What would be the safest way to do it? I have run a 16:50 5k off 50 mpw and feel ready to increase the mileage for big improvements. I will be focusing on the 10k in the spring and my goal is sub 30.
It is laughable that you think you can jump from 50 mpw to 100 mpw, having only run 16:50. It is even more laughable that you think you can magically run two back-to-back sub-15 5ks. Go back to whatever miserable D3 you run for and do consistent mileage and you might possibly run sub 15:30 by the time you graduate. Not everyone can be high level athletes like us at Rutgers. #RURAHRAH
I tried going from 40 to 90 mpw my sophomore year of college. DO NOT ATTEMPT. I couldn’t get my junk to rise up for at least 6 months after the endeavor. Overtraining cost me my girlfriend and I got teased a lot in the locker room for my overall petiteness. I’ve resorted to sniffing smelling salts and racing off of pure hate. 5k has dropped from 15:37 to 14:32.
Please don't do this especially if you are new to running.
When i started training for 5k's I heard that having a huge aerobic engine was the key and i ended up peaking at 95 miles a week (at 17) while my 800m was still 2:07 and my mile time was still 4:23. The benefit that I got from this was that my endurance improved a lot but I only excelled at slow tactical races when the pace wasn't to hot (I had no speed endurance what so ever) My 5k improved from 18:54 to 16:58 ok? but what about my middle distance performances? My mile time barely improved a good 2 seconds and my 800m got worse.
Please work on your speed and drop times. When you realize that your 800m is fast enough then you can move up in mileage
Are you competing for a team that has a coach? If yes to this, ask them.
How much are you currently doubling? How much can you double? Do you run everyday?
If your current 50 looks something like this:
M: 6, T: 6, W: 8, Th: 6, F: 6, S: 12, S: 6
Then starting with adding 1-2 doubles in your current program as a first step. Add a second 4M run to two days a week for a couple weeks. If you respond well to that, add a third. If you respond well to that, start strategically layering in an extra 4-6 miles onto your week. Maybe take a 6 mile default easy day and make it 7. Maybe take your long run and add two miles there, especially as the 10k is the focus.
But don’t chase 100 for the triple digits. You may find at 75 or 80 you start to feel very strong in tempos and at the end of workouts. You might hit your true sweet spot along the way.
What would be the safest way to do it? I have run a 16:50 5k off 50 mpw and feel ready to increase the mileage for big improvements. I will be focusing on the 10k in the spring and my goal is sub 30.
I took about a year and a half doing it. I don't really remember all the specifics, this was from early 1973 to summer of 1974, but generally I'd maybe add about ten miles to a previous weekly total and do that until it felt manageable and then do it again. There were times the newer volume felt too much so I'd take a couple weeks and run maybe ten miles more than the next desired volume, then drop back to that volume, (e.g. 70 to 80 was a struggle so I'd go to 90 for a couple weeks, also a struggle but one I knew would be temporary, then drop back to 80, which felt more manageable then.)
Or consider this. If you're comfotrable at 50, 52 won't seem like an increase. Do 52 for a couple weeks, 54 won't seem different, do a couple weeks at 54 and 56 will feel manageable, etc.. You're adding a mile a week on the average. That will get you to 100 in a year. Of course you could try more ambitious versions of this.
slowly up mileage smartly, and maybe you'll find that more than 100 isn't necessary for you to succeed its very possible 80-90 is plenty when structured correctly
It's just a number. Do the volume and mix or training that will allow you to adapt to that training
These are the right questions.
If you change your training and end up with more miles in a week, that's fine. If you can do that for months and don't get injured, that's even better.
I never understood people who had to train a certain amount of miles each week, just because. I called these miles junk miles and some people don't like to hear that.
What would be the safest way to do it? I have run a 16:50 5k off 50 mpw and feel ready to increase the mileage for big improvements. I will be focusing on the 10k in the spring and my goal is sub 30.
Whether your PR is 16:50, or the 14:50 that you seem to have corrected it to, going from 50 to 100mpw should be done (if at all) over 3-years with a lot of thought put into it. There are better ways to inprove your fitness and performances that just adding a randon amout of milage.
I actually did do a jump up from 50mpw to 100mpw for 4 weeks, this was purely for a work “step challenge” event. Went from singles to doubles. However, I went from a usual balanced training approach to 100mpw of all easy running. Felt pretty good on it actually.
What would be the safest way to do it? I have run a 16:50 5k off 50 mpw and feel ready to increase the mileage for big improvements. I will be focusing on the 10k in the spring and my goal is sub 30.
Whether your PR is 16:50, or the 14:50 that you seem to have corrected it to, going from 50 to 100mpw should be done (if at all) over 3-years with a lot of thought put into it. There are better ways to inprove your fitness and performances that just adding a randon amout of milage.
AHHHHHHHHH! Why not tell him to just quit?
------------------------------------------------------ rutgers xc runner wrote: It is laughable that you think you can jump from 50 mpw to 100 mpw, having only run 16:50. It is even more laughable that you think you can magically run two back-to-back sub-15 5ks. Go back to whatever miserable D3 you run for and do consistent mileage and you might possibly run sub 15:30 by the time you graduate. Not everyone can be high level athletes like us at Rutgers. #RURAHRAH --------------------------------------------------------
It's even more laughable that a rutgers xc runner is advising the guy to "go back to whatever miserable D3 you run for..." Rutgers of all god-forsaken places? Everything about you is summed up in your username -- "rutgers xc runner". #RURAHRAH!
OP. This thread is full of losers giving you advice for losers. Do not listen to them.
You're good enough to start testing yourself. Actually you should have been testing yourself a long time ago. Just bump it up to 80 for a week then drop it back down. See how that feels to you? Do it again and see how that feels, only drop it down to 60. Whatever you do don't obsess over it. Don't obsess over a number. Don't set arbitrary numerical goals. Everything should be organic. Just test your limits. Maybe 100 is going to be too much. Maybe not. Good luck.
This post was edited 2 minutes after it was posted.