How many people here are unable to run high mileage due to injuries?

Yes. A week over 70 and I get a stress fracture. I'm also 20, though I look very young for my age. Perhaps I'll be able to train more once I can grow a beard, but for now I'll have to rely on shaking things up with my workouts to improve. I run for a top-20 D-I distance program, and ran the seventh fastest 5k on my team last year off no more than 70 mpw. Don't buy into the high mileage is the only way bullcrap that's all over these boards -- for most it obviously works, but not for we unlucky few. Can't be fast if you're hurt all the time. I know at least one XC All-American and World Junior qualifier who runs about 70 mpw, and heard Alan Webb runs about the same.

I think that it is more then an unlucky few who are not able to run high milage.

I have exactly the opposite problem. I find that if I try to run something on the track more than once a week I always get hurt. I find that I can string together several 100 mile weeks as long as I stay off of the track.

The key is to run your mileage slow enough until your body adjust and then slowly increase your intensity. If you keep geeting hurt as you increase mileage it is because you are running your mileage to quickly. Slow down. You can't tell me that you would get hurt by walking 90 miles a week? Bored out of your mind, but not hurt. So realize that it is the intensity and not the mileage and go from there.

I have maintained over 70 for months during base training...but i inevitably get hurt before the cross season ends, and during the season I run about 10 miles a week less than I did during the previous base period.

medial shin splints

What pace? Any speed workouts?

Close follower wrote: I find that if I try to run something on the track more than once a week I always get hurt.

CF, this year I mostly avoided the track, and injury mostly avoided me for once.

In my case at least, it doesn't seem to be primarily about the speed; it's about the curves. My feet tend to be somewhat splayed (the degree being somewhat shoe dependent) so on a curve, the outside foot is more nearly perpendicular to my motion, which is just no damn good.

I'm with Close Follower and Excellent Observation. I have never had any problems with mileage. Even at 53, if you want some 150 mile weeks from me and make them worth my while, I'll give you as many as you ask for.

But if I start doing a lot of hard running, my back tightens up to the point where those miles will be done at almost a walking speed no matter how hard I push.

Really, everyone I've known who really struggles with injuries when they build up their miles has been someone who is a "quality" advocate. Either they try to keep in some sort of interval work while doing bigger miles or they have some minimum pace that they insist on running.

mike.... wrote:

I am a 20 year old guy...was pretty good in high school 4:20/ sub 9:20 but in college every time I go over 65-70 miles a week I get injured, 4 serious injuries now...in hs i averaged about 40-45 at most. I think im am going to go back to running 50-55 miles a week during the season to keep form getting injured, i am usually fine during the summer when i run 70s consistantly. I think its the workouts with the miles that bother me.

Are there many other people who have to maintain relativly low mileage to keep from getting injured all the time?

I cameup with what I call recovery based training.For me this means skipping all recovery and filler miles.Because recovery runs at any pace except walking do not allow me to recover.Instead I bike ride for recovery.

Very low mileage,I run every 3rd day rotating 3 types of workouts.I cross train on the other 2 days.

Each run is very specific:

long slow run

xtrn

xtrn

muscle strength run lots of hills

xtrn

xtrn

lactate run from 10k pace for 5k to marathon pace for 15k.

xtrn

xtrn

I just started this a few weeks ago and feel great.Each workout I am ready to go.My many injuries are gone and I seem to be getting fitter but time will tell all.

I think you should follow your feelings on this.

The optimal training load must allow for recovery otherwise you get sick or injured.How long it takes to recover from a long run,speed work or a "recovery" run differs for each person.The rate of recovery also depends on how "conditioned" the person is to the training load.

I believe it has to do with the way you land.

If you land biomechanicaly very well you can run huge millage with no problems at all.

You have to learn to run properly.

Running is a sport built on progression.

From my experience, it can take several sessons, if not years, to build the strength to consistently train at a "high mileage" level. Whether you define high mileage as 90 miles per week or 170, your body must be able to handle all the perceived and unperceivable stresses that go along with regular training.

Even at the age of 20, your body is not that removed from the changes that occur in adolescence. As bone grows and muscle tissue changes, your body will adapt to regular training.

You should consider regular resistance training (hill work, single leg squats, or leg work with weights, if you like that) along with core stabilization exercises to expedite this process. Taking 15 minutes in the morning and evening to run through a core routine like this doesn't take that much time and will allow you to begin to train consistently without injuries.

Patience is the key.

bullsh*T

hey I am 26 years old, I have had 20 stres factures/reactions. Not all seperate fro one another. I take a ton of calcium I even take Fosomax once a week.

My blood work is perfect, I train smart. But with me it is just playing the odds..the secondI go over 60 Miles a week, my chance of getting hurt goes way up. I use to run 100 miles a week in high school then 80's in College (a good D II program) now I am trying to get back from another stress fracture and I wll not run over 60 for the next year.

People talk but the truth is we are all different ,some bodies like mine can't handle the milleage.

Peace MR Glass

Few things to keep in mind,

Frist off your milage needs to be very very easy, Geb has stated he run 6:30-700 pace. I have talked with Barrious and he stated there was no reason to run under 6:30 in recovery runs no matter how good you are. As even if you go for a low jog for an 60min your still going to gain abilty to go about the crebs cycle.

That said even Lyidard said that when you start racing the time for training is done. And if you look at his base programs you are not pounding out workouts on the track while your doing 10-11hrs of base work.

The things that will get anyone hurt.

1) Running your rest days to fast, take your 10k and then put two in a mile on to it. That is all the fast you need to run.

2)Running both high miles and high intensity, if your running 150 miles a week your body is going to be under as much stress as it can handle. On the other side if your doing 3 very hard track workouts a week your body under as much stress from that.

3)Running to many days on the track or doing track work for two long. Most people can handle at most 2LT workouts and 1Vo2 workouts a week. In the US there are a good deal of people who have programs that have them doing 2VO2 workouts race is a Workout! for most of the year and I speed and no LT. You can do this for 9 maby 16 weeks but I can bet no matter how strong you are you will end up hurt again and again.

4)Doing your workouts two fast, for the most part most of your workouts should be done at your true race pace. So if your running 5ks at 5:30 per mile and doing workouts at 4:40. Your working two hard for your fitness level.

5)Not working on range of motion, that means streching and bounding drills.

see I think I could go 4 or 5 days on the track doing workouts a week without getting hurt, I would burn out after a while, but i don't think i would get hurt. But mileage always gets to me...I run over 7 minute pace in all my mileage too, i don't run hard, usually people who know I run with, and that I am faster than are surpised by how slow i run my runs. I think I would get hurt running over 70 miles a week regardless of pace...if I ran over 8-9 minute miles I would develop an IT promblem, I am almost sure of it.