Anyone run PRs off of just consistent high mileage and no workouts?

I used to run close to my pr pretty much year round, except for when it counted at the end Of the season. I lived in a hilly area and pretty much hammered the hills every day. Didn't do any organized "workouts" but there were always some pretty hard uphill intervals, either multiple hills of 2-5 min in duration or some longer hills that might have taken 20 min to climb. So, nothing was organized, but I was still running intervals and tempo. Ran out of gas at the end of almost every competitive season. So when you say " no workouts" be careful what you wish for.

Yeah, I put in a good few months of consistent mileage and killed my 5k pr

This was all during the off season. During the season it was pretty standard stuff. Most of my best races came in the first 1-2 months of the competitive season

I also consider any run a workout, but I understand what you were seeking. I knew a guy who was a top regional runner and a fringe national guy who because of work and family ran 7-9 miles each day at a decent pace and 3-4 times a week buried the final 2-3 miles of those steady runs. He ran 29:00 give or take :30 on the roads during that period of time.

I ran a 5 mile road race during my summer build up phase once. I was at 60 mpw at that point, on my way to 80-85 mpw. I ran faster than my 8k pr and dipped under 10 min the last two miles. I hadn't done any tempos or speed work to that point. Although, I was known to drop 1-2 runs at 6-6:15 pace a week unplanned.

went from 27:58 to 26:58 at the beginning of xc season. bumped my mileage up to 100mpw while doing a few tempos and progression runs

I remember reading how Tim Broe ran 7:47 indoors off of tempos and roadwork. Nothing else.

Intensity is very overrated. Frequency and duration matter much more.

My half marathon PR of 1:15 came when just doing long runs training for a 50-miler. I've only run 3 half marathons ever though and never really tried in my prime to bust a great one, but still, my PR there fits your criteria.

Its all about progression, adaptation, and how it relates to what you did last week last month or last year. Especially in high school because you will improve faster...you're new to running.

If you just did 10 weeks of nothing but higher mileage and this is more than you did last year guess what will happen? You will get faster.

Too often runners can't see the forest for the trees.

What will separate you from your peers is running when no one else wants to..running longer and/or faster than anyone wants to.

So..just run baby.

Alan

don't be pedantic wrote:

malmo wrote:

I think we all know what I meant. All runs are workouts. My most important workout? 7am Dark, rainy and cold. 5-10 miles easy.

Semantic quibble

We all know what HE meant.

Not if you started running many years ago when "workout" simply meant your run or runs for that day. I was sort of puzzled when my kids started coming home from high school practices saying, "We did a workout today" suggesting that they hadn't done one on the day before.

Anyway, to the OP, intervals never worked for me so I got all my PRs on nothing but steady runs. I can't say all the running was easy but it was never brutal unless maybe the weather or something made it hard. But I raced more than most people seem to now and found that the races sharpened me.

"All runs are workouts. My most important workout? 7am Dark, rainy and cold. 5-10 miles easy."

Wiser words were never spoken on this forum. And calling only trackwork/hllls/up-tempo road sessions "workouts" is much more than mere semantics -- it shows a lack of understanding of physiology, and what is required in this sport.

Wow. What a bunch of arrogant crap... For most runners with any experience, they absolutely understand the importance/purpose of every run. Reserving the term 'workout' for hills, tempos and intervals is absolutely a matter of semantics for most runners. It typically comes from other teammates or coaches saying it. Our college team used the term that way and we were/are a successful program that has produced coaches for HS, DI and DII college teams. But I'm sorry... I should be more impressed with your groundbreaking running intelligence. Stop being a stick in the mud by use of pointless critique.

When I first got up to college, my mileage doubled. Within 2 months I took 30 seconds off my 2 mile and 9 seconds off my mile PR, as the coach held track time trials for the XC team near the end of October.

There were some workouts, repeat miles mostly, at faster than XC race pace. Gets you fit, yes it does.

It may sound arrogant to define terms properly, and you are apparently incredibly intelligent and can avoid "semantics", but there is a big problem with distance runners (especially young runners, and those not as sharp as you) thinking that only -- traditionally defined --"workouts" matter. The opposite is actually true: your faster runs will tell you at any given time where your aerobic ability is -- the hallmark of endurance running. Do we need to speak again of the "aerobic house" (or whatever metaphor you use) with regard to the requisites required for the proper development of young runners?

So, "work" is "work", and looking at the 80/20 stuff on LR today, I'd logically (and empirically) say that the "work" done in the 80 part will have a bigger net effect than the 20.

I averaged almost 80 mpw for 10 months, all slow running due to injury, and guess what, I became slower. I got back to where I was after about three months when I started including faster running. I consider that a lost year.

That sounds really cool how you tried to run as much as you could one week before each season. Was most of the mileage for the mileage tops done at very easy pace so you didnt overtrain or get hurt? Do you advise a HS to do this (obviously consistentcy in mileage is best)? Personally I think it woul be a pretty cool idea to do to stay motivated before my XC season and have fun.

ran 2:24 marathon off of a long buildup which consisted of 24 weeks of 100+ mile weeks (20 consecutive) topping out at 4 weeks of 120

when all was said and done I went back and looked at my training and found that I ran less than 40 miles (including a half marathon at marathon goal pace) at or faster than my eventual marathon race pace and only really had two or three planned workouts

not ideal and not what I would like to do just was what I could manage logistically and in a motivational sense at the time

hafta mention a guy who was close to legendary in SoCal in mid 60s to 70s sometime. He was one of the the guys who trained (exclusively) on LSD; thats when there was a mini revolution for that . He ran pretty decent times for that era - 4:16, 9:00, 14:01y and a 2:20 marathon. Ran 100 to 120 mpw @ 8 min or so. He was a pretty good road racer. I think he placed pretty high in one of the Boston mar

BUT - he had trained some standard interval work prior to all that, albiet to slower times. How much the interval stuff factored in to times I don't know - but I would guess ........ some?

There is "some" no doubt about it but I agree with malmo that those 5-10 mi easy days are the best workouts because if you look at races almost always a good portion of it is aerobic and a small amount is aneraobic. Those easy miles help the aerobic capacity more than those intervals do. Sorry if I'm not backing up what you think malmo.