whats it feel like to run 100 mpw?

I ran my first 100 mile week last week. It wasn't as hard as I thought but you really have to commit. You can't have any excuses to cut any run short - quite the opposite - just add an extra mile here and there.

I took monday off this week because that's what people said I should do. Not sure that I needed to. I ended up running having a 23 mile day this week. I can't say that I'm becoming a slave to mileage but I agree with the poster saying you feel like you need to or you feel weak mentally.

That part of me wishes I didn't do the 100 mile thing.

Also I did a 1200m session with some faster guys doing like 30-50 mpw. That put things into perspective when I could run them just over 4:00m / 1200, which I thought was good. But they could take off and run low 3:50s or faster and I didn't have the wheels. Could have been the fatigue from the previous week but it has me thinking.

I'd like to find some happy middle ground around 70-80 miles but right now I'm stuck in the I need to run as many miles as possible purgatory.

1955 wrote:

As others have said. "tired and hungry" pretty well describes it. I never did enough to really get used to it. The hardest part is to accept that you're going to be starting runs -- long runs -- while not recovered from the prior day.

Naps help!

There have been tons of replies saying "tired and hungry". I get the tired piece, as for hungry why don't you just eat?

I would probably do like someone else in here said, finish each run with an Endurox (ive had it before, great recovery drink), and maybe refuel in my meals with small but calorically dense foods (nuts, pure honey, avocados, salmon, etc).

Did them in hs

College

Got 6 weeks at 105 plus last fall

Currently doing my 3rd week over 100

Sleep is key

Also running easy after hills which I always do 2x week in base training

Lydiard says 105 is the magic number

Have to have diet down cold

Biggest concern is stress fractures on feet blisters tendinitis stuff like that

But it works

ohia wrote:

1955 wrote:

As others have said. "tired and hungry" pretty well describes it. I never did enough to really get used to it. The hardest part is to accept that you're going to be starting runs -- long runs -- while not recovered from the prior day.

Naps help!

There have been tons of replies saying "tired and hungry". I get the tired piece, as for hungry why don't you just eat?

I would probably do like someone else in here said, finish each run with an Endurox (ive had it before, great recovery drink), and maybe refuel in my meals with small but calorically dense foods (nuts, pure honey, avocados, salmon, etc).

Believe it or not you actually got tired of eating. You feel bad and know you need to eat but it's hard to want to eat all the time. You definitely stop enjoying eating. You're right about recovery drinks and calorie dense food, it's impossible to get enough fuel otherwise, but still it's not easy to eat enough.

Running 100 mph is a lot like running 99 mph, but you go one extra mile.

Honestly it's not that bad if you work up to it. Get comfortable with 70-80, peaking at 90. Get comfortable at 80-90, peak close to or at 100. You just get tired from running twice a day. Basically 8-12 miles in the am, 4-5 in the afternoon. Throw in a workout or medium long day to boost a middle of the week run and hit a 20 mile long run and you're there. Most of the mileage is easy. If you go out trying to hammer everything you're going to be miserable. Will be very hungry. Recovery is important. Food. Stretching. Etc.

Once you adjust to it, it's not that difficult. Gotta get your sleep and eat LOTS of food and hydrate though - you're a furnace in burning off energy at that point. I ran my best 10k at 30:44 and best half at 1:10:05 within a year or so after running 36 straight 100 mile weeks. I actually wasn't racing all that well during those 36 weeks but when I then clipped back to 75-90 a week, I wasted my PR's. So, yeah, go for the 100mpw, but recognize you may be one of those people who will race much better after you get that base in and you clip back. Good luck !

ohia wrote:

what's it feel like and would it be a suicide mission to go from around 40 or 50mpw and drop a 100 mile effort?

It won't kill ya, but you'll probably strain something. I went from about 70 mpw to 100 mpw and strained my stomach muscles. My doctor thought that my stomach muscles were not strong enough to counteract my arm swing.

What does it feel like? Have you ever run a second time after having just run a few hours before and you feel this intense pain in your knee joints like you didn't recover from the previous workout? It feels kindof like that.

Also, when your pace drops to 10 mpm, then 11 mpm, and then slower, and an out of shape hobby jogger passes you, and you think this is kindof embarrassing, because I'm faster, but I can't run faster, because I ran too much, and I look like a clown. It feels kindof like that.

I did a 5 weeks over 100 mpw once just to see what it was like, I skipped the 100s and 110s and went straight to 120s and even a 140. It went 123-121-127-140-127 on those 5 weeks.

Like others have said, I was tired and hungry all the time. I'd sleep 8-9 hours at night and take a 1-2 hour nap every afternoon after my morning run.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely not, unless its just a bucket list type thing. It felt like all I did was run. I was far too tired to be productive during the day, and I'm actually faster now off 70 mpw in singles than I was when I was running the high mileage.

So much good advice here...

