Raising mileage from 100 to 140?

yes but Geb is a full time athlete, which makes a massive difference.

Here ya go Chingy,

Track winter:

20*400 61-62 1min rec

8*800 2:06 75 sec rec

7*1k 2:39 90sec rec

Hill work

6* 350m jog down recovery

Also 2k an 4k reps on grass, Running about 75 miles a week.

Hoping to run 3:40 and 13:45

1) Geb's not his coach (neither am I)

2) Geb was suprised by the person's volume -- how can you say "this much is automatically too much"

What is the intended purpose of running so much?

Speed Kills,

I agree that no one should be handed anything they can't handle, but if there's a lot of planning and good reasoning for making such a bump, it is a good thing.

The goal is to reach that "tireless" state that Lydiard so often spoke of. Mind you, I don't know the intricacies of this man's training, but there are times and places for a bump to 140+ mile weeks.

Just be Free wrote:

scepticus, I was doing specific 5k work including 1k repeats, ladder workouts, tempo runs, strides, drills, and a long run so it is not that I am simply jogging 100+ weeks a week.

Yes, I was just attempting to make the point that when you increase your workload you can do so either by adding volume or adding intensity. You should always consider what would be of greater benefit. And without knowing the precise details of your training, the very fact that you are at 100-120 mpw or so, well out on the curve of diminishing returns, leads one to believe that perhaps an increase in intensity is preferable. You are probably not so far out the curve of diminishing returns on the intensity axis. I would think so from the very fact that you are doing 100-120. It takes most atheletes quite a bit of development to get to the point where they can sustain both that kind of volume with the degree of intensity that 5k specific training requires. I would guess that is why Geb is quick to make assumptions about the 110 mpw of the college student...If Geb himself with all his years of backgound only maintains 120 mpw with full intensity, then something has to give for the college student. If it isn't miles, it is going to be intensity.

I would also think that the fact you are pointing to spring competition would indicate that increasing intensity and decreasing mileage is the way to go. Most periodizations move to more specific work as the most important competitions approach. Why would you increase mileage

now instead of doing a greater volume of 5k specific work?

Also, I would categorize 5k specific work as between 1500 and 10k pace. so long runs, tempo runs, drills etc., although they have a place in your training program are not 5k specific. You can do as much of that as you are able, but it won't sharpen you up for a 5k.