How many of you have done this? I got to thinking today that in all of my 100+ mile weeks (~75 of them or so) I've never done this. Even if you just take the longest run of each day over the course of the week it has never added up to 100. Even my highest week of 142 was done on 13 runs and the best 7 wouldn't add up to 100. It seems like quite the feat to do this.
Highest I ever got was 97 in singles
16.5
14
16 - 14 mile uptempo
12
13
13.5
12
Should have done the next week's long run a day early
The most I've ever done in a given training week of all singles was 132 miles. The first 6 days were 20 mile runs and Sunday was a 12 mile run. It was summer and most of them were slow and miserable.
Arthur Lydiard prescribed 100 mile weeks in singles for me and probably thousands of others in the following formula:
Mon = 10, Tue = 15, Wed = 12, Thr = 18, Fri = 10, Sat = 20, and Sun = 15. I actually performed better on doubles though. I'm certain he would say I was not doing it right :-)
Doubles is better for you. Singles are for lazy marathoners.
I won an NCAA title on 100 mpw in singles.
I have experience putting in 100 mile weeks in singles and putting in 130 miles a week with doubles and single mileage in the 90 range. Below is a snippet of some of my training earlier this year where I was running 100 in singles. I did not find it as effective as running double days. I began to feel stale and between runs was so long I felt like it took me longer to "warm up" at the start of each run. Thus, I don't feel I was getting as effective of workouts. I also was maintaining a higher weight during this time period, I think because I didn't get that boost to my metabolism each morning. If you have the time and can make it happen, doubles seem more beneficial to me. (The reason I didn't run doubles during this period was due to laziness before work.) The wheels fell off shortly after this snippet.
Hope this helps.
Day - type of run - mileage - time - notes
Monday Base 14 92 PM
Tuesday Base 16 108 PM 5.5 wu, 5.1 @6% Grade on TM 33:40, 5.5 cd
Wednesday Base 13 86 PM
Thursday Base 13 74 PM Last 6 in 30:30
Friday Base 13 86 PM
Saturday Base 12 86 PM
Sunday Base 21 132
Total Mileage 102 All Singles
Monday Base 12 81 PM
Tuesday Base 13 92 PM
Wednesday Med LSD 16 110 PM
Thursday Base 13 93 PM Golf Course, Ice Bath
Friday 5 Mile Tempo 18 127 AM 3wu,5mi temp 26:20, 3 cd PM 60 min
Saturday Base 12 79 AM
Sunday Long LSD 22 151 NOON GMNP 90 dirt, 40 asphalt, 20 concrete
Total Mileage 106 Singles=99
Monday Base 12 85 PM Half at GMNP Half
Tuesday 8x1m (4m off) Fartlek 13 85 PM
Wednesday Med "Sunday" Run 16 104 PM
Thursday Base 12 89 PM to GMNP
Friday Base 11 75 PM
Saturday 1 mile race 16 110 AM 2mi so, 30 min wu, 1mi race 4:11 last 800 in 1:58, 60m cd
Sunday Long "Sunday" Run 22 130 43 AM last 3 in 15:20
Total Mileage 102 Singles=100
Monday Base 13 97 45 PM All Dirt GMNP w/ headlamp
Tuesday Base 14 92 40 PM
Wednesday Med LSD 16 114 42 PM
Thursday Base 12 80 42 PM
Friday 5 Mile Tempo 17 111 39 AM 3mi PM 5wu, 5 tempo 26:12,4 cd
Saturday Base 14 134 42 2 Wu 6@6% TM 2 cd,2 faster, 2 cd
Sunday Long LSD 22 152 43 AM
Total Mileage 108 Singles=102
Monday Base 12 81 43 PM
Tuesday Med "Sunday" Run 16 100 39 PM 16.51
Wednesday Base 16 109 44 AM 74 min 11mi PM 35min YMCA
Thursday Base 14 87 42 PM
Friday 8x90on 210off Fartlek 13 86 41 PM Forest Park
Saturday Base 13 86 38 AM
Sunday Long "Sunday" Run 22 140 39 AM Hill Road 14mi dirt
Total Mileage 106 Singles=101
Monday Base 15 101 44 AM 35 min OR PM Late
Tuesday Base 13 93 44 PM
Wednesday Med LSD 16 115 41 PM 16.51
Thursday Base 10 86 44 PM
Friday Base 11 79 43 PM
Saturday 5 mile tempo 15 95 40 AM 5wu 5 tempo 24:36, 5cd
Sunday Long LSD 21 150 43 AM
Total Mileage 101 Singles=96
Monday Base 13 91 43 PM
Tuesday 8x2min 3rest Fartlek 13 86 41 PM
Wednesday Med "Sunday" Run 16 105 43 PM 16.51
Thursday Base 12 90 43 PM
Friday Base 11 75 41 PM Dirt behind house
Saturday 10k Race 15 96 41 AM 2 mi so, 4 mi wu, 10k 30:56, 3 mi cd
