100 mpw: How? Should I try?

Someone Special wrote:

I am currently following Pfitz's 50-70 mpw program for my first marathon. My highest ever mileage was 60 mpw (just before starting the program). I am not your typical marathon newbie because I have been running somewhat higher mileage for a couple of years (so not like I'm bumping from 30 to 70 this year).

I am vaguely considering trying to bump to 100 in three weeks (just before next recovery week . . . when long run will be 20 mpw). I cannot survive without one rest day. So, I have a few questions:

(1) Could anyone give me a sample schedule that includes a long run of 20 mpw (and one rest day) that totals 100 mpw?

(2) Is this a bad idea for me at this stage of my training? Is it likely to cause injury or overtraining and wreck my marathon training or will it help me?

Thanks for any replies.

70 to 100 in 3 weeks might be a little quick considering you've been between 50 and 70 for a while I'm assuming, and your body is used to it. If you were willing to give up the rest day for one week, the 100 mile week would be the one to do it. I recently went from 75 to 100 in 5 weeks, and it went: sun-15, mon-14, tues-14, wed-17, thur-14, fri-12, sat-14. Do you do any doubles during your week, or is it all singles?

You didn't say when your marathon was but let's assume you have a couple of months.

You want more mileage, fine, but no need to go overboard. Bump it to 80-95 first. Hold it there before your first marathon. Be consistent about it. The trick to higher mileage is to be able to do it many weeks in a row. So many people fall in love with the idea of 3-digit mileage that they end up hitting it for one or two weeks only to fall back for a couple each time.

Save 100+ for the second one.

For example:

Monday: 12

Tues: AM-6, PM-9 (with 3-5 miles of speed, hills, etc)

Wed: 14 easy

Thu: AM-5, PM: 10 (with some tempo or MP miles)

Fri: 10 easy

Sat: 6 easy + form drills

Sun: 20 (with some MP miles in there)

---------

Total 92 miles

Someone Special wrote: I am currently following Pfitz's 50-70 mpw program for my first marathon. My highest ever mileage was 60 mpw .

I am vaguely considering trying to bump to 100 in three weeks.

Sounds like a monumentally bad idea to me, trying to reach for a number for the sake of reaching for a number, especially over so short a time. If you're on a program and believe in the program, stay focussed and stick to the program. A successful marathon is WAY more important than having a three digit weekly mileage number in your log book, the week leading up to three months of injury-impaired training.

I'm doing singles right now. Thanks to both of you for the replies.

I was hoping to build to 100, then drop back and hopefully recover by continuing with Pfitz's 50-70 mpw, and maybe ocassionally adding 100 mpw back into the plan. I thought the brief jaunt into higher mileage territory might prepare my legs for the event on a more regular basis.

Maybe I should wait until next time. I don't think I'm ready for 100 miles week after week just yet. I feel like I'm at my limit with 50-70, but I've heard others say that ramping to 100 might be a possibility for one week, even if you are accustomed to lower mileage, despite the 10% rule. In the past, I've been a strict adherent of the 10% rule. I thought maybe a break from that routine might be helpful.

I'm doing the Jacksonville, Florida marathon, which is mid-December.

Pete wrote:

Someone Special wrote: I am currently following Pfitz's 50-70 mpw program for my first marathon. My highest ever mileage was 60 mpw .

I am vaguely considering trying to bump to 100 in three weeks.

Sounds like a monumentally bad idea to me, trying to reach for a number for the sake of reaching for a number, especially over so short a time. If you're on a program and believe in the program, stay focussed and stick to the program. A successful marathon is WAY more important than having a three digit weekly mileage number in your log book, the week leading up to three months of injury-impaired training.

Thanks. I've just heard others talk about the value/need of higher mileage. I also read another thread saying that the 10% rule can sometimes be ignored.

I guess my next question would be how long do I need to wait until I can safely progress from 50-70 (my current program, which ends in Dec.) to 90-100. One year? Two years? Talking long term goals here. Thanks.

It really does sound like you are in love with just the number. Sorry if you're not but look at what you just said. You said that if you can't go for 100, you're not going to go any higher. As if there weren't any other options in there.

But there are. Like 80. Or 90. It's just that they don't sound as cool as 100

Do more mileage than 50-70 if you can. Whatever you can maintain for 3 or more weeks in a row.

