Don't enjoy high mileage

I'm a senior in highschool and my XC season will be over in the next week. For the first time ever I did miles over 45 in the summer. My weeks were 66,16,80,82,93,91,85,91,71,44. My team does low mileage. In the high 20's low 30's. When I ran my mileage I felt extremely strong and fit. I'm running winter track, but am taking a break from racing and building the miles back up. I plan to devoute atleast 10 weeks or more for the mileage. I run the 3200m. How high should my miles be? I really would like to push my limits and turn in a decent time. I've set my goal as 9:30. My best is 9:44.

dave sines:

i wouldn't call 95-110 "really high mileage"; more like "above average"...

Don't mean to sound too "cliche" 'ish, but as stated in the novel Once a Runner, "You may not LIKE to do the milage, but you sure as hell RUN the milage"

It comes down to a matter of priorities... How bad do you want it? How important is athletics to you?

Personally, I do not always enjoy running everyday, putting "money in the bank" so to speak, especially in the winter. But the times that I enjoy running easly out-weigh those which I do not, and that is why I choose to run.

I was primarily trained on 30-40 miles/week in HS, and my times were fairly average...

It came down to the summer of my senior year that I finally gave high milage- if you can call it that, a try. I ran 8-12 miles EVERY day starting in July before my senior year. I continued this through to October and by then I had a few months of 60-70 mile weeks behind me. These were not slow mind you, much of them run between 6:20 and 6:40 pace. I had my best XC season ever.

It was that season which convinced me that high milage was right for me.

I count minutes instead of miles when I do a long run when I don't want to really care about time. For me a 5 miler in my head even seems like a long way, but if I think of it as a 30 minute run, it doesn't sound so bad. Also, an hour or 90 minute run sounds better to me than a 10-15 mile run....maybe that because I am a chick and chicks think differently.

I am currently struggling with an ITB problem that prevents

me from doing long runs and I really miss them. I used

to dread them, but during the past 6 months of training for

the marathon I have been doing 2 16s and 1 20+ miler

most weeks, and have gotten to the point where I love

doing them (I know dread my track workouts much more).

One thing that I have found helps is to progressively

increase the pace. I start really easy - don't even

think about pace for the first few miles. After the

first quarter of the run, I start to run at a steady

pace and gradually increase it until I end up doing

the last quarter of the run at marathon pace or faster

if I am feeling good. This gives you something to focus

on in the second half of the run - instead of getting

bored, you have to start paying attention to your pace

and concentrate on staying smooth and relaxed.

It also helps to vary your courses - I have half a dozen

different routes I will use depending on my mood and the

weather - but I still will consistently use the same

courses regularly so that I get to know the milestones

and can compare pace with previous runs.

My general advice to anyone who finds long runs boring is too simply run faster - if you run fast enough, you won't

be bored. If the long runs start take too long to recover

from and interfere with your other training, then slow down

a bit.

A chick training at 6 minute pace for 5-15 miles is pretty good:)

Terrance, for one, eight miles isn't high mileage. Two, you have already got it beat - you are motivated. Listen to what you are saying: "I actually look forward to those runs [doubles]" Heck, ninety percent of those who you'll be competing against cannot get themselves out of bed in the morning to run. You're into it. If you are already running 4 and 4, then keep doing it. Just try to bump up the evening run every now and then. I remember when I first started running eight miles was hell, too. Soon it became easy and it will for you too.

Fine. Really high mileage for me then, because other than when I build up to 110, I run 65-80 per week.

I read that book when I was in HS. I was very interested in the Lydiard style of training - even/especially though I was concentrating more on the mile. What kids don't seem to realize in the low mile programs is that the super talented guy is going to run fast on 25 mpw regardless. There are plenty of tough hardworking people who have been sold this idea that high miles are destroying you too soon. I think that for most people, if you don't start doing the work by the summer before your senior year - you won't achieve times that will be noticed by a big time program. Your career is over before you give it a chance. In addition, you need the strength base to move up to the weekly 5m/10K from 5K. This is why freshmen fall apart in college. When I ran there were plenty of talented guys in the 4:20-4:30 range from low mileage programs. They were all injured or had mono by the end of the season. Most ended up quitting by their sophomore year at BG. I was on the travel squad at the MAC championship as a freshmen. 3 of my teammates from that HS team broke 10 minutes in the 2 mi in HS and went on to college. How many places can post times like this today? We weren't superman, we just put in the work.

It is so good in fact that it isn't true. Posey has just proven herself to be either a flat out liar or someone who really has no idea how far she is running in 90 minutes. I vote for the former. How about if you check the distance next time?

