 800 with a jog down to equal 6 miles. Maybe a tough hilly 6 mile run might be found instead.

Wednesday: 6 x broken 300s (First 100 at 800 pace, second 100 at 400 pace, last 100 close to top speed.) This is acceleration practice. You can also do flying 30s every straightaway on the track.

*You will want to warmup each day by either running slowly on distance days or on "workout" days jogging a mile, doing dynamic running drills and strides.

**It might be a good practice to finish recovery days with some short strides.

Underworking is always better than overworking. Most people over train.

Some may need more recovery runs.

***Eventually start adding one interval workout per week of say

3 X Mile at date pace (not goal pace for the 5K)

The mile repeats will be your key workout to prepare for the 5K but you need to put in lots of miles before you can profit much for it.

****Everything should get faster over time, however recovery runs need to be for recovery. Do not attempt to always run them faster. The long run does not always have to be getting faster either.

*****I am aware that this is not a complete schedule. You should have a year-round plan. There will be periods when you run three interval workouts per microcycle. Build up to that.