Speed. Yes, high mileage is sometimes necessary, but track races are won by running QUICKLY. Running 100 miles a week will get you nowhere if it's all slow! I would say that for 1500m, 50 miles per week with plenty of fast running (including race pace work) is enough to run very well. I usually run less than 20 miles per week...

quote:<HR>Originally posted by gurutc:
" Running 100 miles a week will get you nowhere if it's all slow!"

This is so ridiculously and absolutely true.

I trained up to 70-80 MPW last fall for Ultras and never got below a 6:30/mile pace. Back in my younger days, in the previous millenium, I had a solid 4:30 mile.

So I hit the track for six weeks and built up to 2 track days a week, dropping the total weekly mileage back to 45-50, and I am back down to a 4:55 mile. If it works for a 42 yr old 195# **** like me it oughta work for anybody.

So... Yes, there is a Speed Santa, and he lives at the track.

- gurutc<HR>

Well, no kidding. You're not going to get any FASTER if you dont train to get FASTER.

Running miles as base is one of the key factors in becoming the best runner you can be. However, as gurutc seems to think, it is not the whole part of the training process.

You need to lay down that 10-12 weeks of base mileage (whether it be 40 mpw or 100mpw- whatever works for you). Following that you then add a layer (6-8 weeks) of strength work (tempos, fartleks), and then your final layer (2-4 weeks) of speed work (track workouts, final tweaking).

You can not rely on just the mileage to make you a great running. You can't assume because you are running a lot you will just become faster, there is a lot more to it than that.

To answer your question coach: during the summer is a time to just log MILES, quality is not important. When the season starts however, you start brining the quality into the occassion with Tempos and Fartleks. As the season comes to an end, you lower the quantity, tweak the imperfections with track workouts, and prepare to taper.

There has to be a good combination, but at the right times.

quote:<HR>Originally posted by gurutc:
" Running 100 miles a week will get you nowhere if it's all slow!"

This is so ridiculously and absolutely true.

I trained up to 70-80 MPW last fall for Ultras and never got below a 6:30/mile pace. Back in my younger days, in the previous millenium, I had a solid 4:30 mile.

So I hit the track for six weeks and built up to 2 track days a week, dropping the total weekly mileage back to 45-50, and I am back down to a 4:55 mile. If it works for a 42 yr old 195# **** like me it oughta work for anybody.

So... Yes, there is a Speed Santa, and he lives at the track.

- gurutc<HR>

True.

However my distance runner junior last year ran 100+ miles for a month last summer ran his best XC season ever last year and when I trained him winter and spring with speed work he ran a 9:29 3200 meter and a 4:23 1600 meter.

I have spoken to him last week and he is running big miles again this summer I cannot wait to see how much he impoves this his senior year!

One thing I forgot to mention that has relevance here in SC is that school, training, and sports seasons have already started for the year. That explains the reason why I am thinking 'now is the time for speed.' Track work builds the speed on top of strength from distance training.

If you're on summer bread for another month keep logging those miles.

- gurutc

Everything is going to be perfect. You've got a base in. You can't train for speed until you have a base. You are ready to go!

- gurutc

Both. Lean towards quantity first, then transition to emphasizing quality as the key race approaches.

At the beginning of this year, I had a 5K PR of 15:37 and 10K of around 31:45. The 5K had withstood a dozen serious attempts to break it over 3 years, usually on 70-80 mpw. This time I ran 90-110 mpw for 4 months. The 4 weeks leading into my goal 10K were 120, 105, 95 and 103. The only speed was a long tempo every week (6-8 miles) and a track session of mile repeats, 2000m repeats or 3000m repeats. Mile repeats were the shortest in the month before the race, before than it was 800-1000m repeats.

The result? I was an aerobic beast. I nearly tied my 5K PR in the first half of the race (15:38) and then closed in 15:18 for 30:57.

I did all the speed I could handle in college but it never got me anywhere (34:18) because I didn't do half the volume I do now.