Are workouts worth it if you run under 60 miles per week

why would you not do 70 miles and do workouts? Workouts are important so you get used to running faster than MP pace for long time. And they can improve your LT and so on..

My point was more about when to add the workouts. Build to 60-70 miles per week then add them in. If you’re doing less than 60 you’ve hardly got the base there for the workouts to mean anything.

From experience, you can still do a reasonable marathon time on 60 miles + workouts.

do you even run bro wrote:

Marathon runners. If you’re only running 50-60 miles per week, should you do workouts? Or is the aerobic efficiency built purely off higher mileage.

Depends if your 'easy mileage' is this ridiculous jogging at 2-3+ minutes per mile slower than race pace that people on the site seem to swear by.

You'll get nowhere near what you're capable of if all you're doing is plodding every day.

Agree. I don't think your example for breaking 2:55 works with your mileage vs workouts theme. Lots of people comfortably break 3 hours off around 40-50MPW.

Having said that, the hobby jogger obsession with breaking 3 hours certainly limits what those individuals could actually achieve if they dedicated their time to marathon training properly. OP has a point. I think building up for around 60-70 miles is more important than doing less with workouts thrown in.

The best approach would be a gradual build up of mileage, a gradual introduction of workouts and then keeping both quality and quantity there for a peak period of time. If you're running less than 60-70 MPW for the marathon you're doing yourself a huge disservice. Yeah you might break 3 hours but you might be a much better runner than you think you are if you did a bit more.

A lot of people don't want to be "the best runner they can be" or can't fit more than 50-60 miles in their weekly schedules. It's alright, you're still a runner and you're doing more for your health and quality of life than most people.

Get a copy of Daniel's Running Formula. You can still fit workouts running as little as 30-40 miles per week, and be fitter for it.

And breaking 3 is a good enough goal. For most people, being a 2:30-2:40 marathoner isn't worth the commitment.

This about sums me up. I run 2:48 last year off about 50 miles but with quality sessions. Upped it to 60-70 miles this year but the quality of the sessions dropped as a consequence. Hoping after a few months at this mileage I will be able to up the quality again.

I think you should do workouts at that mileage but keep them light. one day have the run be moderate instead of just easy and another maybe some fartlek or hill reps in there just to get something different. And maybe a few miles at MP in the long run.

also if you don't plan on going to higher mileage cause of life constraints and 50 or 60 is all you know you have time for you definitely should do workouts

I jogged a marathon a few years ago in 2:50 with a friend. I was running only 40 MPW at 6:45 pace with a long run of 13 miles. I was sore for a few days but the race was easy. You don't need workouts to run your 2:55.

Very good and thoughtful responses here.

I'll add that a lot of runners compete at multiple distances. Maybe adding mileage instead of taking time for 800m repeats would be better for a 40 mpw marathoner, but including workouts makes sense for a recreational competitor like me who races distances from the mile to the marathon.

I'll also add that living a balanced life, with many hobbies and interests besides running, 40-50 mpw (with long runs AND workouts) was doable and enjoyable. "Good enough" for 16-flat 5K, 2:40 marathon in my 20s; 5:38 mile, 3:07 marathon at 58 ... hardly stellar, but fun and competitive at the local level.

If you’re not doing workouts, you’re not training.

You can run a better marathon with three good workouts a week only vs. running every day with no workouts.

Do you want to run a fast race or have some meaningless mileage number on a training log?

He already told you that he just wants to finish in 2:55. Any workouts will take away from additional mileage at race pace.

I ran a 231 marathon off 60 mpw running 6 days a week and doing two workouts.

Try to gradually build up your mileage by adding an extra 5 mpw per 6-month season (10 mpw per year) until you find out where you max out at. It could be that you get injured beyond a certain point, or that you don't have time to run more beyond a certain point due to work and personal commitments. But always do 2 workouts a week. Something faster on Tuesday, something strength-oriented (usually a tempo run) on Friday, and a long run on Sunday. The other 4 days are just easy runs.

I'm in a similar training plan/goal. I run 50-55 miles a week (6 days) with one longer run 13 miles and one tempo workout (6min miles). If you are sticking with your mileage then yes a workout is helpful and not a bigger time commitment. Swap out an 8 mile run with a 2 mile warmup, 2x2 mile tempo, 2 mile cooldown. The fast miles will even out the slow miles and still equal the same time.

I think the faster miles help a lot! It has helped my everyday runs get faster without any additional effort. Give it a try once and see it if works for you.

Fast race. And 2:55 was an example but do you really think you can have a ‘fast’ race off anything less than 60mpw? Im not saying 2:55 is fast. Far from it. But I can’t see many people going really quick off low mileage whether it’s full of workouts or not.

fast enough to run wrote:

He already told you that he just wants to finish in 2:55. Any workouts will take away from additional mileage at race pace.

Mileage at race pace is a workout.

It is everywhere wrote:

I'm in a similar training plan/goal. I run 50-55 miles a week (6 days) with one longer run 13 miles and one tempo workout (6min miles). If you are sticking with your mileage then yes a workout is helpful and not a bigger time commitment. Swap out an 8 mile run with a 2 mile warmup, 2x2 mile tempo, 2 mile cooldown. The fast miles will even out the slow miles and still equal the same time.

I think the faster miles help a lot! It has helped my everyday runs get faster without any additional effort. Give it a try once and see it if works for you.

13 miles is not a long run.

I think there's the mental component too. Easy running gets boring. Workouts help break up the monotony. It's fun to run fast. Also, the questions is kind of odd. Faster miles would make it easier to add more mileage in the same amount of time so why wouldn't you do them if the belief is more mileage=better marathon?