It wouldn't be bad to take the next 2 months or so (september/october) to gradually build to say 85. And be able to do that for several weeks in a row, then start your decline in miles to get ready for your marathon. After the marathon, build back up to it, hold it for a couple weeks, then make your build to 100. Do you have long term plans for a marathon for after Jacksonville?

What about putting doubles into your schedule now? I mean it doesn't take much to get in 3-4 5 milers easy as extra runs for the day, that's an extra 15-20 miles a week. I would bet it would improve your recovery times after the first week or 2.

I did it for a few weeks on singles with one rest day leading up to Boston this year. The problem for me was not reaching 100 miles, the problem is lack of quality workouts. I can slug out 17-21 miles every day at 80% and get up the next day and do it again, but I just didn't see a lot of improvement either in times or mentally. I am not worrying too much about numbers leading into Chicago, I'm concentrating more on cracking out some good workouts and feeling bouncy.

Oh, I was just using the most popular round number. I would be happy with 80 or 90. I'm really not even sure I could sustain 80-90 for very many weeks without causing problems for myself. I'm just trying to follow the advice I've heard that 100+ should be the ultimate goal and wondering when/whether I might ever reach that goal. I have time to train (self-employed working from home). The only issue is overtraining and/or injury.

I'm not sure what I'll be doing after this marathon. I greatly prefer shorter distances--so I might just use the base to try to improve my 5K time. Or I might shoot for another marathon. Depends on my finishing time in the first marathon. I'm a 34 year old female, by the way.

Thanks for the replies from everyone. I appreciate the different opinions, including those saying that it might not be necessary or optimal right now. I have been faithfully following Pfitz for 5 weeks now (starting week 6). This is a 24 week program. I just thought a few bumps in mileage might be helpful. Maybe that was faulty thinking.

Someone Special wrote: I've just heard others talk about the value/need of higher mileage. I also read another thread saying that the 10% rule can sometimes be ignored.

I agree with both of these things; however, jumping from 60 to 100 in three weeks, for the sake of the number, in my mind, is not a good idea.

I guess my next question would be how long do I need to wait until I can safely progress from 50-70 (my current program, which ends in Dec.) to 90-100. One year? Two years? Talking long term goals here. Thanks.

Is your long term goal to hit 100mpw or to reach a goal time in the marathon?

Everyone is different. Maybe you could run 100 this week and feel no ill effects, or maybe you should take 6 months. If you're determined to break from the program you're on an run 100 mpw, just give it a try and see how the body reacts.

Ive done both(60vs. 110 mpw), and here is my take.

Personally, when i pushed to 110 it was no problem is I was in base training, but if you are 2-3 months out before your marathon i wouldnt push it that high.

I personally found the most important thing was to get my 4 key runs in per week(long run or MP, secondary shorter long run, tempo/threshold run, and interval/hills/2nd threshold run). The milage seemed secondary to those key ingrediants.

If your not in a hurry, build up say 5-10 miles per week, a little more if you add doubles, but do them easy.

If your key race is soon(3 months), try going from 50-60 mpw up to 75-85, but make sure it doesnt affect your key runs during the week.

While my performances have been better off of a good base, after many years i feel milage is a little overrated the last 8-10 weeks versus getting quality fast and pace work in. Thats the meat of your preparation.

In rereading my posts it looks like I'm trying to discourage you, which isn't the intent. I would like to shake you of the need to reach for a mileage number for the sake of hitting that mileage number, but it seems obvious you're trying to do that as a means to improving your running.

So I'll offer myself up as an illustrative example, highlighting some mistakes.

I'm 39, and prior to last year usually ran 30-40 mpw. The marathon buildup for that fall (2002) was the highest I'd done, in the 50-60 range. Earlier that year, I tried to jump from 35 mpw to 70 mpw and earned a month off with knee troubles. After the fall marathon (16 min PR), I hurt myself by starting up too hard and too quick, and spent the next two months struggling to get better.

Last year I built slowly from 50 mpw in January to hit 100 twice in mid-summer, with no real rhyme or reason to the way I was running the mileage. I was in the 50-70 range from mid-April to end May, and then eased up to hit 102 in mid-July and 100 again in August. The higher mileage made me faster at all distances from 5 k to HM, but I bonked (again) in the marathon and only shaved 6 s off the previous year on the same course.

