Parker Valby says she only run 2-3 days per week

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

What works for one may not work for all.

Leachman who models her training on Valby's ran a 9:57 two mile last June at age 15.

That is supposedly the age 15 world record.

You guys do not understand that the weekly endurance time matters and not the milage. You can add the ellictical time to the running time, not with 100%, but there is some tranfer to running.

I agree with the training impacts if you can handle the boredom of arc trainier or elliptical. I'd go crazy as I love to be outside. Even more impressive!

To get better at running, you need to RUN (for at least the majority of the time). There’s no way you run world-class times while putting in “fit moms” mileage. She’s trolling the nation with her claims right now lmaooo!

I actually believe cross training can make a huge difference, especially if the activity is similar to running or in the same plane as running. I once had to run in the pool daily and in totality to manage through a bad case of plantar fasciitis. I did this for six months.

Finally got back on the road, mixing land running with pool running every other day, and I was at my previous level of fitness within a couple months. I had another college buddy, skeptical like I had been, commit to running in the pool when injured, and he set a PR in the 5000 within six weeks of getting back on land, after only one tune up 1500 to get his wheels back

I also saw the Colorado high school 5A state champion, who is frequently injured, say he swam every day for two hours and “hated it,” before he could really start running training in August. Pretty damn impressive. Then there’s Lukas Verzbicas, who generally gets touted around on here as being the best prep ever, and I’m pretty sure the majority of his training wasn’t actual running but biking and swimming. It worked for him all the way to an 8:29 two-mile.

So, perhaps it’s a better way to go for the injury prone athlete, especially elliptical and pool running? But I would still run to train for running if not injury prone.

When Chris Solinsky left UF to head to Oregon many people are this board said she should transfer to stay coached by him.

Well seems in more ways that one she made the right choice

Don't think she's lying, but you're right. I'm a woman, I used to run for a well-known distance program that had a lot of success. In my time I've met a few other women (and some men) who "can't" run high mileage and seem to do very well (for a time) on low mileage (workout only) + high volume XT like pool or ET.

They all have AT LEAST one of the following things:

1. Disordered eating or unintended under-fuelling. Causes RED-S. They will get stress fractures even with trivial mileage. You don't necessarily need to be alarmingly thin for RED-S so "so and so looks healthy" isn't useful... also most runners on this site have dismorphic perspectives on what a healthy adult woman's body tends to look like.

2. Over-extend themselves on run days. Usually means running too fast, especially on "easy" runs, warm-up/cool-downs, tempos where it's possible to over-run them without feeling it in the moment. Since they've always done this, they may well not think they are running too fast.

3. Other medical problems that impact absorption of nutrients, bone density, or otherwise mess up your ability to repair yourself.

4. Biomechanical/structural abnormalities that make running more stressful for tissues than is typical, make injury more likely, or that impair healing (eg. Mike Woods avascular bone situation). Some overlap with 3, but could be fixable with physio/strength/drills in some cases.

This isn't a dunk to be clear, but unless the athlete is for sure in category 3 or 4 it is a modifiable situation. If an athlete wants to have long-term success it needs to be addressed. You can have success in lower levels (college, high school, domestic road) but if you want to be elite you have to run a lot.

FWIW, when I was in high school I checked off 1-3. I didn't run much (40 mpw or so, less off-season) but I was good enough for a scholarship. I didn't cross-train purposely at that point but I was multi-sport so I was doing a lot of non-impact aerobic activity. Lots of stress fractures, no idea how many, ran through all but one.

In college I stopped being a headcase, started eating more and running slower. I was able to run 60-80 mpw. I was decent in college but didn't really level up until I got my medical problems diagnosed. Assuming those are under control I can run 70-90 mpw no problem. You might assume all these things would get figured out in a high level D1 program but that assumes they know what to look for... most don't.

I'll add that "too fast on easy days" is anything a huge amount faster than 8 minute pace if you're a woman. No, I don't care if you're good. Go look at the stravas of some legit WC/Olympic finalists, they aren't running much faster than that unless it's a purposeful run.

And tempo isn't 5-10k race pace. A lot women's college programs run "tempos" at this pace. If it's longer/continuous it's a TT effort. Not a huge surprise that if you're doing a weekly TT on top of everything else you get injured a lot.

What is ARC trainer?

its kind of like an elliptical but the pedals go with your natural motion. they don't go on a fixed plane...you make them go where you want them to go.

most people find them to be very awkward until they get used to them, often vying for the elliptical because they don't want to take the time to get used to it. seems like it would be better in the long run though, because it offers a more natural motion similar to running.

Lucas Verzbicas anyone?

How do you know that a bunch of people had disordered eating? That's garbage. Valby is the top runner in the NCAA. Everyone else should eat what she eats. But people like you don't like that she is so gifted and thin and attractive.

When it comes to running, you are obviously ‘old school’, just like Solinsky was ‘old school’, just like Palmer was ‘old school’? Did you happen to catch Valby’s post-race interview posted up by LRC today?

btw Aliphine Tuliamuk has said in several interviews that eliptical was critical for her coming back from injury and then pregnancy to win the 2020 trials

so obviously with great genetics the trick is just to keep the right muscle groups in the body active enough with similar motion, without the impact

Chavez asked Parker the question that had been going through my mind: “What about the Alter-G?” I couldn’t make out her answer, but I think she indicated she hadn’t used one.

^She said she doesn’t like it

she said she has tried it and did not like it.

Thank you!!