Subject: RE: Running mileage standards - what about slower runners?BikerGrrrl - 2011-07-06 10:09 AM Often we talk about needing to do more mileage to improve your run. People will say things like "you need to be running 20 miles per week (or more, just an example) to even start with speed work."
I have also noticed that this sort of advice comes from folks who run much faster than I do.
Added to that, there's a theme of time being more important than distance. To not worry about running a certain number of miles in training because the overall time put in training will show on race day. I certainly agree with that, since my race times are consistently faster than my training times. The magic works.
So, I am wondering, how many miles/week should a person who runs their "easy long run" at an 11 min/mile pace be working toward?
Just so I am clear, I understand that running more will naturally move a person into the category of a faster runner to a degree. Also, I understand I do NOT run a lot and I should (and want to), so no need to analyze my log. I am not looking for an excuse to run less, I am truly curious if my goals should be the same as a person who runs a mile 3 or more mins faster than me.
I would be curious to hear from folks who are running 20 or more miles/week who are slow (let's say 58 min 10k or slower). Or, from a coach who someone who trains someone in that pace range. Is it reasonable for me to have the same mileage goals as a runner who is much faster?
I would pick one or the other. I'm personally a distance guy for many of the reasons that others have posted. Time works great for a lot of people as well. I think in your case though you have to be careful not to cross back and forth between the two. If your distance volume is relatively small because you are a 'slower' runner and train on time, then (as an example) head to the track and do a speed workout based on distance (say, repeat 800's), you are doing more speed work than your faster counterparts as a percentage of you total volume. That is a textbook example on how to get injured. Ultimately, if you are trying to figure out the long run or the hard run, you need to look at your goal and back up from there. If you are shooting for a half mary, then you need to stair step yourself up to that distance over time. That might mean a 55 minute long run now (or a 5 mile run if you go by distance) and a 2 hr long run in 3 months (or 11 miles if you go by distance). The beautiful thing about distance is that the time spent training will shrink as you get better. |