Base milage training. What's wrong with this plan?

This is the most bizarre build up I've ever seen. It starts super easy and then continually scales to become too intense. Give me some details. What's the highest weekly mileage you've ever run? What mileage do you typically run that keeps you uninjured? What's your typical easy pace range? That way I can rough out a more doable progression.

Typically, there is more variety in weekly mileage with a midweek long run. For 50 miles a week, something like this is more typical: 6-7-8-6-7-6-10 for running everyday or 7-8-9-7-8-11 if you want an off day.

I will say thought that three of your last four weeks have an extremely heavy long run. Once you get to 50 and beyond, a long run that is 20 - 25% of your weekly mileage is pretty much the standard. In weeks 17, 18, and 20, the long run is 30.8%, 31.5%, and 31.6%, respectively. That's too much. Most professional marathoners top out in the 20 - 22 mile range. It seems like those runs would injure you.

The highest mileage I ever did was in the low 50s. I feel/run best in the mid 40s. Although currently I'm only running in the 20s 3-4 days a week. I'm not really in shape at the moment, my current easy pace is 9-10 minutes. When I was in shape it was 7:30-8:15 pace. Last year I had some pain in my right knee and pulled a lower back muscle at work so I took a long time off from running. Everything is healed up and I'm trying to get back into things.

I read somewhere that you could increase mileage up a mile per each day you run. So if you run 3 days a week, you could increase you mileage 3 miles a week, and if you run 6 days a week you could increase up to 6miles in a week. Perhaps I misinterpreted something. I was trying to schedule things so there would be 3 distinctly harder days and then three recovery days. "Once you get to 50 and beyond, a long run that is 20 - 25% of your weekly mileage is pretty much the standard." I didn't know that, it makes a lot more sense. Thanks

The long runs after week 15 become ridiculous.

stop at week 15 and repeat 13/14/15 for a while.

Then introduce doubles.

Also when you do an easy week, cut the mileage more than 20%. Do all your runs shorter.

Like week 13 which is supposed to be a recovery week i guess it the 3rd max mileage week at that moment. That is too much if you want to recover(and you will need needed when aggressively increasing mileage).

Instead of W13 I would do W8. W13 being the rest week after you have completed w15.

and start with week 2.

and delete week 4.

I mean 10 weeks to get to usual mileage is too much.

Increase faster at beginning and slower at the end.

Runners (and many coaches) have to look on training from another point of view.

We all know the basics of proper training, to vary easy and quality days.Instead of making long term plans it`s much better to run with " an open book", just take one week at a time and day by day. If you feel tired and low some day and you the day before had thought of doing a quality session next day you just go out for a very easy run and the day after maybe come back for the fast workout.This way your training follows your individual body and not the other way around.

This is one of the causes you shouldn`t have predetermined mileage goals.

- Summer of J.S -

Jan Stensson , Coach JS wrote:

Runners (and many coaches) have to look on training from another point of view.

We all know the basics of proper training, to vary easy and quality days.Instead of making long term plans it`s much better to run with " an open book", just take one week at a time and day by day. If you feel tired and low some day and you the day before had thought of doing a quality session next day you just go out for a very easy run and the day after maybe come back for the fast workout.This way your training follows your individual body and not the other way around.

This is one of the causes you shouldn`t have predetermined mileage goals.

- Summer of J.S -

Are you feeling OK Jan? That's actually a decent post for a change. Well done you! (Signature bit was a letdown though).

unless you've run 50+ mile weeks regularly in the past, I predict 10% chance of injury in week 8, 50% chance of injury somewhere in week 12 ... and maybe 85% chance by week 17.

Impala31 wrote:

and delete week 4.

I mean 10 weeks to get to usual mileage is too much.

Increase faster at beginning and slower at the end.

I like Impala's recommendations. I'd maybe also suggest trying to go by time instead of mileage. Start with like 30 min runs 3-4 days per week and work up to like 60 min runs 6-7 days per week by adding maybe 10-30 mins per week. Then if you feel crappy one day, you maybe run 3.25 miles in 30 mins ... and the next day maybe you run 4 miles in 30 mins... and both days are appropriate.

I am the wall wrote:I read somewhere that you could increase mileage up a mile per each day you run. So if you run 3 days a week, you could increase you mileage 3 miles a week, and if you run 6 days a week you could increase up to 6miles in a week. Perhaps I misinterpreted something. I was trying to schedule things so there would be 3 distinctly harder days and then three recovery days. "Once you get to 50 and beyond, a long run that is 20 - 25% of your weekly mileage is pretty much the standard." I didn't know that, it makes a lot more sense. Thanks

1) Your schedule problem starts in week 14 where your three 'hard' days are 11 miles, 11 miles, 17 miles.

Unless you're a sub-elite those 11 milers are going to take 1hr30 and deplete your glycogen stores.

You could do one midweek 1hr30 run and a long run at the weekend but not two.

2) The 20-25% weekly long run thing is a nice stat from Jack Daniels but heck, it suggests that anyone training for a marathon has to be doing 80mpw to be allowed to go do a 20-mile long run. That's unnecessary and unrealistic of how the world works.

That said I knew one guy training for a marathon who was doing 55-65% of his weekly mileage in the long run and that really is too much week-in, week-out.

In the off chance you aren't trolling, this build up is terrible. Way too slow at the beginning and, as others have mentioned, the long runs in later weeks are absurd.

Your first 4 weeks are pointless, especially considering you're already doing 20-30 on 3-4 days a week. Assuming 25 in 4 days, you can do 30 in 5, 35 in 6, 40 in 6/7 the next 3 weeks, then hang at 40 for an additional week or two (only if you think you need to) before adding more.

For your long run, you should spend several weeks working your way up to 90 minutes.

Thanks for all the advice.

So maybe something more like this?

weeks. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. Total

week1 3 5 0 3 0 5 off 16

week2 3 5 0 4 3 7 off 22

week3 4 5 3 4 3 9 off 28

week4 4 5 3 4 3 9 off 28

week5 4 7 4 5 4 10 off 34

week6 5 8 5 6 5 11 off 40

week7 5 8 5 6 5 11 off 40

week8 6 9 6 7 6 12 off 46

week9 6 10 6 8 6 13 off 49

week10 5 8 5 6 5 9 off 38

week11 6 11 6 8 6 14 off 51

week12 7 11 7 8 7 14 off 54

week13 6 8 6 7 6 10 off 43

week14 7 12 7 9 7 15 off 57

week15 7 13 7 9 7 16 off 59

week16 6 10 6 8 6 10 off 46

week17 8 13 8 9 8 16 off 62

week18 8 14 8 9 8 17 off 64

week19 7 10 7 8 7 10 off 49

week20 8 15 8 9 8 18 off 66

Please report back when you are in year 2.

I like to see week 55.

Just do a Lydiard schedule ... an hour per day with two hours on Sunday.

Run fast on Mon-Weds-Fri

Run slow on Tues-Thurs-Sat

Run long on Sunday which may begin fast but inevitably slow down.

The miles will sort themselves out.

If you need to build up then do 30mins each day and add an hour on Sunday. Then carefully add 5-mins to alternate days each week e.g. 35-30-35-30-35-30-65 .... 35-35-35-35-35-35-65 ... 40-35-40-35-40-35-70 etc.