Is the consensus on this message board that you ahve to do over 80 miles per week to be a great runner? i mean obviously there are exceptions, with tiffany mcwilliams who runs like 35-40 miles per week.
Is the consensus on this message board that you ahve to do over 80 miles per week to be a great runner? i mean obviously there are exceptions, with tiffany mcwilliams who runs like 35-40 miles per week.
I predict this thread goes over 100 posts easily. Oh, and by the way,
firsties!
I wouldn't call Tiffany McWilliams a great runner yet. She's a great talent, for sure, but I don't think 4:06 makes you a great runner. She soon will be, though, if she keeps progressing at this rate she'll hold all the records.
And the best way for her to progress, naturally, is to bump her mileage up to 85 a week, and truly drop a bomb on the American/World 1500 scene.
Regina Jacobs nor Suzy runs 85 mpw.
Mileage is relative especially for the 800-1500-3000m events. Bob Kennedy ran 100-105 for a bit then dropped accordingly the year of his 12:58s. Two years later, he got up to 120-140 for 5 weeks but showed no improvement.
Although I think BOTH systems can work and do work... I DO agree 100 percent with Peter Coe and David Martin when they stress high end aerobic work as a semi-subsitute for continuous high mileage. Example, a 60-75 mi week runner with some high end days (10 mi fast, 8 x 800, 12-14 Long Run etc) is just as good as 90-100 mi without as much quality.
In my opinion, mileage is great but... should NOT be first priority as is sometimes the case. Search, Steve Holman- High Mileage Syndrome. Where he talks of running decent volume as it comes but NOT as the sole purpose (goal for week is to hit mileage numbers usually ending in 0 or with 3 digits)
Also, the topic is always too vague... you have to argue in context of event. In all of my knowledge of MANY 800 runners ranging from 1:43-1:50, I know not 1 who runs over 50 mpw consistently. For milers, I know those same 800 runners who can run the mile and also runners who run ~100 mpw.
100 miles a week is not high for all events. Example, you can site Khannouchi as a high miles runners but in the context that his specialty is the marathon, his miles are more quality based.
El Guerrouj's training is so mysterious that it is not fair to speculate. The schedule published long ago shows not much mileage and a day off ....also this same material was verified a couple years later saying they took the Peter Coe program of upper end aerobic work and added in some short fast distance runs of 40 min. (totalling 75 miles a week). However, it has also been said that EL G gets up to 120. Nothing is known for sure.
We do know that the group in AZ is low miles high intensity, as is Michigan where Warhurst is praised and Sullivan gets up to "only" 90s in base.
we could use some more steve holman's right about now...