Low Mileage (50 mpw) high intensity

My training is low mileage. It implements periodisation, blocks and some recovery.

It is low mileage and gets a bit higher mileage at times.

I cycle continuously:

3 - 4 hard workouts a week on normal weeks

8 hard workouts on hard weeks

I start with 20' at 89% - 92% mhr this pace feels okay. I am still under second ventilatory threshold. I experience that if i go over that in intervals or continuous runs i get those naggin pains. Stiff muscles and just am worn out.

Heart rate drops for certain for the pace i do those runs.

Then i increase length to 30 minutes and heart rate drops from 87% - 90% to 82% - 85% then i build to 40 minutes and that is the point where i speed up.

I tend to find those 20' blocks the easiest. And i do a block of 7 days to introduce pace usually. theother days are runs of 20' easy. I don't do long runs because i don't need to. It is all in the plan. I do do 100's to 200's once a week in the summer and do complementary training like weights, cycling, swimming but most of this is easy. It is all around those 3 - 4 hard days for me.

I do these runs on the tm, and in the summer outside.

I work all zones throughout the phases. Usually a cycle takes 3 - 4 months and then i increase the speed 0.5 km/h. I know it is slow but i keep on improving.

In the winters i usually do those 20' runs to 40' runs, weights, swimming.

Is 50mpw 'low mileage'?

well............ wrote:

Is 50mpw 'low mileage'?

yes.

I'm 52 and have been trying this sort of approach. I like the way I feel about the same every day rather than being trashed by a hard workout and struggling round recovery days. I run 5 x 6 miles, one 'long' run of 7 and one easier day of 4 miles. I try to make the runs progressive but just how fast depends on how I feel, weather, terrain etc.

Are you doing that Farell thing?

Why don't you also add the several key paces you're missing? Once or twice a week, run easy for 3-4 miles, then do 2 x 800 at about 5K pace, and 4 x 30-45 seconds at about mile pace.

Shortandsimple wrote:

well............ wrote:

Is 50mpw 'low mileage'?

yes.

I dunno--I guess that when I hear someone say they're running 50 mpw, I would think that person is a pretty serious runner.

kris wrote:

Are you doing that Farell thing?

FYI

I am 43 and doing lower mileage/higher intensity, and I think it is more effective, when you are older. As you age, you can still run at HMP/MP for long periods (unlike 1500/5k pace), but recovery needs to be longer. So a solution is to do intense running, in shorter sessions, more frequently.

The 60yr old 2:36 Japanese geezois does this - 6x1k 2x/day.

Fatigue is deceptive. I find it quite easy to run myself flat, so you should always feel like you are holding back a little. This is in contrast to when you were 20, and you could go balls out and recover in 36hrs. >40 I need 4-5 days, so workouts are shorter.

well............ wrote:

Is 50mpw 'low mileage'?

Shortandsimple wrote:

yes.

Whatever, asshat. Lagat doesn't evendo much more than this. 50 mpw is NOT low mileage.

I'm a similar age and i did a similar thing for 3-4 months.

I ran 10 milers 6 days a week and then a shorter slower run on the seventh.

The 10 milers were run by feel but they were always progressive (unless i was tired) and i ran out 5 miles at easy pace and then the way back was either sub-MP, MP, HMP, or even up to 10k speed. I felt that i was in excellent shape.

HOWEVER i burned out on this schedule.

If i do this again (and i will because it worked for me) i will introduce FORCED recovery. Perhaps a down week every 2 or 3 weeks. I'm not sure what the best way to do it.

I ran a 2:48 marathon when I was 39 running 4x/week

2hrs

1hr @ 95% of MP

8x1k @ Yasso pace w/ 500m recoevry

45 mins; 8-12x200

I was working ~60hrs/wk 630am - 7pm, so it worked out well.

www.powerrunning.com

[quote]Off the Grid wrote:

I ran a 2:48 marathon when I was 39 running 4x/week

2hrs

1hr @ 95% of MP

8x1k @ Yasso pace w/ 500m recoevry

45 mins; 8-12x200

[quote]

That is simply incredible! You must have a stong aerobic base from previous years in order to run 2:48 of LESS than 50mpw. Please tell us more...