Sunday Long "Sunday" Run 21 141 43 Noon
Total Mileage 101 Singles = 99
Monday Base 13 86 44 Aqua-4 loop
Tuesday Base 13 86 42
Wednesday 5x1600@4:45,3min r 13 80 40
Thursday Base 13 85 42
Friday Base 12 82 42 Aqua-4 loop, HOT
Saturday 7 Mile Tempo 15 95 41 4 x 1.75 loop 7 Mile Tempo 35:37
Sunday Long LSD Run 22 147 44
Total Mileage 101 Singles=101
Monday Base 13 83 42
Tuesday Base 13 85 40
Wednesday 8-12x800@2:18 90s r 16 100 40 AM 4 mi PM 9 x 800 2:20,17,18,18,20,20,18,17,17
Thursday Base 13 82 43 loop plus addon
Friday Base 11 74 41 recovery 6 good strides
Saturday Base 15 97 41 10k 31:01 300 for win 4 wu w/ 2 6 min miles
Sunday Long "Sunday" Run 20 126 43
Total Mileage 101 Singles=95
I've gone to 120 on singles a few times more to see what it was like than for any other reason. I wouldn't recommend it. I've also had many weeks at 100 or so on singles, I'd still recommend doubles on at least a few days, and when I was doing 130-150 I generally had about 100 miles in the main sessions.
I can't say I've ever done 100 miles with singles. But I've done 140 multiple times on doubles. And 200 miles with triples.
Some pretty convincing research was done, decades back (it was already old news when I was in PE school in the '80s), which established that double sessions were more productive than singles. (Interestingly, there was no statistically-significant benefit to triples.)
From his early books, I note that Lydiard was assuming his athletes would do other running during the course of the day--AL only counted the mileage of the main session.
OTOH: from *his* articles/interviews, I know that when Snell was running 100-mile weeks he counted every running step in that total!--and was generally running twice a day, at least on weekdays.
You ready for your ultra, Ian? Good luck!
doctordrew wrote:
You ready for your ultra, Ian? Good luck!
The trail is very technical, and I'm not a trail runner. But besides that.. I'm as ready as I can be. Thanks!
Yeah. Good luck.
90 in singles didn't seem a big deal to me (my highest), I'm regularly at 85 (in base) on singles though, so I just bumped 3 of my runs up a bit for the sake of getting 90. I can't imagine 100 being that much different.
I think it comes down to preference. I don't like (nor do I care to make the time for) doubles. Plus the math works for me. A long run of 18, plus two workouts that amount to 12 or so each, and an additional 'secondary' long run at about 13 doesn't leave much room for doubling (only 30 miles to cover in the remaining 3 days). Not worth going two fives on those days when I can do an easy 10 and feel great.
Clam Evans wrote:
Highest I ever got was 97 in singles
16.5
14
16 - 14 mile uptempo
12
13
13.5
12
Should have done the next week's long run a day early
This would be much easier if you did it properly and did a way longer 2 long days in the week and cut down the rest to 10 or below
I hit 100mpw for the first time in June and ran 10-14-16-14-14-20-12 in singles. I did 2 hard workouts, a long run, and 4 easy days.
Yeah, it's not super hard. Just takes time. You'll get used to it. Make sure you do some speed maintenance once or twice a week. I wish I had done more of that. I could run 2:32 for a marathon, but couldn't break 5:20 pace for a 10k.
agreed, those long slow runs day in and day out can really kill your legs. I liked doubling a lot better because I could do 8-11mi in the morning, then 4-5mi in the evening and tack on some strides.
I actually just did this 2 weeks ago. mileage went: 12-14x5-18. it had been a goal / feat of mine i wanted to do since i did 95 in singles a few years ago. was pretty tough but once you try to mentally get used to making 14 your normal run, it's not that bad. i logged it on r2w
ian edwards wrote:
doctordrew wrote:You ready for your ultra, Ian? Good luck!
The trail is very technical, and I'm not a trail runner. But besides that.. I'm as ready as I can be. Thanks!
Did you ever figure out the leg thing?