If you decided to give up competitive running, how many miles per week would you run just to stay in shape?

Age?

30-35 yrs. prob around 45 mpw

40-49 yrs. around 35

50-65 yrs. around 30

I'd just do 1 tempo and one track or hill workout every 10 days.

After college I did that for a while. 4-5 miles per day and maybe one day 8-10 and one day off. Tried to run a marathon off of that - bad idea.

Probably 70-80 miles a week, I currently run anywhere from 85-115 depending where I'm at in training. I'd still run at least 60-80 minutes per day, with 16-18 mile long runs. I probably wouldn't double very often if at all anymore.

For me retired would mean I don't have to pay attention to what time I go to bed, I don't have to run hard workouts if I don't want to, I can drink as many beers as I want whenever I want, I don't have to watch my diet, and I can participate in other physical activities or sports without fear of injury that would impact my training. But for mileage, I wouldn't cut out much if any.

I would probably run twice during the week and always keep my Sunday long run. A total of about 25-30 mpw. I currently lift weights 2 X per week and would keep that.

doing this right now at ~35 miles/week and happy/healthy. at my peak fitness times I ran hard effort 20 mile long runs at 6:00 pace, a 4:16 mile, and ~1:11 1/2 marathons.

now... some weeks are 25 miles and others are 45. Some runs are at 7:45 mile pace and others are hard efforts to stay around 6:00 pace. I run when I want to, when I have the time and based on how I feel. There's very rarely any preconceived plan to execute; I just run because I want to.

I typically alternate run days with cycling days and I enjoy the variation.

Overall, non-competitive running a nicer experience than I thought it would be. I used to worry that I would give up running once I couldn't run well/fast/competitively, but for me it's now good enough to run because of the joy, health benefits, socialization, and exertion.

Yea, I thought I could never stop and couldn't see how people stopped doing it. After injuries every year, especially right at a time when I was coming to form, I just hung them up. Run a big 0 miles a week, but probably in better shape in terms of a lot of aspects (except running over 100 meters) than I ever was running competitively.

dirtacious wrote:

Probably 70-80 miles a week, I currently run anywhere from 85-115 depending where I'm at in training. I'd still run at least 60-80 minutes per day, with 16-18 mile long runs. I probably wouldn't double very often if at all anymore.

For me retired would mean I don't have to pay attention to what time I go to bed, I don't have to run hard workouts if I don't want to, I can drink as many beers as I want whenever I want, I don't have to watch my diet, and I can participate in other physical activities or sports without fear of injury that would impact my training. But for mileage, I wouldn't cut out much if any.

80 miles a week?? Seriously?? That's still a massive commitment of time and energy.

I am 30, ran competitively in college, and now only run when I feel like it, usually about 15-20 miles a week after work to destress. I have to say that after running in college and always stressing to fit running in to my schedule, I enjoy the freedom of just doing what I feel like.

I second the idea of not racing - I only want to race to see how much better I can be, and now that I hardly run any more, its not worth it to me to go out and run 18 min for 5k.

I also enjoy being able to get better at other things - I surf and swim now, and the improvement curve is nice after training so much for minuscule improvements in running (the law of diminishing returns i guess).

I thought I'd always run 70 miles a week, but you find there are actually other things in life.

For me I keep it around 30ish. Sometimes 20 sometimes 40 or 50. But mostly around 30. 5-6 miles a day, 5-6 days a week.

aging anciently wrote:

I am 43, and I have run for 32 years...I still comptete a few times a year, but not seriously very much (although I ran a low-16 for 5k recently after ramping it up again). The fact is I simply keep myself in decent shape parts of the year --25-30 miles/ wk with weights (this is key to overall health). I find running 3 days a week HARDER than 5 or 6 with low mileage. I run every morning before work and when the kids get up. This allows me to fit things in and create a habit. Every time I try to run 3 days a week, I get screwed up and end up missing more days. Try to find an easy routine and stick to it--and if you get enthused to race again, it won't take long to get fit again.

