For me it was the week that cross practice started the summer before my senior year of high school. I don't remember anything seeming extraordinary about it, except my legs feeling a lot better than expected on our first workout of the year at the end of my first 100 mile week. I definitely viewed it as a landmark though and I think it gave me a little bit of a mental edge knowing I had hit 100 when most of the high schoolers I was racing had not.
While I don't have a specific record of the mileage, I believe I hit my first 100+ mile week during spring break my freshman year in high school.
I ran the majority of the day (~8 hours each day with water and food breaks) around and around and around my yard. Most the time I was doing it for time, so as fast as I could run 1 lap or 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 lap records and so on. I would attempt each multiple times throughout the day. Each lap was ~200m.
Before spring break my 1600m PR was 5:15 and my 3200m PR was 11:20 or so. After spring break I ran 4:56 and 10:48 in the same day.
First time for sure was sophomore year in college, during a summer where I would increase as high as 117 miles.
How many of these 100 mile weeks were preceded by and/or followed by 60 or less miles?
My highest, 80 was due to doing a 20 on a Sunday, rather than Saturday, when Sundays were the start of my week.
Overall though consistency is more important than one high week.
Recently completed my first 100 mile week. I had been building up to that point for a while doing plenty of 90+ weeks, so it didn't feel all that different. It was still pretty cool though. I don't understand the people saying they don't care or it wasn't a big deal when they first did it. I take a lot of joy from reaching little milestones in training, no matter how arbitrary they are.
It was in 2005, the year my dad passed away. I ran a marathon in Poughkeepsie before he died, then the JFK 50 Miler after. I was 45 and in my 30th year as a runner. Drinking Endurox immediately after my runs allowed quicker recovery, boosting me up from 70. I lived, worked and coached in home town. I did several 95-108 mile weeks.
I can maintain 70-80 mile weeks for 5 months of my November-March base building on trails, which yields the best results. I'm a miler/5K racer.
Watchsocks wrote:
Was there anything that made it particularly memorable?
Was never stupid enough to attempt a 100 mile week. Anything more than 85/mpw is simply pointless junk mileage. Of course, now that I'm old and slow, all my mileage is pointless.....so maybe I'll knock out a few century weeks just to join the "in" crowd.
I've broken 100 in a week quite a few times, but can't actually recall when the first one happened. Definitely sometime in 2007, but I don't recall when it first happened exactly. I haven't broken 100 in a week in a really long time now (since 2012???), as my hip has been touchy for like the last 2 years and always flares up if I get above ~80-90 (depends on my fitness). Lately, I've just been lazy and have only broken 70 once since February. Haha. Better start getting myself into gear for a fall marathon...
Yes it was in college. For some fundraiser I raffled my services off running one errand for the buyer, but only if the buyer donated 10 cents for every mile I ran that week. The errand was running across town and back to purchase a bus ticket for the woman who bought my service.
I ran 121 miles that week.
This was back in the 70's when big mileage was the rage.
Since 100 is an arbitrary number and miles an arbitrary distance measurement, I used to measure all my runs and weeks in kilometers. It was easier and better to try to maintain a minimum of 100 kilometers a week than 100 miles a week.
I almost always had the satisfaction of writing down a triple digit number for the total distance I ran every week.
I think the 100k/week goal is more sane and rational, but still high enough to provide a good training stimulus (esp with tempo runs, intervals, races, school, work and life mixed in).
40 years later I am still running 100k/week, and I have not had many injuries or burnt out mentally yet.
August 2005, in singles. Only time I've ever done it in singles
Junior and Senior years of college I had built up to a lot. Don't remember much because I was sleeping the rest of the time. Mileage only counted as singles, because I didn't count AM runs less than 30 minutes (yes, it was stupid).
I, too, am curious about how many had several 100+ in a row instead of almost peaking just to hit some magic number. I think there is some personal pride that goes into that (thinking of water cooler talk at work), but no real benefit.
Also curious to why (and I'm speaking truthfully) there seem to be so many people with 100+ miles/week with some of the times posted. Is this common? I've been out of the training scene for a while and am back to trying to enjoy running and racing instead of being consumed by it.