Huron,

I always do research when someone posts halfway decent times, and so far I'm still coming up with a blank with you and lots of questions. Amazingly enough, I live in Worthington, Ohio, and I know that there are two schools there (Thomas Worthington, and Worthington Kilbourne), and in fact I run frequently on Thomas Worthington's track (it is kind of blueish just so you know I'm telling the truth). I believe that in 1980 it would have only been the one school called Worthington High School, but perhaps it was actually Thomas Worthington High School then. In any event, TWHS are Cardinals and WKHS are the Wolves, so I'm not sure how the name "Huron" would have tipped anyone off to where you were from. Huron isn't associated with Worthington at all as far as I know. I also looked up your name with regard to Easter Michigan and Bowling Green and I wasn't able to find any hits. Of course, early 80s is a while ago, but still, with those times there is nothing? Please explain the Worthington High School thing to me and how Huron attatches you to the high school located on 161.

Went to Colonial Hills Elementary. Lived on Hartford Street. Used to have ice cream at the Friendly's onthe corner of South and High Street which is no longer there. A little further south on High Street is a fondu restaurant which has been there forever, and lets not forget the Pontifical College just north of 270 also on High Street (Route 23).

Willy, I don't think we need another magpie thread, do you? I have no doubt we've all seen many many lies about personal bests on this board. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't believe any time I see posted here.

Maybe you two could exchange email addresses and take this off-line?

Not a bad idea, but I don't want to give out my e-mail address, and I don't feel like creating a new one just for this purpose. Sorry if it bugs you (honestly) but you don't have to read it. Pretty much it won't continue. All he has to do is answer a few of my questions. DougC was adamant about the Magpie situation, and I agree with his reasoning. If someone is going to spout high mileage or low mileage or whatever and then produce good times as evidence that that training works, then it is only fair for them to be as straightforward as they can be so that we can verify the truthfulness of their words. If their times aren't quite good enough to be on the internet from 20 years ago, then perhaps that is the reason, but we should at least get all the information we can so we can go look and check. Then, it is up to us to decide if we believe them and think their advice is worth listening to.

Right now I am more puzzled about Huron than disbelieving, and I don't understand how the name Huron has anything to do with my hometown of Worthington, OH 43085.

agreed - flagpole willy my - email is christopher.los@us.gambro.com. I ran at the 161 Worthington HS. I would imagine there is a lot of puffery that goes on. I am new to this board and notice that anybody that posts an opinion gets challenged about if they were any good. If they ran good times nobody beleives them anyway. I could talk ad nauseum about my times and whatnot but the point of this thread was not about me but the merit of running higher miles - Anybody that ran at Eastern or BG at that time would remember me - but 20 years later who friggin cares?!. Just keep running your 40 mile weeks and lament why a blind american woman is the first US born finisher at the NYC marathon. I'm sorry to have ever posted on this board. And don't worry I won't again.

Well, you can just sign up for a free hotmail account. Use it for that purpose and then forget about it. That's what I do when I don't want to give out my real email address.

I missed that part about you not wanting to create a new email address.

But the good news is that now that huron has posted his address, you two can safely exchange emails in privacy.

Huron, don't go away in a huff. This has been a great discussion and you have offered some valuable insights. Unfortunately, on this forum you have to filter out a lot of the nonsense while looking for the good stuff. I'm sure I'm far from the only one who read your comments with interest and it would be a shame if people left everytime some one made a rude comment. That would make this forum nothing more than a den of trolls. Don't take anything personally.

Flagpole - you're barking up the wrong tree brother, apparently you are not so hot at research. 1980 was a long time ago and I would be amazed if you could dredge up any performaces on the internet for high schools from that era. So how about we get on with the facts:

1. I grew up in Worthington, OH, and my mother still lives there about two blocks from Thomas Worthington.

2. It was not Thomas Worthington and WKHS back then, it was only one school, Worthington HS.

3. WHS were the Cardinals. BGSU is the Falcons. EMU is the Hurons. Huron ran for all three, but obviously chose to use the last as his handle. Sorry if that hurt your pretty little head.

4. Huron moved to Worthington in the summer before his junior year, that would have been 1978.

5. He and I ran decently our Jr. year, but as he states, neither one of us were superstar talents.

6. In the summer before our senior year we both got motivated to be the best we could be, and began running 100mpw.

7. It worked for the most part, we both became stronger and definitely ran better, but the state of OH was incredibly deep that year. If memory serves correct there were approximately 8 guys (across the various classes) running 9-flat or sub-9 in the two mile.

8. Huron wanted the school record in the mile (it was at 4:17), and I wanted the 2-mile (it was at 9:27).

9. I got down to 9:37 half way through the season before a stress fracture ended it. This was not mileage related, it was a pair of poorly fitting shoes I was training in at the time.

10. I was cheering Huron on from the inside of the track when he ran 4:15 (if I remember he ran this twice). Likewise I was there cheering him on to the record I wanted (2-mile), when he clocked 9:26. To my knowledge both still stand as the WHS records, unless the administrators that be washed them away when Worthington split out into two HS. Perhaps they did not want to discourage future unmotivated wankers like you?

As already stated, neither of us were star talents, we simply wanted it bad. Rather than question Huron's validity I think you'd be better spending your time training like we did. In fact, like I still do.