The Overtraining Trap Part 2
By
Woody Green
of
RUNNERS NICHE
"How many miles are you putting in these days?" What a common
question for one runner to pose to another. The answer will probably
come in the form of "miles per week" since that is normal protocol
for talking about mileage. Articles on elite runners often state the
average number of miles they do per week. Running log books are
printed so you can total your mileage every seven days. Training
articles will often give examples in terms of miles a week. You get
the point.
Certainly the miles a week measure is a convenient one. Perhaps too
convenient. The fact is, how many miles are covered in a week is
only one of several factors that should be considered.
Let's take the marathon as an example. Most runners understand
that they will need to put in more weekly miles to run a marathon
than a 5 or 10 K. Weekly mileage is only one factor, though. The most
important factor is how long the longest runs are. Runs around
twenty miles or more are needed to properly prepare for the
marathon. A runner could be putting in a ten mile run every day and
totaling seventy miles per week. This runner will probably not be as
ready for a marathon as someone who was putting in a weekly run
of, say, 20 miles, but who was totaling "only" forty or fifty per week.
Similarly, someone preparing for a 5 K needs to do short, quick runs
and track work to best prepare for that distance. This will mean
lower weekly mileage than marathon or 10 K training. When done
properly, 5 K training is too intense to do high mileage at the same
time.
Several studies on running injuries have indicated that the leading
cause of injury is not speed work, as is commonly thought, but high
mileage. Often, people assume that when their mileage is up, they
must be in better shape. It's the old "if one is good, two must be
better" mentality that we all get stuck by from time to time. Trying
to get a certain number of miles in per week may be the most
common road to overtraining there is.
There is a magical phrase in training lore, it is: "100 mile weeks."
Those athletes putting in 100 mile weeks really get our attention.
These are the really serious guys and gals, the elite. Many people
think if they can just get up to that magical 100 mile level, they can
attain their best possible fitness level.
The truth is that athletes who can sustain 100 mile weeks are freaks.
Genetic freaks, that is. Somehow, they have a body that can take the
punishment of such high volume training. They are like a Timex that
"takes a licking and keeps on ticking." I read recently that Uta Pippig
was putting in 180 miles a week in preparation for Boston. The
absolute fact, however, is that the majority of runners cannot handle
100 mile training weeks. Many try, and many fall to pieces, wishing
to attain that magic number in their training log.
One very good runner I know used to pound out 100 mile weeks. He
was always tired, his muscles were tight, and he didn't race as fast as
he knew he could. Still, he felt sure he HAD to do those 100 mile
weeks. Then, he got lucky. He became so busy at work that he had to
cut his training way back. Now, he is running better than ever. He
feels a lot better, too.
No runner should feel inadequate because they don't sustain a
particular weekly mileage. Everyone responds differently to training.
There are no magic formulas, because each runner needs to find their
own. Some of us are simply going to race better and stay healthier by
running 50 miles a week, or 25. Remember, the most important end
product of your training is your fitness level, not an impressive
training log.
