What is the hardest week you have ever run?

Seems a little bit excessive for August. Or any time of year, for that matter.

i've run 160 miles a week before for a month training for boston one year

the only fast running i did in that time was strides and some threshold/maraton paced stuff so yea i dont kno how that compares

good luck with those 200s

Saturday: 45 miles long run

Sunday: 45 miles long run

Monday: 45 miles long run

Tuesday: 45 miles long run

Wednesday: 45 miles long run

Thursday: 45 miles long run

Friday: 15 miles

Total: 285 miles

Monday - 20k, windchill of -24 C

Tuesday - very hilly 20k progression run with the last mile around 6:00, windchill -22

- 33 minutes slow in the evening

Wednesday - 100 minutes very slow (17k) in the morning, 26 minutes even slower at night (two miles)

Thursday - 13k

Friday - 8k very easy

Saturday - 30k with 14k at marathon pace

Sunday - 82 minutes slow, maybe 15k

131 km

You would be smarter to just do a long, slow buildup in your mileage and intensity. Don't try to make it to the top all in one summer. Your enthusiasm is great but you have to temper it or it will destroy you.

When I went to college (D1), I increased from 35-40mpw to 60mpw over the course of a few weeks, making sure to get in one decent long run a week and a couple tempos or harder efforts. When I got to XC, which I chose to redshirt, I was way better than I had been before. I had a great season and was looking forward to hitting big PRs on the track.

But I was still not as good as I thought I could be, and I got impatient, and then started trying for huge mileage totals and seeing what some of the All American dudes were doing started thinking I should be doing repeat 1600s at 4:30. So I tried to just start doing all that stuff, failed spectacularly, and by the time track rolled around I was in the toilet. I didn't PR at anything that year and then I lost confidence completely in my ability. I sucked for 3 years, before quitting a short while, then coming back with the right mindset and eventually running some PRs.

The moral of this story...don't overreach. Add more stimulus, attain the results from that stimulus, add more, attain more, and on and on. If you don't touch 100mpw for a couple years, it won't hurt you (unless you are already doing 100mpw, then I guess you've got to do what you said).

I think the #1 talent required to be a great runner is patience. Learn to be patient and you will succeed.

The hardest week I did was:

MON 6 miles AM at 6:00 pace, 8 miles PM hard 4 mile tempo run.

TUE 11 miles at 5:50 pace.

WED 6 miles AM at 6:00 pace, 9 miles PM hard fartlek workout.

THU 6 miles AM at 5:50 pace, 11 miles PM at 6:00 pace

FRI 10 miles at 6:10 pace

SAT 8 miles (8k XC race). Unable to run in PM from exhaustion.

SUN 15 miles AM at 6:00 pace, 15 miles PM at 6:00 pace

TOTAL 105 miles

This was also the stupidest week of training I ever did. I used to think everything had to be at 6:00 pace or it was junk. I was totally wasted in my Saturday race (ran 28:08), then couldn't run on Saturday night (I had explosive diarrhea), then on Sunday in order to chase a number goal I did 2 15 milers because I needed 30 miles to get a 105 mile week. Of course I did them at 6:00 pace or else they would have been junk...

The next week I was trashed and missed a couple days of training. My training in early college years was like this all the time...I never amounted to anything because of it...

I ran 100 miles a week last summer at my highest point. But with a lot less speedwork, possibly almost none, just 100 miles of distance.

So, would you suggest that I just run less miles. I really felt last year I had no speed and too much strenght. I would finish the 5k not feeling that bad but I felt I just couldn't run any faster.

Do you think I should do what I said but just less easy mileage? Say, 70 miles that week with those same workouts, instead of 110?

100 miles a week at your highest point? or did you run 1 100 mile week?

Who ever said having patience is the greatest attribute a runner can have, i agree with them. I also do not know how to speak English.

Spend your summer enjoying your runs, longer runs at a decent pace, but dont judge your self off pace. When your supposed to go easy, go easy. If you feel like shit, dont run any faster then you have to, just get the run done with, hell if you feel really shitty, take the day off.

doesnt Daniels also suggest doing a lot of striders and drills during this phase? I am a high believer in striders and drills.

Also.. the college seasons last a very long time and the new distance in the cross country usually takes a pounding on the body, if you have more strength then speed it will probably help you out at first and eventually the speed will come (as long as your coach is good, and your not broken).

r u serious, he said he did low mileage coming into college, how about read what he said next time. idiot

last summer I built up, 5 miles per week, from 60 to 100

by the time I started racing in XC I had no speed what so ever, after 3 months of no speedwork I had lost my wheels

the only times I raced well was when I could get out in front on very demanding hilly courses and stay in front.

