does any great runner in the U.S. run as much as b. sell?

He does it because at elite level he knows that it has to be done if he is stay on top! His peers are doing it as well so he needs to put in the miles to compete. He has natural talent, the right physique, genes and personality to be a great runner. His committment and dedication are second to none.After all its his job - to run and be a winner!

Great talent! but he has put in the work to get there- a good example to younger athletes!

athleticsfreak wrote:

He does it because at elite level he knows that it has to be done if he is stay on top! His peers are doing it as well so he needs to put in the miles to compete.

what peers, though? that's my point...all the other guys I know of at the top do substantially less mileage. maybe I'm thinking mostly of track guys, though...

he doesn't have natural talent, that's why he's running 150 miles a week. he was a 4:28 and 10:06 guy in highschool.

54 wrote:

he doesn't have natural talent, that's why he's running 150 miles a week. he was a 4:28 and 10:06 guy in highschool.

...I know. I was just asking if any of the other guys do this much. people keep answering questions I'm not asking?

this guy

Look at Tergats natural talent and he has run close to 200mpw in marathon training. Pretty amazing. I'm a big believer in volume, I respect anyone who runs that much.

If you mean right now, I don't know. Back in the day, obviously Shorter and Rodgers and most of the seventies road warriors (so they tell us now) ran such mileage. More recently, but not too recently, Jerry Lawson ran a ton, often over 200 M/wk as did Paul Gompers and Paul Cummings ran really high mileage.

Hell, I had several years in the early nineties when I was over 10,000km including two consecutive ones over 12,000. To be truly great one must train a lot. Unfortunately, as I learned, the converse isn't true. Still, how the hell else do you find out if you could be a world beater? I love the quotes on Nate Jenkins page, by the way; hadn't heard of him before. Very inspirational... If I weren't at home watching (while surfing) my young boys I'd head out for a twenty miler right now!

If you look at Lore of Running, I'm pretty sure that Noakes states that running more than 90 miles per week is only marginally beneficial. He mentions that running over 90 miles a week will only help to make a runner more efficient, but won't really help with increasing V02max, creating a more efficient metabolism (e.g., relying more on the bodies own fat stores during long distance races like the marathon). I don't have the book infront of me, but I remember this to be the case. Can anyone confirm this. I think Noakes mentions that functional training would be a better use of a runners time, rather than adding more mileage.

Lore of Running wrote:

If you look at Lore of Running, I'm pretty sure that Noakes states that running more than 90 miles per week is only marginally beneficial.

we've had this discussion before: diminishing returns are still returns...

would you rather run 2:15 on 90 mpw or 2:10 on 150 mpw???

I would rather run 210 on 90 a week

You have to have talent to run as fast as Sell does. He does put himself out there with the mileage, but that doesn't really mean he's the hardest worker out there. Mileage number is only one of many aspects of training.

Sell will ultimately be limited by his lack of native speed. And his best for 10.000 track is around 28:40, but to get to the next level in the marathon (2:07-2:09) he would need to be able to run track 10.000 in the 28:00-28:15 range, and I don't think Sell is capable of doing that.

Sell will do well in marathons run in tough conditions, and in races where many of the runners go off at high speeds. He runs consistently, and knows how to pace himself. Remember when he passed Culpepper in Boston, he blew him away - not because he was faster than Culpepper, but because he had run a much more conservative, prudent type of race.

ghost

coach:

christophe_moulton@yahoo.ca

as far as I know Hall is doing at least 120 miles a week at times, so sell is not doing much more than his peers really. 150 a week isn't that much when your trying to be the best. Even guys like Mottram are doing 110-115miles a week.

I don't know why moderatley talented runners hang onto this notion that they are going to be successful at Distance races on 90 miles a week, thats middle distance workload.

sheister wrote:

as far as I know Hall is doing at least 120 miles a week at times, so sell is not doing much more than his peers really. 150 a week isn't that much when your trying to be the best. Even guys like Mottram are doing 110-115miles a week.

I don't know why moderatley talented runners hang onto this notion that they are going to be successful at Distance races on 90 miles a week, thats middle distance workload.

I thought I had heard Hall was doing less, like 100ish...anyway I think 150 is almost a minimum for Sell, I'm pretty sure he gets up to 170 fairly regularly?

as for your mileage comment...I'm pretty sure there are even "moderately talented" guys who would run better off 90 than 150...or at least not get injured at that level and get the consistent trianing in.

FEAR will hold you back forever. He runs without fear. People who run over 175 miles a week have LESS injuries than those who run less than 70.

I think he runs toward a destination rather than just running a workout as well. If you run towards a destination you have less chance of injury than if you count miles or time your workout. You have to LET yourself run rather than forcing it to happen.

That makes no sense whatsoever - how can runners who run 175pw have less injuries than someone doing just 70mpw?

Sell is good, but running that type of mileage will shorten his career. The body cannot keep on going with that mileage for year after year. His window of opportunity will be shortened.

ghost

That makes no sense whatsoever - how can runners who run 175pw have less injuries than someone doing just 70mpw?

Sell is good, but running that type of mileage will shorten his career. The body cannot keep on going with that mileage for year after year. His window of opportunity will be shortened.

ghost

obviously 150 is at the extreme end of what is common, but many many marathoners in days gone by have done that kind of mileage, sell is by no means some mileage freak.

If your a 10km or longer runner and you want to be international class you have no business running less than 100miles a week.

for the women deena kastor does that kind of mileage, from my understanding she regularly does 140mpw