140 miles per week.

beta wrote:

This is an interesting topic...I'm also wondering if anyone who has had a stress fracture has been able to come back and get his mileage into the 100+ range.

Yeah, this is what I'd like to know.

In_Ithaca: What would your average pace on the runs be?

bump

I'm justy wondering..when I got my fracture, I was running 85 a week w/ most easy runs at 6:30's or so, but all on blacktop and concrete. I did 2 0r 3 workouts a week and felt like crap, but I still hit the paces I wanted to. Before that, I never had a serious injury. So do you think I should give it a go with bumping up my mileage and easing off the pace?

Yes, ease of the pace and definitely try to get on grass or trails.

You might try to slow it down -- Haile Geb goes 6:30-7:30 on his easy days

Wow..Yeah I guess I probably should. Will do. Thanks for the advice.

To give you an idea what "slow" really is, the 8:00 miles advocated by Nike Free Me are 8:30 for 15:00 guy or over 9:00 miles or a 16:00 guy. That's crazy slow, but just might work, when mixed in with all of the hills and prog runs.

beta wrote:

This is an interesting topic...I'm also wondering if anyone who has had a stress fracture has been able to come back and get his mileage into the 100+ range.

i have had a few stress fractures. i am now running A LOT more than 100 mpw, and don't ever envision myself not.

What kind of mileage were you doing when you incurred your stress fractures? In what bone(s) did you incur the fractures? What age were you then and how old are you now? How long did it take for you to build back up to 100+? What "level" runner are you (I would settle for a vague descriptor like, "elite," "sub-elite," "collegiate," or "local")? Have you improved since the injuries?

whoa, that's quite the barrage. i'll try to answer:

when i incurred the stress fractures i was doing anywhere from 70-130mpw...it sort of varied with each one. i would say that the major factors were A)whether or not i was experiencing a growth spurt or not (puberty) and B)whether or not i was doing speedwork.

i have had stress fractures in my metatarsals, tibias, and femurs.

i got my first stress fracture when i was 14, and my last when i was 21. i am now 22.

it generally takes a 4-6 weeks to build back up to 100+mpw.

i am a "collegiate" runner.

I have improved since the injuries.

In my experience, intensity causes stress fractures not volume. If you try to keep the same level of intensity while increasing volume its probably too much. That being said, I run how I feel every day. During my base periods Ill run my mileage anywhere from 530-9 min pace. Seems like a wide range but thats probably pretty accurate. Somedays, usually near the end of the week, Ill just be crawling along. Others I feel great and "run to the barn" as Malmo says. Really what we are all talking about is Base. During the season my training is way more structured and the volume drops. I personally would have a tough time staying in the 140 range while doing any sort of meaningful workouts. Junk miles? Sure, maybe, i dunno. Its just worked for me and a few more notable people might i add.

Ithaca-

I asked this question before but maybe it was missed...

Do you use Nike Frees like NIKE FREE ME? If so, do you think one should build up to long mileage and get used to it before switching over to Frees, or do you think one should switch over to Frees and get used to them before building up the mileage?

It's probably a dumb question but I am interested to see what your response is...

Thanks very much for the replies. Sorry to ask so many questions in one post. Excellent advice, In_Ithaca. Looking back, I can see that high intensity without enough recovery probably caused my two fractures.

I do run in Nike frees. The last year or so they have been the only shoe i have run in. I have always run in very minimalist shoes, usually racing flats. In the Free I found a shoe with all the flexibility i like while not sacrificing cushioning. Lately, ive been running in the pegasus racer. I think its like the perfect shoe.

so did you just "jump in" when you ran in the free's or did you have an adjustment period? if so, how long did it take you? thanks for the info...

Like i said, ive always run in mimimalist shoes. I did just "jump in" to the frees but there was little, if any, adjustment period. I'm not sure that its the smartest idea. But honestly, I dont think the shoes matter all that much, they have just been my preference.

Minimilist aswell, but not a fan of the Free. I perfer the usualy run in a lighweight trainer/racing flat with a few miles on a grass field at the end. But thats jsut me, because it seemed liek when I tried the Free (I barely got out of the buildup stage) it felt like my hipflexors were doing WAY too much work.

Ithaca-

Thanks for the response. I have a pair of Frees that I bought just before I had to get surgery for a non-running injury. I've only used them a few times now that I am back to running but not enough to know what long-term use would do to my legs.

I am building up the mileage now and using mainly ordinary Pegs. I am planning to use the Frees for morning runs and the Pegs for afternoons. Maybe switch over to Frees full time once I've killed off the 2 pairs of Pegs in my closet.

Thanks again for all the info and keep up the good work.