Frequency: How important is it? How many times do you run in a week?

And another thing - sometimes being a slave to mileage or workout or long run goals can hurt you. Often we do runs or mileage that end up taking more out of us than is beneficial.

But a frequency goal can never really hurt you.

off the leash wrote:

But a frequency goal can never really hurt you.

Sure it can.

Wassup wrote:

off the leash wrote:

But a frequency goal can never really hurt you.

Sure it can.

I guess it depends on the person. I have no problems going out and calling 20 minutes a run if I feel like I need to stop.

Doubles really work, they have a ton of benefits - just ask malmo. I started doubling my soph year at only 50 mpw.

I usually run 13 times per week. Start off slow, even an additional 2-3 mile run in addition to your regular run is beneficial.

I also think that it doesn't matter what mileage you are at when you start to double. If you are at lower mileage, it's a good way to make it a little less low.

I was running 11 - 13 times a week when I was in my best shape ever. For general fitness I run 7 days a week in singles but will add doubles when preparing for a marathon. I'm just a little too lazy to double year around.

Decades ago, when Runner's World was still interested in this sort of thing, they ran an article about the effects runs of various lengths were shown to have on endurance. Almost as an aside, the article referred to study done on female British marathoners and predictors of fast times. The study found that the single biggest predictor of performance was the number of runs done by the athlete and that more runs were better.

I have never been able to find the actual study and it was done on a fairly narrow population. I discussed it with Peter Snell once. He seemed surprised and had not known of the study. We thought that what the study might have been measuring was dedication and motivation and how those things affect racing performance, but that was just speculation. However, the study is absolutely consistent with what we know about how most of the best runners on earth train. They run consistently and they run doubles consistently.

Frequency and duration and repeatability.

The one thing too often overlooked in favor of frequency is that you improve your body's blood flow by being more active throughout the day in general. You're less likely to swell up into a giant ball of inflammation if you maintain a comfortably active lifestyle. By running more than 7 times per week you're making it so more times per day your lazy butt does something active and also lessening the burden on every run being as killer of a workout.

Gotta admit, not the kind of frequency thread I was hoping for. Carry on...

hold up wrote:

Gotta admit, not the kind of frequency thread I was hoping for. Carry on...

Haha, sorry about that. Right now I am reading Think and Grow Rich and Napoleon Hill thinks that the most successful, creative and powerful men are the ones that are inspired by a woman they love and they"transmute" their sexuality. I was waiting for some guidelines for how often would be transmutation, but he never says. I would say fewer times than what you run!

I run 7 to 8 times a week, rather poor.

Here are a couple of threads talking about doubles vs singles. Good info.

100 mpw in singles or doubles

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3965743

Science behind doubles.

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=4318634

Great! Thanks for the info!!