Anyone have any stories of getting way better with increased mileage? Let's hear it.

Had been trying to break 17 since I was in high school (think my PR was like 17:20 in high school). Pumped my mileage up to 80-100 per week in my mid-20s. No speedwork besides a weekly parkrun. Ended up ultimately not only breaking 17 but eventually ended up all the way down at 16:31. Ran a 1:14 half too. Had to lower the mileage again (life) and now I’m back around like 17:20 and 1:18 again.

You don’t think that period of higher mileage played into you setting those PBs? I got tired on higher mileage too, but less so as I adapted. I suspect you still carried those adaptations as well, even after the period of rest.

I went from an 18:30 5k runner in high school to a 2:29 marathon runner at age 23 from increasing my mileage from 40 to 100. Mileage absolutely works.

hs - I ran in the 17s for 5k a couple times, once in the 1740s on a grass track course. 60 mpw sr by sr year
ran - 124s for a half marathon
college - ran in the 16s for xc 5k, many times in the 27s for xc 8k, 26s for 8k a few times. 70-100 mpw. 100 mpw from soph year on
1:16s for half marathon, 33s for track 10, 16s for track 5
post college 100-120 mpw
114s for half marathon a few times, 55xx for 10 miles, 15s for track 5, low 9s for track 3, xc about the same as in college, 148xx 30k

with career - due to majoring in something stupid, I ended up getting a yob where 20+ hours of overtime a week were the norm. Bascially stopped training consistently. After 3 years, when I realized I was only racing once or twice a year, I started trying to get back in shape. But I'd get close to my post college times outlined above, then fall off when another ot project started. It took 7 years experience to finally move to a position where I'm only working 40-50 hours a week (but with a horrible commute, but prob still more time). Overambition sent me into an injury cycle for a couple years, but finally managed to complete a season healthy, averaged 80 in singles for 3 months, so we will see.

I've heard of guys who made crazy improvements with a couple years of high mileage, but for me improvements were modest and wrought with periodic injury. Still, I like running, I'd rather do the high mileage and improve a little than like 60 mpw. Its not always fun, but a 15 mile run on pretty trails or along a scenic beachtown can be fun the whole way. Seeing improvements in workouts is fun.

I don't think high mileage is going to make most people world beaters without the genetics. So the real questions are can you live with incremental improvements? Do you enjoy the process? Do you want to see what happens?

If you go in to high mileage with the mindest that you want to make all American next season or qualify for the trials, even in the marathon, you might be disappointed. You will get beat, sometimes by hser's. You will be sore and tired. But you will probably run faster, especially at longer distances. My 15s 5k would be like back of the pack at BU, but I've won some road races, and even won a little money (some good times in hilly races). Finished top 25 in 15k person races and had my results in the paper, back when that was a thing lol.

That's huge, congrats man. This is the kind of story that op needs for inspiration. Your marathon pace is faster than your hs 5k pace.

Ran 18 flat off pretty much no mileage in 5kxc- upped mileage and am now in sub 15 5k shape on roads and sub 15- low 15 on xc course- less than a year later

Little bit off-topic, but I have no family of my own and work easy job, but unfortunately I need a ton of sleep. It's just my body is that way. I don't know why.

Usually I need 8 to 8.5 hours of sleep with normal daily activities and no training. When I train it's 9 to be 100% refreshed and ready to train again. Then I bumped the mileage more and more - now I need 10 hours minimum.

The summer before my freshman year in college, I ran 40-50 miles per week. I ran the 8k on a famously flat and fast course in 31:30, (this was a relatively small D3 school with a very modest xc/track program.) I ran 17:50 in a track 5k in the spring.

The following summer, I busted my ass and ran tons of miles. I averaged 65 per week, but by the end of the summer I had a few 80+ mile weeks under my belt, and was knocking out 20+ mile double sessions. I wasn't doing any workouts or weight training, I was literally just running long and easy as often as I could. I ran 27:05 on the same 8k course. I would go on to run 16:20 indoors for the 5k the following year, after a similar high mileage block in the winter.

HS: 50-60mpw 5k: mid 17s mid 10s for the 3200 4:40s for the 1600

College 80-100: 10k mid 33, 5k high 15s

Post College: 120-140: mid to high 2:20s for the marathon (very consistently), high 14s for the 5k (went down in millage (70-90mpw after 4 years of 120+).

Big jumps for me: 85 now my freshman year of college.. plateaued PR wise for the next 4-5 years.

120 mpw was the next huge jump and probably felt like a bigger increase than 60-85-100

130 was a struggle to adapt too and never had a great race.

140 was a big jump. PR in the half during a 140 mile week was finally adapted after a year of struggling with 130. Could run multiple marathons for 1 build and not be sore the next days after the 2nd or 3rd one which is pretty cool.. pushed my luck and did a 4th but was mentally and physically done at that point and was ready to drink a few beers a week again.

