140 miles a week and 40 hours a week

Since I'm sure you'll mostly get responses from hero types who pulled it off, I'll give you another data point. I tried working 60-hour weeks while running 100 miles a week.

I couldn't do it - it's a horrible way to live. It seems that all you're ever doing is running, working, or commuting.

Isn't riding around on a horse and looking tough a 168 hour a week job.

Awesome guys, thanks for sharing. Keep the war stories coming.

I am at a odd point in my life, I have one class to finish and I'll graduate college. Luckily I'm taking it online. I'm also training for a 2:20-22 marathon and have been hitting big mileage 130-140 for the past couple months.

I work in a mechanic garage sweeping floors and moving parts around so I'm on my feet all day. It's nice to see other guys out there doing it.

cool thread

Can anyone here post some PR drops when you went from 100 to 140? Or are people more interested in running than racing...

5k 14:43 @ 90 miles dropped to 14:16 after 140.

10k 30:56 @ 100 dropped to 29:44 after a year at 140.

Half 1:07 @ 100 dropped to 1:04:58 after a year at 140.

I ran back in the 70's and trained with a group of guys who would hammer 130-140 a week. We didn't think much of it...we knew we were running a lot but the internet wasn't there to tell us it was too much.

How many runners in the country run 140 miles a week now...?

Maybe 50 individuals spread throughout the country. 140 a week is a lot harder alone than with a group of people.

140 is just a number, but if you can survive at it you will be incredibly strong. Just look at the drop off of depth in the marathon. More 2:17-2:23 guys back in the day...wonder why? Like i said, we didn't have guys on the internet telling us what we could or could not do!

Working 40 hours a week and running 140 a week is really tough but if you already running 140 you are tough enough to handle working and doing it. good luck -

We idolized guys like Frank Shorter and he was running 140+ for a couple years...

The training was always the same. 10 miles in the morning and go to work....10 miles after work. Friday night 10 miler and drink some beers after wards and would run home drunked up. Sunday 20 miler. It's simple! You will get grumpy and angry easy!!

[quote]the old man nn wrote:

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How many runners in the country run 140 miles a week now...?

Maybe 50 individuals spread throughout the country. 140 a week is a lot harder alone than with a group of people.

140 is just a number, but if you can survive at it you will be incredibly strong. Just look at the drop off of depth in the marathon. More 2:17-2:23 guys back in the day...wonder why? Like i said, we didn't have guys on the internet telling us what we could or could not do!

I had a teammate in the early 70s, a 3:55 miler, who ran 140 mpw in the fall-build up. How many milers put in that kind of mileage anymore? John Walker was a 100+ mpw runner, too; and he only ran a 3:49 mile in 1975.

Exactly...if a miler ran 140 today people would call him crazy and it would 'kill his speed'. A guy in our training group ended up running a 1:49/4:02 and would put in 140 mile weeks in the fall and winter and would 'taper' down to 115 for speed work and his race season. We would hammer him on the long runs and he would make the occasional mile repeat session hell.

k state wildcat wrote:

I had a teammate in the early 70s, a 3:55 miler, who ran 140 mpw in the fall-build up. How many milers put in that kind of mileage anymore? John Walker was a 100+ mpw runner, too; and he only ran a 3:49 mile in 1975.

Not at K-State. Howe, Palmer and Schemmel all ran 3:59. I was there to see that latter two do it.

The problem with all of this tough guy talk of 140mpw, is that most people are in reality running "up to 140mpw" leaving the impression that they are running 140s regularly. Also, when you are putting in that kind of roadwork you NEED to come down off of it periodically. Listen to your body.

I'd not recommend 2:20 marathoners to put in that kind of mileage. It would be better for their ultimate development if they work on becoming a better runner in the 105-120 range first before going any higher. Only after making that 2:20 breakthrough (or similar track or road time) would I dare to give the green light to 20 miles a day.

I've done 120-145 a week in college, in fact i did it during the racing season, undefeated and breaking the course record on every course. It shocked a few of my friends (All-Americans) to learn later that I had put in 20 miles the day before most of those races. But I set myself up for it, getting almost all of my credits finished in three years, making it easy to manage my schedule.

A stress fracture in late March limited my training. I ran my first steeplechase on May 30th, but came back two weeks later with an AR at nationals. The first thing that my coach said to me was "all of the mileage in the fall really paid off big." No kidding.

Again, if you are inclined to try to bump it up that high you should listen to your body closely.

I thought that was Mark Nenows training strategy..

the old man nn wrote:

We idolized guys like Frank Shorter and he was running 140+ for a couple years...

The training was always the same. 10 miles in the morning and go to work....10 miles after work. Friday night 10 miler and drink some beers after wards and would run home drunked up. Sunday 20 miler. It's simple! You will get grumpy and angry easy!!

malmo wrote:

k state wildcat wrote:

I had a teammate in the early 70s, a 3:55 miler, who ran 140 mpw in the fall-build up. How many milers put in that kind of mileage anymore? John Walker was a 100+ mpw runner, too; and he only ran a 3:49 mile in 1975.

Not at K-State. Howe, Palmer and Schemmel all ran 3:59. I was there to see that latter two do it.

Howe ran a 3:38 1500m in 1972, the = of a 3:55 mile. He ran many times under 4 minutes, esp on the relay circut.

k state wildcat wrote:

Howe ran a 3:38 1500m in 1972, the = of a 3:55 mile. He ran many times under 4 minutes, esp on the relay circut.

I see, 1500 is close enough for government work. His mile PR is still 3:59.

140 miles a week? Fact or fiction?

true. up to 140 per week in the fall. i remember him going out at 9pm one sunday night to run 4 miles, cause he was 4 short of 140.

unless you run under 2:10 for the marathon, why would you work 40 hours a week and run 140 miles? did someone tell you that you would be a really world class runner someday?

run 70-80, enjoy your racing, enjoy your life.

Not if his "job" is a work study job at the gym. He gets paid to sit at a desk and keep the alligators out of the gym while studying and doing homework. Any alligators in the gym? Nope. We he's doing a great job then. Give him a raise! Instead of sitting around watching college football and drinkig beer in his dorm, he'll be sitting in the gym making money and getting his schoolwork done.

legally blonde wrote:

unless you run under 2:10 for the marathon, why would you work 40 hours a week and run 140 miles? did someone tell you that you would be a really world class runner someday?

run 70-80, enjoy your racing, enjoy your life.

I was thinking the same thing. I would really like to know why any person would want to do this. Especially, if you have a family/wife.

I am older now and looking back my freakish obsession with work and running tons of miles was simply a way I was trying to escape a bad marriage.

Is running simply a way to "self medicate" and escape some demon? Again, if you don't have a wife and family then go for it but otherwise, why work and run so much?

que..... wrote: I was thinking the same thing. I would really like to know why any person would want to do this. (...) Is running simply a way to "self medicate" and escape some demon?

The couch potato and the gym rat wonder the same about the 30 MPW guy. The 30 mile guy has the same suspicions of the 65 mile guy, who in turn can't understand the 95 mile guy. I guess it's no surprise that the 95 mile guy thinks he too is at the pinnacle of what's sane and anyone doing more must be nutso.