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Click to view IrishSailsman's profile Legend 223 posts since
Nov 18, 2007

Nov 24, 2007 6:33 PM

What does a 100 mile training week look like?

I am building up my mileage in training for the Leadville 100.

The programs I see all give basic blocks such as "Oct-April increase to 75-85 miles"

The plans are great in terms of what I should be doing with nutrition and weight training etc. But very basic in how to structure the days. The periods do indicate splitting the miles into multiple daily workouts.

Does any have any examples of a 100 mile week (or other high mileage week) that I can use as a template, or at least to give me an idea of what other are doing.

Thanks.
David
Click to view Southern Man's profile Legend 757 posts since
Apr 19, 2006
1. Nov 24, 2007 8:14 PM in response to: IrishSailsman
Most ultra programs I see stress back to back long runs on the weekend. You might run 30 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday. For shorter races you obviously would not do that.

Southern Man


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We're on a road to nowhere. Come on along.
Click to view Kevin E. Stroud's profile Legend 512 posts since
Oct 27, 2007
2. Nov 24, 2007 8:50 PM in response to: IrishSailsman
IS-

I think you're asking about a training week for running a 100-miler, as opposed to running a 100 miles in a week during training, right?

If the first case: I'm "front of the mid-pack" ultra-runner (finished in the top 10% of the Arkansas Traveller 100-miler last month) and my training weeks peak at about 60mpw (when I have a 35 to 40 mile training run) - but then the very next week is a cutback week. When training for ultras the weeks aren't nearly as "similar" as when training for marathons and shorter distances. Let me know if this is what you're looking for and I'll share what I do.

If the second case: Then I have no idea, as the only weeks I've ever run 100 miles in are when I'm running a 100 mile race!

kestrou
Click to view mopak's profile Expert 58 posts since
Jan 28, 2005
4. Nov 24, 2007 11:50 PM in response to: IrishSailsman
Sun -35kms hilly trails, 2h.30m
Mon-am. 10kms easy, 43m
pm. 16kms easy, 68m
Tue- am.10kms easy, 42m
pm. 3kms easy,13m -4kms solid, 15m.- 4km hill circuit,
15m -5kms easy, 21m. - total 16kms, 64m
Wed- pm. 25kms running home 100m.
Thu- am. 10kms easy 44m.
pm. 5kms easy 20m -10x100m with 100m recoveries -
8x200m 33-34s with 100m floats 26-27s,
5kms easy 22m.
Fri- pm.10kms hilly trails 39m.
Sat -pm. 5km easy 25m, 6x100m relaxed. 5km race 16m. 2km slow jog.
Guest
5. Dec 26, 2007 7:53 AM in response to: IrishSailsman
I guess this is a good place for this...how does one begin to work doubles into a training program and how should the various distances be split up

IrishSailsman...do u live at altitude as the leadville 100 is between 9,000 and 12000 feet and that can make a huge difference, just from doing a few training runs on PP to see what the ascent will be like the difference of just a couple thousand feet is quite large

http://This message has been edited by L Master (edited Nov-25-2007).
Click to view rengle's profile Pro 94 posts since
Dec 14, 2007
6. Nov 25, 2007 10:04 AM in response to: IrishSailsman
The thing about high mileage weeks for "normal" people, i.e. those who make their livings doing something other than running, is that you want to make it fit into your life. For that reason you can't just say "do this on Monday, that on Tuesday, the other thing on Wednesday."
There are people who run 100 mpw on one run a day. I've done many of those. There was a stretch of time when I was substitute teaching in the day and driving a cab in the evenings. I had about three hours between jobs so I'd do all the runs in that stretch of time. I'd try to get long runs in on Saturdays and Sundays, say a 15 mile run on Saturday and an 18-20 on Sunday and usually I'd get a midweek 15-17 mile run in. That left me with about 12 miles to do on the other four days. Sometimes I'd do second runs on one of the weekend days. I'd add a 5-7 mile run to the Saturday 15 when I did this as a rule.
At other times, when I had a regular teaching job and was only doing that I'd get a main run of 10-15 miles in after work and a second run, usually 4-7 miles, at some other time. Sometimes I'd do it before school but I was never much of a morning person, so often I'd do that run shortly before bed, say at 8-9 pm. The weekends pretty much were the same as I described in the other example.
Then there was a stretch of time when I had the traditional 9-5 job with an hour for lunch and I'd do a couple of 6-8 mile runs most days with one happening at lunchtime and the other after work and again, the longer runs were there at the weekend though in that last example I think I kept to the two 6-8 mile runs one day and did a 15-20 mile run on the other weekend day.
A lot of the time that worked out to more than 100 mpw. It's not that hard to do but the key is figuring out how to make it work or you. The "magic" is in covering the distance itself rather than how it's arranged.
Click to view AKTrail's profile Legend 360 posts since
Dec 14, 2007
7. Dec 26, 2007 7:53 AM in response to: IrishSailsman
Some links you might find useful, if you hadn't already come across them (some stuff besides training in there, just read through):

