What was your most stressful week of training ever (intensity/volume points)?

This really favors doubles. I picked a week of doubles and conservatively scored 215.

This is an interesting way to look at a training week. I need to go all the way back to the late 70s here.

Sunday 28 miles moderately hard (5)

Monday am 10 miles recovery pace (2)

Monday pm 10 miles moderate (3)

Tuesday am 12 miles tempo (7)

Tuesday pm 10 miles recovery (2)

Wednesday am 10 miles near zero effort (1)

Wednesday pm 10 miles hills (moderately hard)(5)

Thursday am 2 mile warmup, 15x1000 (8.5) 2 mile cool down

Thursday pm 10 miles recovery (2)

Friday am 10 miles zero effort (1)

Friday pm 10 miles moderate (4)

Saturday am 2 mile warm up, hilly 10k race in 31:23 (8), 2 mile cool down

Saturday pm 10 miles recovery (2)

153 miles on the week. 13 sessionsX5=65

50.5 for the (scores)

Totaled up it was a 268.5 week.

Might not be my most stressful week. I recorded a 184 mile week and a 186 mile week both that same year, a year that culminated in me cutting my marathon PR from 2:26.xx down to 2:20.xx. And the following year I lowed my PR again down to 2:17.xx. The year after that began a 5 year streak of chronic injuries that sapped whatever remained of my peak years. Never touched 100 miles in a week again, until my 50th birthday.

I wonder about an age graded stress calculation. I was in my 20s when I did all my hardest weeks but the week of my 50th birthday I decided to try for a 100 mile week. I topped out at 102 and they were 102 of the hardest miles I've ever run. I would honestly rate all the runs that week at at least a 7.

Sunday am: 15 miles (9) First run longer than 10 miles in 5 years

Monday am: 7 miles (7) Legs were jello

Monday pm: 7 miles (9) Death march

Tuesday am: 7 miles(9) Same story

Tuesday pm: 7 miles(9)

Wednesday am: 7 miles (9)

Wednesday pm: 7 miles (9)

Thursday am: 8 miles (9)

Thursday pm: 7 miles (9)

Friday am: 7 miles(9)

Friday pm: 8 miles (9)

Saturday am: 8 miles (9)

Saturday pm: 7 miles (9)

102+115+65=282

I guess the formula does take age grading into account afterall! Anyway, it's getting late here so I should be off to bed, but I'm going to look through my logs from my two biggest training years tomorrow and see if I can dig up a 300 point week. Goodnight folks.

Nearly every run was a 9 that week?

9 is almost 10.

10 is your toughest race ever where you set your new PR, then after you vomit and collapse on the infield your coach tells you "Alright now you are anchoring the 4x400 in 10minutes".

intense weaks wrote:

Nearly every run was a 9 that week?

9 is almost 10.

10 is your toughest race ever where you set your new PR, then after you vomit and collapse on the infield your coach tells you "Alright now you are anchoring the 4x400 in 10minutes".

I was 50 years old and had not approached that mileage in 20+ years. In fact I hadn't approached even 50 miles in at least half a decade at that time. So yes, every run was memorably hard. Obviously a week like that would not have been hard had I done it in my early or mid-20s. It was brutal at 50. Almost regrettably brutal.

My system is simpler:

1-easy/recovery

2-easy training

3-hard training

4-racing effort

Racing effort every day= 28 pts

Hard training every day = 21 pts

My hardest week was 22 pts. 121 miles with track workouts (800/1500 racing). I was 44. Got a decent 5000 in poor conditions, but allergies shut me down thereafter. Typical week is 12-15. Mid-40s Prs of 2:06/4:21/16:36

160, eh

I disagree about more points for more sessions, doubling makes it easier to achieve more miles IMO, 70 miles over 7 runs burned me out super quick but 70 over 9 runs is super sustainable

Oh I guess if you take my two strength days into account it's a fabulous 164. Still lame.

164? weak.

I was a fairly low mileage runner in college, but one summer I was doing higher (for me) mileage averaging 80-90 miles a week. I did all of my running at sub 6 minute pace, usually around 5:45 pace.

The last week of the summer I ran a 124 mile week, with doubles each day except the last day, so 13 total runs. The effort level I gave was a 6 for each run since each run was fairly hard.

Total = 267.

My second highest mileage week of my life was 91. I was wiped out for a week after the 124 mile week.

Bump

How are things now?

Monday: AM 8 miles easy (3); PM 5 miles easy (3)

Tuesday: 17 miles avg. 5:50/mile (8)

Wednesday: 8 miles easy (3); PM 8 miles easy (3)

Thursday: AM 11.5 miles w/6 miles at MP (5) PM 3.5 easy (2)

Friday: AM 9.5 easy (4) PM: 6 miles easy (3)

Saturday: 8.5 moderate (4) PM 6 easy (3)

Sunday: AM 10.5 miles with 4 mile tempo (7); PM 6.5 easy (3)

Part 1: 109 miles

Part 2: 51 quality points

Part 3: 13 sessions x 5 = 65 session points

Total: 225

Prior to this week I was running about 70 miles/week, and afterwards promptly got an overuse injury that bugged me all season.