I remember. I was 32. I had 88/89 miles after 6 days. I was scheduled to do a 5 mile tempo the next day. I figured if I did a 3 or 4 mile warm and then the same cool, I'd get there. I ended up doing 105 miles. I can't remember how that happened. I think I actually added wrong at the sixth day and was off going into the seventh. Anyway, I was young, strong and felt no more fatigue than I did when I was getting in 85-90.
A 100 mile week is as arbitrary as a 4 minute mile. Does that make it any less special?
2003. Hit 100 exactly during a marathon build-up, just to see what it was like. I was only averaging about 60 during that training period with normal peak weeks around 75. Did a tempo run Monday, a hill workout Thursday, and a 26 mi long run on Sunday. The rest were just easy runs, but all singles, in a sweltering Iowa July. I remember thinking it wasn't as hard as I expected. Backed off to 45 mi the next week which included running the Bix.
It wasn't until three years later (2006) before I was sustaining 100-ish during another marathon build-up. By then I was doing doubles though, and doing the quality runs inside on a treadmill to escape the heat and humidity.
other than running triples twice that weekin 1975, nothing else really stands out...on the other hand, running 100 miles in a single day still does get my attention...ran 16 hours and 40 some minutes in 1990...on a track nonetheless....how many ways can you spell knucklehead?
Fall of 1973. I had been only doing about 50 mpw that summer (although previous summers I'd done 70+), then started college cross country and immediately went to over 100. It was quite a shock. I survived the season, but my ability to race was shot. I was just too tired all the time.
My own fault for not doing more mileage over the summer -- a girl and a summer job distracted me...
I'll never forget my first one. When I got to college there was a beat up copy of Once a Runner that had been passed down through the years. The guys on the team were quoting it and I wanted to read it badly. The book became available to you once you put your first 100 mile week in. So I went ahead and got the miles in, the first of many weeks like that. That Saturday I was dangerously close to being on the wrong side of 30 mins. on a five miler, but eventually things came around.
I just remember pretty much running and sleeping that first week. That and tripping over cracks in the sidewalks. Those weeks will be with me forever and prepared me well for the 100 hour weeks I sometimes have to put in being self employed.
Our sport is a beautiful thing and although I ran a couple decent races I never turned into a world beater or even became national class, but it really prepared me to face anything in life.
Yeah, I remember both of them. The first one left me feeling tired as heck and that I probably should have left it at 95, rather than go for that second "recovery" run on Sunday night (totally didn't need it, just didn't want to not get 100. Wicked smart guy here.) Ended up going into that spring's marathon pretty beat up.
The second one was much the same, only 5 years older (not wiser.) Oddly, I felt less beat up, but actually DID get injured soon after and missed this past spring's marathon.
Needless to say, it would appear that I am just not meant to be a 100+ guy.
No clue. Don't remember first 100, 110, 120, 130, or 140 mile week.
I do remember my first and only 500 mile February. February is a perfect month when it's 28 days long. 4 weeks. Did it in 2006. Also had over 4700 miles in 2006, a PR. Ran a Marathon PR that year and one of my best 5ks on the road.
Alan
1977 Summer before senior year in high school. Two buddies and I decided to do a 1,000 mile summer and we all hit it.
First 100 mile week and first read of Once a Runner happened concurrently. Go figure. Winter Break at the folks' house. Nothing to do but read, sleep, eat, watch Little House on the Prairie re-runs, and hammer miles in the rain.
Lance wrote:
I'll never forget my first one. When I got to college there was a beat up copy of Once a Runner that had been passed down through the years. The guys on the team were quoting it and I wanted to read it badly. The book became available to you once you put your first 100 mile week in. So I went ahead and got the miles in, the first of many weeks like that. That Saturday I was dangerously close to being on the wrong side of 30 mins. on a five miler, but eventually things came around.
I just remember pretty much running and sleeping that first week. That and tripping over cracks in the sidewalks. Those weeks will be with me forever and prepared me well for the 100 hour weeks I sometimes have to put in being self employed.
Our sport is a beautiful thing and although I ran a couple decent races I never turned into a world beater or even became national class, but it really prepared me to face anything in life.