This year's buildup is much more methodical. I built a good aerobic base from January to March, averaging 60-80, then eased back a little and shifted the focus to shorter interval work (1000s to 2000s) at 50-70 mpw combined with some races, and now I've shifted back to mostly aerobic work and higher mileage, with the intent of shaving some more minutes off a fall marathon. I've been to 93 mpw so far, but that was more by accident than design (well, not really so much by accident, as I did the sessions I had planned, but it was built around specific work sessions and daily running time, rather than mileage).

So far (knock on my wooden head) no injuries this year, and I'm confident I will shave a few more minutes, barring injury or lousy weather.

The points I'm trying to make are: reaching for a weekly mileage number for the sake of the number is more likely to lead to injury than desired results; and, the way you train in the weekly total is more important than the total itself.

Phew, I'd better get out for a run now. Good luck.

I was a chronically injured runner for the last 4 years. This summer, I began attempting another mileage buldup for the Fall XC season. I started off at 40ish per week. I was doing drills and some other things, and felt like I was getting hurt again, so I said screw it; dropped the drills, and started running slower. I went from 44, to 70, to 87, to 106. I then took a down week of 75, and then went to 122, 92, 111, 116, and then 141. I had never been close to or over 100 miles per week. Ice, stretch, sleep, proper diet...blah, blah, blah. The same stuff that always get said. I personally have to do a lot of maintenance work to hold up to it, but it is definitely worth it. Be smart about things...run doubles, take the time to do the "extra things," and listen to your body.

I would really have to agree with Pete here. He has been around the block enough to know what he's talking about. Everybody seems to think that if they run 100 mpw, that they'll be hanging with the Kenyan's the second that they get there. The truth is, that you may run 100 mile weeks, and actually run worse because your body can't currently handle the level that you're at.....Or you may find yourself running at an entirly new level.

The trick to running a good marathon is to balance volume with quality. You have to concentrate on what it will take to get you to the level that you want to be at. If you start throwing in extra miles, just for the sake of hitting a number, then you're begging for things to go wrong. There is absolutely no one's opinion, concerning the marathon (for mortals), than Pfitz. His training schedules are extremely well thought out, and effective. I use his information as the bulk of my base for training. That's not to say that everything that he suggests will work for everyone....but it's a good place to start.

i strongly suggest you continue your training as is for now...then after you recover from your fall marathon you can devote your winter to working your way up to 100 mile weeks.

if you are doing this for the first time, don't worry about the way the milage is broken down. the bottome line is you have to average 14-15 miles/day. so you will NEED to double 5-6 days a week in the beginning...4-6 in the AM and 9-11 at night. run very very slow and expect to be very very tired. but have faith, because in time you will adapt. don't worry too much about off days, or hard/easy days, etc....don't overthink it. just get your ass out the door and put the miles in...you're going to be very tired for awhile no matter how you break it down, so there's no sense being a pussy about whether you should do 13 today and 15 tomorrow, or 10 and 17, etc. etc. ...

last winter i pushed it to 100-105/week, after being a 30-60mpw guy for my whole career. i have kept it up through the summer and am being rewarded handsomely. it was very easy to attain the milage but adding quality was very difficult. that took many months. but i am at a whole new level of fitness and it was a very worthwhile investment.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Good to hear how differently people handled significant mileage climbs. I am going to re-read the thread more carefully to try and digest/decipher everyone's different advice.

I definitely heard the need to eventually be able to get in quality workouts. I'm leaning toward thinking 80-100 is probably too ambitious for me right now. But your advice will be helpful when I reach that goal.

Thanks again!

You can do it. But it will be hard. I would say do a hundred next week in doubles. Then see how your body hold up to the stress. The next week I would back off to at least 70 miles. Do that cycle for 6 weeks and then do two weeks at 100 and then 70 for another 6 weeks.

Thanks for the encouragement and advice!

Could I be good? wrote:

You can do it. But it will be hard. I would say do a hundred next week in doubles. Then see how your body hold up to the stress. The next week I would back off to at least 70 miles. Do that cycle for 6 weeks and then do two weeks at 100 and then 70 for another 6 weeks.