Long run pace? Did you really cap it at 2 hours only?

The "45 mins; 8-12x200" session -- was the 45 minute piece at LT or just easy?

It seems to work for some but now others. It's an individual thing. I trained both ways for years and clearly respond better to high mileage. That's is if 70+ mpw is considered high. When I dropped down to 50 mpw with high intensity

(Ooops cont)

...I intitially got a pop but then gradually got slower. Now I'm back up over 70 mpw and feel that I'm running better even though I'm a bit older

kris wrote:

Are you doing that Farell thing?

I've read everything I can find on Jack Farrell's methods - all the coaches education stuff and some very interesting posts on this board, especially from a lady called 'Cassaka2' (I think) who used to train with him. Like Jacks runners I race a weekly 5k, but as a concession to age can't do the second session as he advocates. I also find a progression run easier to cope with than a whole run at 5k pace + 1 min as he suggests. Actually Cassaka2 says that their runs were never continuous, with a warm up run of 1 - 2miles followed by drills and strides before the main section of the run, so a typical 7 miler might have only had 4 1/2 to 5 mls of faster running which would make it more of a progression run.

umm....I'll assume sincerity (a risky proposition on this board). I ran 70-90mpw 1982-88 in HS and Uni.

Got fat '88-'03. Lost weight in '03. It took me 3-4 months to get into 36:21 shape by 4/'04. I had ramped up to ~2:4x shape by 1/'05, then came down w/ anemia. I was doing +80mpw, and then crashed & burned. It took 6 months to come back w/ a 2:59 debut @ Gold Coast 7/'05.

I then spent 6 months doing

Sunday - ~2hrs a hilly 25-26km course near my house.

Tuesday - 1hr @ 4:10/km, maybe 70 minutes

Thursday - 8x1km @ 3:30 w/ 2:00 recovery (Yasso pace)

Saturday - easy 5-6 and 8-12x200 @ 32-33 w/ 200 jog

12/'05 Taipei ING 2:48:36

4/'07 PR of 2:35:59 following Pfitz +70 18wk plan. A bit too much for me though. Took a long time to recover from that effort.

I think trying to feel, "fresh" when you are older is the key. It should be fun, and workouts should give you confidence. So hold back in the VOLUME, but you can keep the INTENSITY e.g. 3-4x800 @ 5k vs 6-8x800 @ 5k pace.

My experience. My goals are to have fun and make races enjoyable rather than a chore. I have too much experience toeing the line feeling exhausted.

stupidd letsrunners wrote:

well............ wrote:

Is 50mpw 'low mileage'?

Shortandsimple wrote:

yes.

Whatever, asshat. Lagat doesn't evendo much more than this. 50 mpw is NOT low mileage.

From this response I'll just assume you're a high schooler, but I'll explain either way. Being "low mileage" does not make 50 mpw wrong, it just makes it a lesser amount of mileage than the overwhelming majority of successful distance runners put in in a week. 50 mpw is what an average high schooler does in my area, and none of my collegiate teammates even run below 60 any more.

Off the Grid wrote:

I ran a 2:48 marathon when I was 39 running 4x/week

2hrs

1hr @ 95% of MP

8x1k @ Yasso pace w/ 500m recoevry

45 mins; 8-12x200

I was working ~60hrs/wk 630am - 7pm, so it worked out well.

http://www.powerrunning.com

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So what? I ran 2.43 off 40 mpw aged 35, then aged 40 I ran 2.29 off much higher mileage.

wellnow wrote:

*****************************************

So what? I ran 2.43 off 40 mpw aged 35, then aged 40 I ran 2.29 off much higher mileage.

thats great!