Matt Carpenter's LT100 record, including training
http://www.skyrunner.com/story/2005lt100.htm[/URL" target="_blank">
(may also want to read his 2004 report linked to in there)

Anton Krupicka's blog - won LT100 last 2 years, but his blog just appears to have started in Oct 2007 so may not be much information just yet.
http://www.antonkrupicka.blogspot.com/[/URL" target="_blank">

Scott Jurek interviews, with some training
http://www.eliterunning.com/features/54/[/URL" target="_blank">
http://enduranceplanet.com/2005december.htm[/URL" target="_blank">
I also heard a 20-min interview with him recently - on some website, but don't remember which - with some training information not in these two links.
Added: Here 'tis
http://www.enduranceplanet.com/2007july.htm[/URL" target="_blank">
Training starts at 6 min.

All three of these runners have had good interviews / articles in either UltraRunning or TrailRunner in the last couple years. (I believe Matt's article is the one on his website.) They usually included training - or at least the general aspects. I think Tim Twietemeyer had an interview in UR in that same time frame.


One reason you probably aren't seeing schedules is most ultra and trail running has more to do with specificity of the race course than with total mileage - and a lot of emphasis on hills. Long runs with 10,000ft of hills. Some people do back-to-backs, some do one long run, some do a mix. Matt Carpenter generally ran 2 hrs/day, iirc, breaking it into 2 runs on the speed days (he was also training to win US 10k trail championship at same time), and rarely ran over 2 hrs with long runs in the 3-hr range, iirc. (He ran by time and intensity, so not sure if he ever gives a mpw estimate.) Anton Krupicka ran multiple hour runs most days and was getting some ridiculous number of miles in (like 150mpw) (iirc from an article). From informal surveys I've seen, I think many "normal" ultra-runners may run in the 50-80mpw range (some certainly do a lot more and some less), but with lots of hills and trail time.

One reason that many prefer the single long run is that it gets it all done on one day (family time or whatever on other day), but it's more specific to figure out hydration, electrolytes, and fueling as well as what gear works. B2B allows a higher intensity within the run.

Like rengle said, the training has to fit in with life. Some people are lucky enough to live places where there are hills and mountains to run out their back door while others might have to drive an hour or more for suitable terrrain. Some living in FL that run CO ultras do a lot of strength training and other cross-training to be able to handle the hills. But altitude is another issue.

There's more variation on training than there are runners.

Good luck.

(no, I haven't run LT100 nor any 100mi and have very low mileage, but I do read a lot and pay attention to patterns)

http://This message has been edited by AKTrail (edited Nov-26-2007).
Click to view slowgino's profile Pro 88 posts since
Jan 13, 2007
9. Nov 25, 2007 7:32 PM in response to: IrishSailsman
quote:<HR>Originally posted by IrishSailsman:
I am building up my mileage in training for the Leadville 100.
...
Does any have any examples of a 100 mile week (or other high mileage week) that I can use as a template, or at least to give me an idea of what other are doing.
<HR>


I don't think you have to do 100-mile weeks to do a 100 mile run. My brother who has done many ultras (incl Western States a couple times) didn't run 100 mile weeks, he just did a 30-mile run every weekend, including hills and mountain running, etc. in his training.

I had a friend who ran 100+ mpw. He did 2 or 3 20+ milers each week, and in addition ran to work and back (8 mi or so each way) a few days a week.
Click to view ATLrunner's profile Pro 159 posts since
Sep 4, 2007
10. Nov 25, 2007 7:35 PM in response to: IrishSailsman
Check out the training summaries on the competitive wire forum. There's a few guys who do 100+ mile weeks there.
Click to view IceStorm213's profile Legend 354 posts since
Nov 1, 2005
11. Nov 26, 2007 10:06 AM in response to: IrishSailsman
For me it has 14 days.