Can I run 100mpw all on a 400m track?

you're likely to wreck your ITBs running 50% of the time on a curve..

even if you change directions

turns alone should not injure your knees. If your knees are that tender you should not be doing 100 mpw.

Run most of your easy miles in the outside lane if you are worried about sharper turns. More gradual turn in the outside lane. Plus you will not wear out the inside line, the outside lane is usually in better condition on older tracks, and you do not have to worry about hobby joggers clogging the inside lanes.

Tracks differ, but on my local track 8 laps in the outside lane is about equivalent to 9 laps in the inside lane.

Reverse directions frequently.

Warning: there is much less impact on synthetic tracks compared to roads. If you are going to race on the roads you need to train on the roads (at least some of the time)

I used to run most of my miles on a nice track in the spring. The road felt noticeably harder when I transitioned to it after track season. (this was before marshmallow shoe midsoles)

this and this wrote:

turns alone should not injure your knees

Running on rubberized tracks with rubber soled shoes is EXTREMELY bad for the knees.

The congruent rubber surfaces don't allow normal 12 to 15 percent knee rotation with each stride, and that leads directly to injuries.

The damage is worse on curves, and when running in training shoes due to their larger rubber surfaces.

All track, bad idea. You'll screw up your ankles, knees, and hips.

I did a track only workout plan to prep for 3000. At age 23, 74inches tall, weight of 175, and although the plan helped me break 9:00 for 3000, it left my body broken. I had to do two months of intensive wholistic therapy before I could run again.

All track, bad idea.

Yes, you can do it.

I did it on a 200M dirt track at altitude. 114 was my biggest week. The most important thing you need to do is switch directions every 15 minutes or so. Otherwise you will get injured, which is what happened to me my first go at it.

I did this because I was living in a very mountainous area. Without the leg turne over you just can't get fast.

NO !! even changing directions will affect you.

Been there done that.

Tommy Fulton did everything on the track, and he was badass. But I'm with the posters who say "Don't do it!":

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=179685&thread=179685

Running 100 mpw won't injure you.

The track won't injure you.

The road won't injure you.

Mileage won't injure you.

Speed won't injure you.

The only thing that will injure you is change.

Make any changes very gradually.

yes

learn to analyse

i suggest you learn to read

read the article re: no good results in '06 :

you think a stress fracture is NOT an injury ???

is this a joke ???

according to many, most of Kenyans are on dope

so why doesn't every Kenyan have serious muscle & tendon injuries soon after becoming elite ???

how come in '07 & '08 if according to you he was taking all this muscle/tendon wrecking dope he no longer got injured despite running epic runs including an incredible 58'33WR on a windy day at cold 53F off a suicidal 27'27 !!!

how about that he stopped doing serious track work or runs which preserved his legs ?

as for doping, you think he had the money at 16 or 17y to buy serious dope ???

what is this wonder dope which with just 1 or 2y of use can turn a raw kid into an intrinsic 26'30 guy ???

why are there not hundreds of 26'30 guys about from allegedly all taking the same dope ???

was this 16y ole only one in universe with access to this wonder dope ???

yes

so logically he stopped training or racing HARD on the track

it doesn't say he stopped running track but stopped running seriously fast track races otherwise his achilles woud flare-up

he split 27'27 en-route to 58'33 on a loop course on a cold windy day

do you think his 10k speed was shot when he moved to the roads ???

read article

it says he stopped training & running HARD with spikes

it doesn't say he stopped running track

these were certainly tempo runs or leg-stretching exercises as not too many road races in japan but lot of track 10k & 5ks

never too fast in case his achilles flared-up

tempo/leg-stretchers

or do you think his 10k speed was shot if he coud still split 27'27 en-route to 58'33 on a loop course on a cold windy day ???

in his 58'33 shape he probably couda run 26'15 - 26'20 on the track if he had wanted to, & that doesn't look generous, but the guaranteed achilles injury flare-up maya finished his year or even career

why ?

it is statement of fact or opinion of his coach who reckons 26'30 at 18y with more judicious pacing

no it doesn't

all the WJRs for middle/distance are superb apart from the mile/3k

yes, given intrinsic ability of 26'30 that year

3 runs of 27'30/27'40 that year wouda seemed like a training run for him

no offence to these esteemed guys but Sammy was quantum leap better talent

eh ???

where's you proof ???

i see exact date of 10th november for it not some spurious 1/1/86 which is usually a random brthdate

Specificity is key wrote:

Excellent preparation for a marathon on the track.

When doing 400+ laps per week on a track the OP might even be strong enough to come back after being lapped for the win. GOAT!!! :)

Keep it on the 'crete. only way to avoid injury for sure.

Can you run on grass inside lane 1? If not then use lane 8 and change directions every mile or so.

naia champ wrote:

Can you run on grass inside lane 1? If not then use lane 8 and change directions every mile or so.

Ed Whitlock did mearly all of his training on a 500 meter road in a graveyard. Running in the eighth lane of a track wouldn't be all that different.

HRE wrote:

Sure. If you're worried about the turns, change directions. To wit, Lionel Ortega:

Ortega ran to multiple WAC conference championships running for the University of New Mexico in the 1970s and was a National Class marathoner - champion of the prestigious Nike OTC marathon in Eugene with a best time of 2:14:25 in 1978, the third best performance all time by a New Mexican. He was also one of the early champions of the Duke City marathon, running 2:27:42 for the win in 1974. A two-time Olympic Trials qualifier (1980 and 1984).

Rumor has it that Ortega ran most of his marathon training on the UNM track - 100+ miles a week. The University banned him from its use at one point, even though he was an alum. He'd sneak back in anyway and had the cops called on him for trespassing at least once. Terrific story.

Not rumor, Lionel himself told me that. 180 to 200 mpw on the track.

Old man here and I've averaging 40 to 50MPW for the past year with 97% of the runs done on track. I run on lane 7 to lessen the sharpness of the turn and not get in people's way. I also warm up and cool down one direction while doing the main run the other direction. This saved my running. The pounding on the road is too much for me. Watch out for lane 1 though. It had given me hip problems trying to run quick on it.

Lane 7 on div 1 college track is 445.366 meters. It may differ if its just town track because the width of the lane varies a bit.

Easy...Bob Schul did!!!!!!!

This is totally false wrote:

this and this wrote:

turns alone should not injure your knees

Running on rubberized tracks with rubber soled shoes is EXTREMELY bad for the knees.

The congruent rubber surfaces don't allow normal 12 to 15 percent knee rotation with each stride, and that leads directly to injuries.

The damage is worse on curves, and when running in training shoes due to their larger rubber surfaces.

Proof?

I thought I remembered that you'd posted that here sometime ago but I didn't want to speak for you. Did he ever tell you why?

uh_no wrote:

Keep it on the 'crete. only way to avoid injury for sure.

Hmmm... might be true. Most important IMO is something other, though... You should always run your best individual paces :)