If a 71-year-old can run a 5:29 mile by running once every three days, why don't the rest of us do that?

Good plan if you want to run 5:30. If you want to break 4 minutes, you will have to run 60MPW with a bunch of speedwork.

Go for it wrote:

Good plan if you want to run 5:30. If you want to break 4 minutes, you will have to run 60MPW with a bunch of speedwork.

Yes, but Masters runners aren't going to be breaking 4 minutes.

If the OP means that 25 year olds should be following this guy's example, then obviously he's profoundly wrong, but it might make sense the older you get.

I'm 47, started running this year, and run 3 days a week intensely, lift heavy 3 days and rest one day. It's working very well for me. Guys my age and above are probably better off dispensing with the 'easy runs' and lifting weights/cross training instead.

Coevett wrote:

Go for it wrote:

Good plan if you want to run 5:30. If you want to break 4 minutes, you will have to run 60MPW with a bunch of speedwork.

Yes, but Masters runners aren't going to be breaking 4 minutes.

If the OP means that 25 year olds should be following this guy's example, then obviously he's profoundly wrong, but it might make sense the older you get.

I'm 47, started running this year, and run 3 days a week intensely, lift heavy 3 days and rest one day. It's working very well for me. Guys my age and above are probably better off dispensing with the 'easy runs' and lifting weights/cross training instead.

What's your mile PB these days? Do you think you could take rekrunner?

Go for it wrote:

Good plan if you want to run 5:30. If you want to break 4 minutes, you will have to run 60MPW with a bunch of speedwork.

This is such a BS statement.

Heres the thing if a pro marathoner runs 100 miles a week they could get similar production at 50 mpw if they wanted to run a half and so on.

Aren't there some 800/1500 elites that run on low mileage but hit the weight room pretty hard? McDaddy maybe? Hunter? I know I recall hearing some top mid-d elites going low-mileage and focusing on more strength training? ?

Low-Mileage Elites? wrote:

Aren't there some 800/1500 elites that run on low mileage but hit the weight room pretty hard? McDaddy maybe? Hunter? I know I recall hearing some top mid-d elites going low-mileage and focusing on more strength training? ?

There was a kid I trained with. For the distance of the race he was training. He went all out a little further each day until his fastest became his norm.

Its unorthodox but it worked for him and isn't that wild of a concept I guess really.

If you read the article you can see that on the days he does run, he does specific and deliberate workouts. He doesn't really do easy runs. Maybe whatever little bit we reap from easy runs isn't as much as we could get from the other things. Maybe with the cross training and strength training we enhance aspects of fitness that help us run but don't get enough attention from running alone. Plus, maybe we actually get more intense workouts as a whole over time while actually giving somewhat of a rest to overused running components. It might be like a car where you can only keep making the engine so big without upgrading the transmission, drive line and so forth to accommodate. Simplifying all of this, maybe we can eliminate weak links and in turn provide a better base for the strong ones to work too.

Balanced wrote:

You might remember this, when Gary Patton broke the age group world record by going 5:29.81. He runs one day, cross trains one day, and strength trains one day. If it works for someone who is 71 why don't the rest of us try such a schedule, regardless of our age? Maybe at 35, 45, or whatever we could obtain high levels of fitness without abusing, and perhaps breaking down, one aspect of the body?

https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a20864341/71-year-old-sets-blazing-fast-mile-world-record-on-low-mileage/

Dayum, there are those gall-danged striations again! What are these old record-setters doing to get ripped like that? It's as if there is a magic potion going around that gives you striated muscles and record-setting energy!

That dude is probably on TRT based off of that photo.

Sand Dunes wrote:

That dude is probably on TRT based off of that photo.

Just based off a photo? ?

Are you sure? wrote:

Sand Dunes wrote:

That dude is probably on TRT based off of that photo.

Just based off a photo? ?

I know in some European countries where juice is illegal, if you look too good they(the government) will drug test you. And if you test positive you can face some legal problems.

Runners at that age train like that because they have to. They would get injured otherwise. If you don't have to, so if you're younger and less injury prone, you're wasting your potential if you train like that.

I'm in my late 40s and I'll decrease running and add cross training when I have to. And not one damn day sooner.

Sand Dunes wrote:

Are you sure? wrote:

Just based off a photo? ?

I know in some European countries where juice is illegal, if you look too good they(the government) will drug test you. And if you test positive you can face some legal problems.

Please provide a link to these countries that confirms your claim.

I suspect he is able to run so little, yet run so fast, because he has an enormous background of running when he was younger to draw upon. Howdy just picked up running two years ago, then proceeded with that plan, it probably wouldn’t work.

This is similar to my training for the last few years. I never run more than 20 mpw. I cycle to work and do some cross training in the gym. Of course it doesn't maximize your ability but I am happy to run a bit slower and stay injury free. Still running in the low 16s for 5km. Although I am nowhere near 71 years old yet!

I always thought the value of cross training is underestimated. Most people only do it as a last resort when injured.

DC12 wrote:

This is similar to my training for the last few years. I never run more than 20 mpw. I cycle to work and do some cross training in the gym. Of course it doesn't maximize your ability but I am happy to run a bit slower and stay injury free. Still running in the low 16s for 5km. Although I am nowhere near 71 years old yet!

I always thought the value of cross training is underestimated. Most people only do it as a last resort when injured.

Very impressive 5k time off of 20 mpw! ?

Curious: What kind of cross training at the gym? Any weight training incorporated into your routine? How many days a week do you run?

What's not mentioned, but clear from his routine, is that Gary does a lot of HIIT workouts. His morning routine of squats, pushups, and burpees are HIIT. His hill reps are HIIT. Short intervals are HIIT.

I also do HIIT almost every day, but Gary's approach *appears* to be more structured. I say appears because articles like this always contain information taken out of context. Gary and I started talking about our workouts after running a relay together in September, but we got distracted by the hectic nature of track meets and didn't finish the conversation. I did learn that he does 50 reps with light weights on his weight day. That's longer than normal HIIT, but it's still a HIIT workout. Whereas I do 3 set of 10 reps and then a burner set of 30 reps to exhaustion.

His comment about staying uninjured is right on the mark for older masters runners. I'm looking forward to running with him in the 800m in March and as a teammate in the 4x800m.

If a 70 something year old Ed Whitlock can run a marathon in under three hours by doing slow 2-3 hour runs every day, why don't the rest of us do that? You can ask that sort of question about any somewhat unusual routine. If Roger Bannister could run a mile in under four minutes on a half hour of interval running each day why don't we all do that?

But sure, if you like the idea of running only every three days then lifting weights and cross training on the intervening days, do it. Personally, if the cost of having an age group record was following that sort of routine I'd just as soon pass. Some people actually like going for runs.

DC12 wrote:

This is similar to my training for the last few years. I never run more than 20 mpw. I cycle to work and do some cross training in the gym. Of course it doesn't maximize your ability but I am happy to run a bit slower and stay injury free. Still running in the low 16s for 5km. Although I am nowhere near 71 years old yet!

I always thought the value of cross training is underestimated. Most people only do it as a last resort when injured.

Spot on..I replaced my easy runs with time on an indoor bike and make sure my heart rate is same as an easy run. I feel less beat up and only do easy runs if I am running with company.