Would you run 100 mpw if you could run a 14:00 5k?

I once ran 14:xx in a community 5K on 50 mi/wk. I did however accidentally cut the course by over 1km and caused me and the next 11 participants to get DQ'ed.

Cheating aside, yeah, I'd happily run 100 mpw if that would guarantee a 14 minute 5K. I wouldn't want to do it all the time, but a couple months of that would be fun for message board bragging rights, if nothing else.

I ran 100 mile weeks a couple times a year; the summer, and the tail end of indoor before outdoor started. It’s very difficult to maintain that kind of mileage when you are racing XC, indoor, and outdoor. So my average was maybe 70 for the year. I hit 15:42 in the 5K and 32:12 in the 10K.

So, to answer the question, 100 mile weeks guarantees nothing without intelligent training. I simply did not have that “IT” genetic ability. One benefit though was I could go sub 16 in the 5K any day, any time with little speed work. Maybe with smarter training I could have gone lower, but I kind of doubt it. I was a good regional runner who got murdered in national meets.

Interesting discussion, I would say that the philosophy and approach of Renato Canova would be the best one to follow: Lower volume at higher intensity (while optimizing base building and recovery). See related LRC thread: Renato Canova & Intensity: New Marathon Prediction Formula

Not for years on end, but maybe for a little while. I too out at around half that, but really, if I could run a 14 min 5k I reckon 100 miles wouldn’t take that much more *time* than my old fat self takes to run half that many miles.

Absolutely! But that assumes I would be able to run 100 mpw which I have never been able to survive. Right now I am at 0 mpw (achilles) so any running sounds amazing.

I won't run 100 miles/week again, but I am going to run 70 miles this week. And while it seems to be fine in terms of the time on my feet, an extra 30 miles would be basically impossible. I am not hurting or injured, but I doubt I am really "building fitness" either. It just feels like a lot of jogging/running.

And because I am over 50, I will average about 8 minutes per mile (8:10?) for these 70 miles, so 10 miles a day is taking me about 1:20. With sunset happening at 5pm, I am running all of this in the dark. There is no way I could "squeeze in" another 30 miles.

p.s. If I run a 5km right now, I would be ecstatic to break 20:00 in the 5km. Age-graded, that still sucks. 30 more miles of slogging around in the dark would not change that. If anything, I am just getting beaten down by the mileage.

Why is 100 considered some high benchmark for running? It's a good baseline but not high.

Think of it this way perhaps...

There are three groups of runners out there: elite runners, serious amateurs, and neighborhood joggers.

If you take all of those people, less than 1% of them run 100 miles a week. So relative to "all runners" it is safe to say 100 miles is a lot (relatively speaking).

If you only count elite runners, still fewer than 10% run 100 miles a week because most college guys, 800 and 1500m runners, and even most distance runners don't do that much volume.

So even relative to the best runners, 100M is still a lot...

It is considered a lot because most training plans and most coaches don't have their athletes doing this much volume.

No. You can't do anything with a 14:00 5k and there would be chronic injuries.

To be given a guarantee, for just putting in the time to do 100mpw (with decent workouts), I am all in. The toughest thing about life is that even if you put in all the work/time/training you may not reach a goal. So, yes, if I was told I would run 14:00 if I ran 100mpw, I would do it.

Only if I could be guaranteed a good salary, or if I could simultaneously run 0:48.xx, 1:43.xx, and 3:55

Basically, I would need to be as well-rounded speedwise as Nick Symmonds, or to be making $$$

I have done both of these things, and the answer is… it depends. If you are doing 100+ mpw during college or for a couple years just after college before you’ve really “settled in,” then it’s totally worth it. And it’s certainly not too much from a time or energy standpoint. It’s basically a 4/10 double every day and a 16 mi long run, easily worked around a college curriculum or a basic initial job.

But, is it worth it at, say, age 30 when you are starting your career, perhaps starting a family, with real bills to pay? No way, no how. And you will most certainly be fatigued and stale all the time. There is a season for everything.

Finally, most guys, even talented guys, can’t break 14:00 on “just” 100 mpw. Maybe with the new shoes (~1 sec per lap) and new double threshold training but not in the old days. I had to get up to 110+ and, then, promptly got injured. 100 mpw was basically good for a sub-14:30/sub-30:00, but just barely, for most, even talented guys.

I do and can't break 16.30. It's all about talent and drugs.

I would run 100 mpw for a 13:30

I can echo this.

I ran 100-115 miles a week all the time in college and barely did a sub 14:30 for 5km (29:47 for 10km though). Sure, i wasn't "talented" like some of my teammates that could run 14:30s on 40-50mpw (those were also the guys that ran 9:0x for 2-miles in hs though), but I was a 9:20s kinda 2-miler in hs.

Many talented DI runners can certainly crack 14 for 5km on 65-80 miles a week. But most (even decent hs runners) without "some talent" probably aren't even cracking 15:00 (and maybe never will)...especially on that volume. 100mpw can at least give you a better shot at reaching your full potential if you do it smart and don't get hurt.

But you can only do so much with volume and "smart training" if the talent isn't there imo.

Hell, I'd run 100mpw if it would get me under 19 minutes. It wouldn't.

Well, La-Ti-Da.

I would run 100mpw for a while if I could run 14. Neither are in the cards.

I did 100 mpw for much of 3 years, running a 14:20 and qualifying to the Trials in the marathon. It was worth it because I was chasing my true potential goal before exiting my athletic prime. No kids at the time. Always exhausted. Consumed my life. No regrets, but glad it’s over.