I've not been running very long (approx 1 yr) I'm now running about 40mpw. This summer I've dropped from a 17.10 5k in February to a 16.30 last week (still slow I know), my question is since I am seeing good consistent improvement off 40mpw should I still bump up to the 60s region for faster improvement or would you consider this to be an unnecessary injury risk?
Don't fix what's not broke. Wait until you level off then make adjustments.
Home Depot wrote:
Don't fix what's not broke. Wait until you level off then make adjustments.
I disagree. 60mpw is not that much. Get out and do it. You'll improve faster and be stronger. No sense in waiting around to get strengtg. Just dial back the pace a little until you get some time in at that mileage.
thanks both for the input. I was thinking somewhere in between, I do intend to start increasing but very slowly and only if I can do it at no reduction of quality. If I find myself running slower on my "main" 40mi to be able to run more miles I guess I'll have to back off.
I've always been a proponent of mileage but what is the purpose of running 60 miles a week over 40 miles a week if you have to run slower to do it? Isn't the idea to run faster? People get obsessed with numbers and that's when you start have problems. A 20 mile jump would be a mistake at this point I think, it sounds like you've got the right idea with bumping up a little bit but not too much and if the pace suffers or you notice anything that doesn't feel right don't hesitate to go back to 40. You usually want to wait until the current amount of miles or intensity no longer provides you with the stimulus that you need before you increase one or the other. You've got plenty of time to get stronger and to improve, you're only one year in and you're seeing improvement so it sounds like things are going well. I'd listen more to the "don't fix it" guy than the, just run more miles guy. Don't get obsessed with numbers, be more concerned with improvement, something that sounds like is coming pretty quickly at this point.
You could increase your milage in the off season and then drop back to let's say 40-50 mpw when you get a bit closer to the important meets. A useful addition for any 5k runner would be some AT runs, especially when you're not racing hard yet.
40-45-50-55-60-50-60-40-60-60-60-60
Going from 40 to 60 will bring huge improvements, way bigger than 80 to 120.
"The art of coaching is to identify the smallest amount of the most specific work needed to ensure continual progress in performance ability. All other training is overtraining and increases the risk of injury, excessive fatigue, or the problems of staleness." (Coe/Martin "Better training for distance runners" p. 247)