This is a question for a lot of you coaches out there and some other runners with experience. How do you determine an athlete's optimal weekly mileage? It's obviously very different for everyone, but I'm really trying to figure this out for myself.
I ran 35 mpw on high school with some success, last year as a university frosh, I ran a lot of 60-65 mile weeks, and this year I ran a good amount of 50-55 mile weeks with a few 65-70s in there. I didn't quite have the success that I expected. Plus I am injured right now after a bout of consistent 60 mile weeks for around 8 weeks, although I don't think mileage caused my injury.
How do I determine my optimal mileage? If it's a "low" mileage, how do I stay competitive with guys who are doing 80-90 miles a week and having success?