I'm not going to let this happen again, I just need to know from some guys with experience, whether or not I should run up to 100+ miles a week with a lot of speedwork

or

run up to about 80 miles a week with the same amount of speedwork.

I'm sticking with what Daniels' says in terms of the speed workouts because he probably knows what hes talking about.

--also if what I want to do is 'over reaching' and going beyond what I should be doing

well, i like the enthusiasm, but i think you need to relaxe a bit, like others have said. work smarter, not harder.

good progression is 5-7 miles build up every week, with the 4th week a recovery week. you don't want to be injured in september, do you?

sunday: long run. 18-22% weekly mileage

monday: 7-8 miles, + 8x100m @ goal 400m pace with 300m jog recovery, barefoot on grass

tuesday: 7-10 + drills

wednesday: 45 minutes easy + strides

thursday: repeat tuesday

friday: 10-12x 200m hill

saturday: repeat wednesday

thats for first half of summer. when august rolls around, you might add a 30-40 minute tempo in somewhere, such as tuesday, (but keep thursday easy 7-10).

if you aim for 70=80 mpw and are consistent with the long run, the 100m at goal 400m pace and hills and tempo, you'll be fine. this is year-round aerobic, anaerobic and lactate threshold work. also, have some fun with your training. if you are doing strides, add a U-Turn in there somewhere to simulate racing. maybe cross a creek at a fast pace, stuff like that which you will encounter in your racing.

and if all else fails, ask YOUR coach, not people on a message board. if he says he can't help you, you don't want to go there.

GerryNonJogger wrote:

Donut McFatty wrote:

This was also the stupidest week of training I ever did. I used to think everything had to be at 6:00 pace or it was junk. I was totally wasted in my Saturday race (ran 28:08), then couldn't run on Saturday night (I had explosive diarrhea), then on Sunday in order to chase a number goal I did 2 15 milers because I needed 30 miles to get a 105 mile week. Of course I did them at 6:00 pace or else they would have been junk...

The next week I was trashed and missed a couple days of training. My training in early college years was like this all the time...I never amounted to anything because of it...

Gerry, is that you?

No I'm not Gerry.

If the original poster ran 100mpw last year, I say stay at the same level this year but stay in touch with your speed. Just do a general fitness program. There was a good one listed on a Renato Canova thread about a year ago:

Monday: 80 minutes run recovery pace, add 5-10 minutes a week until you're doing 120 minutes.

Tuesday: 20-30 minutes easy warmup. 10-20x 80m hill sprint at max speed with as much recovery as you need in between each hill. Rest 5-10 mins after the hills then do 2k - 3k hard. Warmdown.

Wednesday: Easy 60-80 minute recovery day.

Thursday: 20 minute warmup at easy pace, 5 x 5 minutes at tempo pace (90% max HR), with 5 minutes recovery at a dead jog (60% max HR). Each week add 1 minute to the tempo portion keeping the rest the same, until you are doing 5 x 10 minutes. Then in weeks following that, increase the recovery pace by about 5% of your max HR each week -- usually 20-30s per mile.

Friday: Easy 60-80 minute recovery day.

Saturday: Very long easy run of 18-22 miles. After the first week start doing the last 15 minutes at a moderate tempo (80%-85% max HR). Each week add another 5 minutes to the ending portion until you are doing about the last 45-60 minutes at a decent pace.

Sunday: 30 minutes at recovery pace, 20 minutes at tempo pace (90% max HR). Each week add 5 minutes to the end of the tempo until you are doing about 10k worth.

This is a pretty good general program to draw from and I believe Renato's runners use some variation of it when they are in the beginning buildup phase. You do most of your running at an easy pace, you cover a good volume of miles, you have 2 pretty decent long runs in there, one day of low-impact speed building, and two days of tempo pace.

For me as an old slow runner, this is about a 70-80 mile week. Adjust a few things to get your 100mpw if you feel the need. But definitely make sure when you run recovery pace you are running recovery pace and if you don't know what that is, get a HR monitor. I wrecked my college running with all those 6:00 pace "recovery" days.

Run your first year of college without jacking your mileage up. See how it works out. You will need to adjust to the new program and you will probably find yourself running harder on the workout days. Good. Just don't do it on the recovery days too. If your first year is successful, then you can increase the mileage next summer...

Good luck.

thanks for the advice guys