10 miles more per week, how long does it take your body to adjust?

Hoopla wrote:

When I was doing 40 it was mostly like this:

5-5-6-5-6-5-8

Now doing 50, its like this:

6-7-6-8-7-6-10

or

6-7-6-6-7-6-12

This is my first time running 50 mile weeks. I assume that's different then if you've done 50's before, and you are going back to them.

Not only have you increased your mileage, you also added a long run and you are not recovering.

This summer you are better off running 45mpw and limiting your long run to 10-11 miles (run at least 80 minutes and no more than 90 minutes). Take one day off from running each week, preferably the day after your long run.

Good to see HS kids doing a long run. In the summer I think 45mpw with an 80-90 minutes long run will benefit you more than 55mpw with no long run.

I'm guessing your or your coach are basing your tempo paces off your race PRs. However, in the middle of summer with no speed work your actual PR's would be much slower. Considering this simply slow your tempos down but try to run them progressively.

Given the propensity of LR posters to whine incessantly at the slightest personal affront or physical discomfort, I'd venture a few months as a conservative guesstimate.

Yeah for now I'll try to focus on 'comfortably hard' rather than a specific pace for tempos

I've mostly been doing the 10 mile long runs. I've done the 12 three times, but I really like doing the twelves. There's something epic about it that feels particularly satisfying. The 10's take 82-83 minutes whereas the 12's take more like 100 minutes.

Hoopla wrote:

I've mostly been doing the 10 mile long runs. I've done the 12 three times, but I really like doing the twelves. There's something epic about it that feels particularly satisfying. The 10's take 82-83 minutes whereas the 12's take more like 100 minutes.

Epic. That's awesome. I loved when I was first starting to do long runs. The distances were very exciting.

I'd keep them. You need your training to be fun and exciting. Too much quibbling over the details tends to make it less exciting for me. So if you love those runs, do them.

Thanks for the good thread. These are the kinds of discussions that keep me coming back here.

It takes about 2 years.

Galen Rupp increased his mileage with about 5 mpw per year.

But of course, everything is relative. Maybe you're just way more talented than Rupp.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. I like number's and have a harder time doing things by "feel" .... it's something I'm trying to work on ... but I figure if I'm really enjoying something I should keep doing that unless its obviously harmful.

Hoopla wrote:

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. I like number's and have a harder time doing things by "feel" .... it's something I'm trying to work on ... but I figure if I'm really enjoying something I should keep doing that unless its obviously harmful.

Hilarious. I'm a super analytical type person, too. And the data sometimes drives me to do things in training that might not be ideal. So I'm always talking about going by feel so that I can keep that in my own head. It kind of works.

Great thread and discussion. Lots of good stuff in here. You've received some excellent feedback and suggestions.

Two important points though:

1) Running by feel is on the art side of this, as opposed to the science side. But it has its underlying basis in the science. It can be a challenging and difficult thing to learn, but well worth the effort. Your body will thank you, and will perform at a higher level for a much longer time.

What does that mean in the practical short term? Back off the pace on the tempos, make sure the easy runs actually feel easy, and don't be afraid to leave the watch at home for a week or two.

2) There is an elephant in the room that has only gotten one very brief mention so far. (I'd like to say that surprises me, but it doesn't. After all, this is LR.) Or maybe I should say two elephants.

You said you did an easy 30 mile week immediately after outdoor season ended, and then started your buildup to 50 miles. Does that mean you took no break at all after outdoor season?

And all your schedule variations show you running seven days a week. Meanwhile your body is clearly telling you it's struggling right now.

I'm not trying to be a wise a$$, but listen to your body. It needs more rest/recovery than you have given it.

At the very least, start taking one day per week completely off. This is really important, and will pay big dividends.

If you took no break at all after outdoors, you should consider a mini-break right now of two to three days, followed by shifting into a six days a week running schedule.

Call it running by feel. Call it listening to your body. You can call it whatever you want. But the most important thing to call it is smart.

Good luck!

My coach is into active recovery. He has me take a week or two at the end of each season super easy (lower mileage, no workouts, easy pace), but not off unless I want to. And I had tapered for states so I didn't really want to take a week totally off. Same with the day off every week. He doesn't think it's necessary so he gives us the choice, but he tells us to take that day real easy.

But I hear what you are saying and will talk to my coach about it. I think I'm just experiencing normal stuff from increased mileage. I was just wondering how long it took most people to adjust.