Are your serious? When did you start running? What age?

I'm basically there, and these days find myself running anywhere between about 20 and about 50 miles a week, depending as much if not more on what else is going on than on any upcoming races or anything. I still go out and run for about 1:30 - 2 hours on most Sundays because I honestly do enjoy it. Some weeks, that works out to be more than half of my total miles for the week, other weeks I'll run for anywhere between a half hour and an hour every day.

I am also 30 and started a comeback of sorts after retiring after college. I average about 20-25 miles a week with 3 days of lifting and I'm loving the results. My physique has never felt stronger and been this cut. I like to run 3-4 days a week at 6 miles each time and run the pace that I feel like for the day, 6:30 to 8 minute pace. Been doing this since beggining of year. I have no set goals at the time but don't want to race just to run an 18 minute 5k I will race when I feel ready to race. This is so much less stressful than training tired like I did througout college.

40mpm. Yes. Miles per month.

I retired from competitive running/racing at the age of 42, since the age of 14. My last race was a 20k in Naples, FL in 2003. I knew that was it for me. I couldn't maintain 70-80 mile weeks without breaking down, plus all my PR's were in the rear view mirror. I think my best 10K time as a masters competitor was a mediocre 33:43. The fire wasn't there anymore and I didn't want to be skinny for the rest of my life.

I decided in early 2004, to join a gym and lift weights. Haven't looked back since. Every now and then, I think about jumping in a road race but never do. I don't do anything in life half-assed. I made a decision to never run a race (even just for fun) if I wasn't going to train seriously for it. 9 years later, I'm happy with that decision. All the energy I used put into running, I put into lifting now.

My goals are now breaking PR's in deadlifts, squats, bench presses and barbell rows. 20-30 mins on the elliptical 2x a week or a 20 min run is all the cardio I need.

Some of the out of competition runners in here seem to be running more than the competitive East Africans.

70 or 75 miles a week doesn't sound like a retired runner.

Kenyano wrote:

Some of the out of competition runners in here seem to be running more than the competitive East Africans.

70 or 75 miles a week doesn't sound like a retired runner.

Yeah, I think it's the tire and true way of the runner... "poor mouthing".

"Yeah, I'm pretty much done with real running.. I ONLY run 70 or 80 mpw." (To which you are supposed to reply)

"OMG wow 70 mpw!! That's sooo much more than I could EVER do!"

This ranks right up there with "Im just doing this race as a tempo."

Already doing it. I run once or twice a week, about 20-30 minutes each time. I also swim once a week for about 30 minutes and bike twice a week for 40 minutes. Throw in about 30 minutes of strength training 3 times a week, and I've been able to stay in pretty good shape.

I'm 33 now, weigh as much (~160 lbs) and have only a slightly higher resting heart rate (~50 bpm) as I did in college while running for the team (running 60-80 miles a week back then).

It doesn't take much to stay in shape and look good.

5 days a week, 30-40 minutes a day of mixed activity (I can't imagine summoning the time - nor would want to - to do more than that).

I can jump in the occasional road race and still have fun while watching the fast young guys sprint away from me at the start. Even if I run a few minutes slower now, that runner's high still feels the same when I'm having a relatively good day on the road.

I run when I feel like it. If the weather sucks, nope not running. If I get home from work and just want to lay on the couch, another day off. Other days my run is all I look forward to. No schedule, no plan, no thought put into it at all. It's nice. I end up doing between 15 and 35mpw, and even some track intervals occasionally.

I don't race, except for the turkey trot or when my wife signs us up for one. She uses them as an excuse to go somewhere for mini vacations or to see friends. I could still break my weak 5k pr if I trained, and I get the itch occasionally. But an injury limits me, and even if that weren't the case I'm not sure I am willing to put in the time anymore.

I look my best when I am running 20-25 miles a week and lifting a few days a week. I am usually 10-15lbs heavier than when I am really training and the additional weight looks good. So that is what I would do.