I'm training thru an injury, currently @70mpw so i'll add some recovery points..

take those days off work.. if you start on a monday maybe thurs- friday off. You'll have surpassed your regular mileage by then.

compression socks or tights help when sleeping/lying around. Running in them is useless. Better of passive recovery. Elevating legs is nice too.

Massage is nice if you can get it or have a machine. Rollers/sticks/balls are nice before and stretch after.

be prepared for active recovery. You might need low impact workouts between runs or at night to help with circulation and soreness. Think hr zone2 on a bike/swim/elliptical

I use a sauna to help warm up with mid-week tightness. If feels sooo good to foam roll after the sauna and then run. It makes one dehydrated so drink up if you use one.

Ice might be useful to have around

alternating shoes might be nice .

recovery running isn't just about pace. A flat route, a bouncy treadmill, a slight downhill , a soft trail,, these all help

My 100+ weeks were hardest when I spread out the mileage.

Easiest was always something like this :

Day 1: 20 + miles

Day 2: 3 miles AM / 3 miles PM REALLY easy w good stretching

Day 3: 10 miles AM / 6 miles PM

Day 4: 10 miles AM / 6 miles PM

Day 5: 10 miles AM / 6 miles PM

Day 6: 6 miles

Day 7: 20 + miles (or whatever is left to crack 100)

Keep all the days super easy if this is your first time doing it and the goal is simply to get over 100 miles. The first few days won't feel that hard, but you'll feel it later in the week if you don't take it easy enough. So, start off days 1-3 much easier than you need to. When your body gets used to this volume, then you can increase the effort.

It is more mental than physical.

It's tough to get yourself out the door knowing you have a 12-15 mile run looming over you each and every day, or if you do doubles having run 6 miles in the morning and knowing you have another 10 mile run in the afternoon.

I have run several 100 mile weeks this year while working full-time, you don't need to take a week off work. Maybe just take two days off to run two big double-run days, and only 12 milers the other three days after work. Easier with a longer long run like 18-20 miles.

It doesn’t mean anything to run 100 miles in a week. I’m part of an ultra group on Facebook you would be shocked to realize how many fat moms can peak at 100 miles in a week and do a 100 miler. Yeah they are slow as crap but they can do it.

ohia wrote:

ive had a lifelong obsession with getting to 100mpw, just to say i've done it and feel it. presently, around 20mpw with not much effort. the most i've ever done was about 72mpw, 12 yrs ago. it sucked but not terribly.

part of me wants to take a full week of work off, and attempt to put in a 100mpw week. my tactic would probably be to frontload the week with mileage like crazy then hang on for the rest.

what's it feel like and would it be a suicide mission to go from around 40 or 50mpw and drop a 100 mile effort?

With where you're currently at its going to suck. Your legs will be exhausted after a couple of days. Honestly if you just want to do it you're better off doing the higher mileage part at the end of the week in multiple runs a day as slow as you can stand. If you frontload it you'll just be miserable after the first day. And you're risking injury with that huge of a jump no matter how you do it.

if you're going good, 100 mph is easy

if you're going bad its a nightmare.

if you tackle it right, no problem

if you tackle it wrong, problem.

you can do a lot of miles starting out at say 9am, run three easy, rest.

then so some strides, walk, jog repeat for say 30 minures

rest

then do another 3 miles easy.

rest eat sleep

then do an hour.

try it. make sure you rest until you're more or less ready to go again.

take on juice and electrolytes, maybe an energy bar or part of.

you're going to feel a lot better than you thought at the end.

the trick is to relax and never push too hard.

maybe in the last hour you can push a bit.

i discovered the above workout style, did a workout with strides and whatnot.

lousy workout, sluggish.

then at the end i ran into a lady that broke her wrist crying in her car, and i hopped in an drove her to the hospital.

i left her at the hospital and decided to run back due to feeling energized a bit, just walk and run i thought.

so i ran a mile, walked, did strides for 200m or something, etc. and at the end i was going good cruising at a decent pace.

basically, you can regroup a lot better than you think, if you REST and relax, plus get some mental focus going.

the big mistake people make in mileage is to do a pace that exceeds their ability.

then they are in a hole, and the next run, they're tired, and down the slippery slope they go.

though you don't set records on long slow distance, you can get good on lsd. simply if you run a pace that does not break you down.

thats all she wrote.

I did it for 5 straight weeks when I was 40. Prior to it I did a lot of 60-75 mile weeks. It wasn't that hard physically as I stopped doing workouts and did a lot of doubles. I stopped because I didn't like running that much everyday. It felt like a job and running is my hobby.

Hdjdjsj tab wrote:

It doesn’t mean anything to run 100 miles in a week. I’m part of an ultra group on Facebook you would be shocked to realize how many fat moms can peak at 100 miles in a week and do a 100 miler. Yeah they are slow as crap but they can do it.

prove it.. totally bs.. maybe they 100 miles a week with the dog