Help needed forming my summer training

Summer of Malmo

Are you running in college? Why not just talk to your coach about this?

Anyways to run those times you’ll need to be running 70-80MPW forsure.

There are a few factors you should have included.

-when did you run your last race?

-Have you taken a break after track season?

-How many MPW were you running on average these last 2 months?

Obviously Start slow and build up the mileage. You’ll need to be at peak mileage by September which gives you 3 months approximately.

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(Week By Week)

In the beginning of build up it’s important to incorporate Hills and Tempo runs as these are factors in developing strength and aerobic capacity that you will need to run your Goals. Training/Hill runs need to be 8 Miles but these next few weeks you can build up to that if you’re not already doing it. Tempo runs should start at 5 miles @ 5:25 Pace or whatever I comfortable for you right now and by September you should be running 8-9 Mile Tempos @ 5:10 Pace. Build your long runs up to 15-16 miles and don’t run them easy I think progression long runs are very good.

Also it’s important to incorporate lifting into your routines just like Galen rupp and Alberto do. You’ll need to be running doubles as well to hit mileage accordingly.

Example of base phase weekly structure-

M- Hills (8Miles)

T- 45 Min Fartlek

W-Training run (8 Miles)

T- 5 Mile Tempo @ 5:25

F- Easy run (8 Miles)

S- 10-12 Mile long run

Within the next few weeks-Month you need to work your way up to a week like that.

As the summer goes by you can change your hill runs to a training run with Hill sprint in the middle of run I.E. ( 4 Miles |8x 150-200m Hill sprints W/ jogging or walking rest back down hill to start of sprint| 4 Miles).

Every 2 or 3 weeks up your tempo 1 mile and try to get pace down.

You will also want to replace fartlek with some form of long intervals. Run the fartlek for first 2 weeks then change to 5x Mile @ 4:50-5:00 with 3 min rest or 400m jog and add repeat every 2 weeks. Once you’ve gotten up to 7-8 X Mile you can start doing K’s 10xK @ 2:55/ 3 W/ 2 Min rest.

Kind of hard to structure out a plan on here but I hope this info can help guide you. Everyone is different and not everybody can handle a high mileage week but like you said if you can get through high mileage high intensity weeks for weeks on end then you will come out a stronger athlete.

Best of luck and hope this helps

Thank you so much for the feedback it is immensely helpful! I currently just switched coaches so I don't have a great way to contact anyone to discuss mileage plans just yet. My last race was my 5k pr but after that, I got injured and took two weeks off, these would be the same two weeks I used as my end of season recovery. This week has been super easy mileage, we're talking 3 - 5 a day with a cross-training day today on the bike just to get the legs moving again.

My official summer training does not start until the 20th so im using all this time to just get "warmed-up"

As for my last 2 months, I was averaging around 50mpw with two hard workout sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays and the occasional race on Saturday.

Where I live there exists no running route without hills so I always hit as much as I can. I have seen just how strong hill work has made me become over the years especially with my finishing kick. Also, according to my previous mileage of around 50 would you say that the outline you gave me is appropriate mileage, anything more would just be a death wish for me.

As I said earlier I want to do as much mileage as possible without risking injury and I know it can be very difficult to judge that as I am the only person that can really make the judgments. But knowing that I have never run over 60mpw tells me 80mpw makes a really good goal for me personally. I just feel like I hear about other teams who have guys thrown into 100mpw and for some, they gain an absurd amount of fitness.

Yes I think you can handle it just build up to it like I said. I’d say the 20th try to be running the first weekly structure I gave. I don’t think at your age you need to be running 100MPW.. I’m guessing you’re starting sophomore year of college, if you want to eventually build up to that by senior year I think it’s do able just work up to it over the next couple years 70-80 this year 80-90 next year and 90-100 senior year.. one thing that I’ve learned over the years is that using a sauna a few times a week can help with recovery a lot and help with injury prone athletes. Running 80MPW isn’t easy by any means and if you feel like you need to take it easy for a week you can always dial back and run a lower Mileage week depending on where you are in the training block.

And when I say try to be running the first structured week by the 20th you don’t need to be hitting that exact mileage.. runs can be shorter just work your way up to 8 mile training runs and 10-12 mile long runs. The most important thing is don’t rush anything. If you feel like you’re not ready to jump into a 50MPW by the 20th don’t do it take until mid June if you have to. Nothing would be worse then getting injured and missing the whole summer

You say you're injury prone, so don't be doing any workouts. Just run mileage and build a huge base. 80 miles seems a bit high for an injury-prone person who has consistently hit 50 miles per week. 70 seems like a good number for you to hit by mid august when you get back to practice.

More mileage is almost always the key to success. Pushing hard in the summer and working out at least 3 times a week will help tremendously too. Even if you've only done 60 before, getting to 90 won't be that tolling on your body if you do it the right way. You could also listen to the plan your coach provides, and not rely on what a bunch of lazy hobby joggers on letsrun say.

Do strength work like single leg squats, planks, etc... to prevent injury and improve form when you’re tired.

Sounds you understand about focusing on tempos/strides and building mileage slowly over the summer. Everyone is different with that so progress by feel.

When the fall comes don’t become a workout warrior or even race hard until October. Use the early season to continue to build mileage. This can only be done if there’s not too much intensity. He only races that matter anyway are in late October and November so approach it that way.

How long of a break would you recommend post-track season before the summer base phase? Is 7-10 days sufficient? More/less? Also would you recommend any sort of cross training during this break period or just complete rest? I’m a high school senior preparing for my first year of running cross country in college this fall. I just started my break and I’m not sure if I should be cross training or not? During the track season I ran 50 mpw and this summer I wanna get up to 70 mpw.

I would highly recommend taking 2 weeks off but no more. During these two weeks do not cross train either, really let your body relax. The only thing you should be doing during these two weeks is getting good sleep, eating well, drinking plenty of water and rolling/stretching and minor strength work for hips, ankles, and any other body part that you feel is weak and prone to injury.

Relax and get yourself in the mental position to run hard all summer long!

So no cross training? I was planning on only taking 10 days off but I have been cross training. Up to 90 minutes of cycling per day a long with a lot of walking my dog. If I’m only taking 10 days off would it be better to just to walk my dog and not do the cycling? Am I doing too much cross training for this to be considered a rest period? Also how much fitness will I have lost after 10 days off?

Transfer kid, I swear to god if I find out you weren't biking everyday during your off period I will personally kick you off my team. One good race in the middle of spring don't guarantee you a spot

I think you need to look into why you're injured. Your body could just be fragile, but there could be more to it. You do most of the little things right, but what about the big things? How much intensity do you have in training? How hard and frequent are your hard days? How long and fast are your easy days? Is your 50-55 mpw in singles or doubles? Do you run on trails?

To reduce risk of injury, maybe consider slowing down the easy runs. Maybe less frequent, less intensity, and less volume on hard days. Also, run on soft surfaces as much as possible.

To improve your mileage, I would say just easy mileage and strides until mid-August then start doing one workout a week (a tempo or fartlek) until official practice starts. Just build up gradually to 65-70 mpw by mid-August.