Got hurt switching to lower mileage 5K/3K work after that.. I'm just not built for speed. Next up 160 in a year or so. In general. Only holding the top of that milage for 4-12 weeks the rest of the year is 90-120

I'm not a miler but I'm 100% sure you're doing it wrong. Look to add strength and explosive power rather than miles. I think 50-60 mpw is the upper limit for a miler.

Yes, pretty much everyone improves with mileage, and experience.

Not bad times for a 20 something year old, but without details on training, nutrition etc, who knows what other areas for improvements there are.

Also a fmr DIII runner, less than a star on the team but a consistent contributor. At 19 I ran a 4:49 mile and 23:20 for 4 miles over the summer, doing 35 mpw. I built up from there and by fall was doing 60-70 mpw and ran 27:20 for 5 miles. The next year (keeping in the 50-75 mpw range) I ran a 4:36 mile and 31:50 for 6 miles on the road.

Later on, in my mid-50s I was running about 55 mpw for 17:20 for 5K and 1:20-1:22 for the HM. A few years after that, into my late 50s I upped the mileage to 65+/- and ran low 17 and sub 1:20 several times and started age grading into the 90%+ range.

30 mpw freshman in HS, 4:57 1600 & 17:37 3-mile XC

60 mpw sophomore, 4:40 1600 &16:50 5k XC pr

75-80 mpw age 25, 4:17 mile & 14:53 5000m

Some was getting older, some more consistent training. But the difference between even 40 and 60 mpw is night and day, fitness-wise.

SO -> JR High School 50 -> 75 mpw: 17:00 -> 16:16 5k

SR HS -> FR College 75 -> 85 mpw: 4:39 mile -> 4:16

SO College -> JR College 85 -> 90 mpw: 4:16 mile -> 4:04 mile

Obviously there was development in strength work and the workouts that I was doing too. Can't JUST add volume, progress workouts as well.

I am currently building my mileage and there are two ways to do it:

1) the right way (which I will describe in a moment)

2) the wrong way (which leads to overtraining and no improvement in the near term)

About 10 years ago (having only topped 100 miles in a week once or twice) I was determined to try something different. I was doing doubles and spend 20 weeks over a summer ave 139 miles per week. (the best 10 weeks toward the end were 159 miles a week.)

If you ask me how I did it i would said gradually, using doubles - etc. but when I went back and looked at my running log I realized I was doing something I didn't even realize (I was taking about 2 days off per week - so I was running 10 times per week). These mini breaks were the key to it working and me being able to increase my mileage so much. There was one week where I didn't take any days off and hit 200 miles and that was actually a mistake and set me back a little.

So I might run for 2 days (4 runs) and then take 1 day off...then 2-3 more days and 1 day off)

three years later I was at it again and this time i was running 3 times per day. But I was taking no days off because I hadn't yet realized that I doing this before. It did not work. I was running myself into the ground. by the end of about the 3rd week I hit 210 miles at lot of it at 9:00 pace - and couldn't run fast for my life. It took 3 week of backing down to get back to being somewhat fast.

My lesson to you:

it is not exclusively about the miles it is about the workload increase. So I am taking at least 2 full days off per week (one midweek and one at the end)...and it works incredibly well. It does lower you mileage for the week but again that is not the real goal. the goal is supercompensation - asking your body to do more but then resting it so it can rebuild stronger. Without the rest days - there will be no supercompensation. Only overtraining.

my last 3 weeks are 68,82, and 88 but since I am taking 2 day off per week I am effectively running almost 20 miles per day. you know it is working when you feel stronger and even start to see a drop in workout times. You know it isn't working when you never get over the feeling of being tired and you feel like is isn't worth it. If the later happen take more rest time (I took two 1 and 1/2 day breaks during weeks one and two because I felt I needed it.

another tip is don't put much emphasis on workouts during this time - the mileage increase is the workout (that is where the workload increase is coming from). This is also why just running easy mileage is not enough to get you to recover. True recovery happens when you rest= no running for a day or so.

One guy i know trained for the UTMB, lots of long runs and marathon pace work, 100k a week. He went from 2:50 marathon to 2:25 marathon in 1 year.

Other guy, I know was smoking and drinking, decided to run seriously because his gielfriend was in the xc team. Doubles, 2 workouts, big long run, lunch time gym, 120km per week.

33 min 10k, 2:35 marathon after 3 years of running.

Another guy I knew, did not do much unless he was signed up for a race.

He would then just run daily doubles 10km AM to work , 10k back, no watch just on feel. 16 min 5k , 1:18 HM when he was 47 years old.

My best came around 90 mpw. I was low mileage in HS (45 mpw). Steadily increased 10ish miles per year, 5 or so miles a semester through college. 60s as a freshman, 70s as a sophomore, 80s as a Junior. 90 as a senior. I broke 8:00/14:00 my senior year. As a fifth year I ran 100-110 and never broke 8 or 14 again. Maybe I needed more time at 90. Maybe 90 was my sweet spot. There could have been a variety of different factors. I kept increasing post collegiately and just got slower. I was running slower than I was in high school while running 120+ mpw. You’ll never know until you try. Give it an honest shot. Be patient. But also know your boundaries and what helps/what doesn’t.