Ultra Runners

1

Pls share some stories... How long did it take you to go from "0" to "Near Max" on mileage? (Read 82 times)

    How long was your progression from when you first started running to when you were able to hit near-max mileage in 24-hour races or near best times in 100 mile races?

     

    Personally I feel that I am somewhere in the middleground of this progression, going from "3 miles a year" about 3 years ago, to "25 MPW" average, 'till 6 months ago, to "40+ MPW" average 3 months ago, to 75+ miles achieved in a 24-hour last weekend.

     

    I would love to hear some personal stories on how long did it took you to go from "0" to "Near Max" on mileage!

    .

    The Plan '15 →   ///    "Run Hard, Live Easy."   ∞

    Purdey


    Self anointed title

      I'll let you know when I get to "near max".

       

       


      Kalsarikännit

        I'll let you know when I get to "near max".

         

        +1

        I want to do it because I want to do it.  -Amelia Earhart

         

          I'll let you know when I get to "near max".

           

          -- I like that answer. Big grin

           

          To modify the question for those still progressing in their levels of achievement, how far has it taken you to go from "0" to where you currently are in time/distance + what do you consider your best performance to date?  (Reading what others have done + continue to do is quite motivational for me personally as to what is possible.)

          The Plan '15 →   ///    "Run Hard, Live Easy."   ∞


          Uh oh... now what?

             

            -- I like that answer. Big grin

             

            To modify the question for those still progressing in their levels of achievement, how far has it taken you to go from "0" to where you currently are in time/distance + what do you consider your best performance to date?  (Reading what others have done + continue to do is quite motivational for me personally as to what is possible.)

            By carefully adjusting my goals I have continued to progress in my levels of achievement.  Next month I hope to stay awake and ambulatory for all twelve hours at the Watershed 12-hour (not its real name but I know I sent them a check).

             

            Congratulations on the 75 miles, oops, says 76.25 miles.

             

            rgot

            bhearn


              I'll let you know when I get to "near max".

              +1

               

              Seriously, the question assumes the goal when one starts running is to keep increasing run mileage as long as possible, which I don't think is how most of us started.

               

              Personally, I've been running since 2004, ultras since 2008, first hundred in 2011, but I won't max out at least until I try 24hr.

              TeaOlive


              old woman w/hobby

                I'd like to think that I'm no where near my max!

                 

                Started running a bit in 02 when I quit smoking and just keep kept plugging away

                from there.  I ran my first ultra last March so...I'm hoping for much improvement yetSmile

                 

                mta:  Initially, for quite a few years, I was only trying to keep the pounds at bay while

                        getting over the cigarettes.  Then I realized that even at my advanced age I could

                        actually enter races and so on.

                steph  

                 

                 

                DoppleBock


                  Max Mileage?

                   

                  2010 - I had been injured for December and January, I started to fight and run even with the injury.  I hit 238 in January, February I hit 612, March 938 and then started a taper, so April I only hit 762.

                   

                  I ran 3 times a day.

                   

                  You can only have one master - Either you care about mileage or speed.  If you care about speed, you make sure that you recover enough for your next speed workout and it is OK if mileage suffers.  If you care about mileage, you pound the mileage and still might try speed, but many, many runs you will fail at speed work outs, because you will not be recovered enough.

                   

                  I would run 18-22 miles on my easy days (6/6/6 or a bit more)  I would run 30-50 miles on my hard days (6/6/20-40).  I was always dead legged.  Depending on your mechanics and where your body's weak areas are, running a lot of slow miles may be less likely to injure than cranking on speed work.

                   

                  I would never do it again.

                   

                  There are 2 schools of thought:

                  1)  Do speed and then work in more and more mileage.

                  or

                  2)  Work up mileage higher and higher and then add speed.

                   

                  Since I am usually coming off a period of not running much and being fat - I chose #2.  I run 1-2 months of lots of slow mileage with the occassional speedwork out if I feel good.  This is both base building and "De-Fatting"  I usually need to lose 25-30 pounds during this "De-Fatting" process.  By 2 months I am comfortable running higher slow mileage and then I add consisent speed.

                   

                  Make no mistake ~ 2 hard speed workouts a week are very stressful on the body, 3 hard speedworkouts a week start applying extreme stress.  So someone running 100 miles per week with easy to moderate speed once or twice < someone running 70 miles a week with 3 hard workouts.  It is like me running 100 miles a week on a TM and someone else running then in the mountains of Colorado.

                   

                  My 2 -cents.

                  Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

                   

                   

                  DoppleBock


                    I started running (Jogging) in July 1st 2003

                     

                    2003 1569 (Starting weight 300+ pounds)

                    2004 3858   Marathon 2:56

                    2005 4907  Marathon 2:49

                    2006 4754 Marathon 2:45 /  50 mile 7:50 (2nd OA)

                    2007 3974 (Injury end of 2007 Sept - end of year)

                    2008 4554  50 Mile 7:33 (2nd OA Ice Age) / 24 hour 123 (Injured start of 2008 - Jan and Feb)

                    2009 5303 Marathon 2:48 / 24 hour 147

                    2010 5605 24 hour 154 / marathon 2:59

                    2011 51xx ? sucked stop doing speed work ~ too many ultras marathon 2:55

                    2012  60xx ? sucked not enough speed ~ Marathon 2:56 / 24 hour 128 ~ way too many ultras and marathons

                     

                    2013 - Goal 3500 miles ~ I do not care, except I would like to get my 10th consecutive year with a sub 3 marathon.  If I start caring I may run 1 24 hour race in fall.

                     

                    I have transitioned from the 1st time I ever ran on trails - Glacial 50 mile race in 2006 when I absolutely hated trail running, to loving trail running, but with the closest good trail 1 hour drive (2 hours round trip) I do not get on them near enough.  We are also hill deficient where I live - 1/2 hour drive (hour round trip) to a hill.  This is part of the reason I gravitated to marathons and 24 hour races ~ flat.

                     

                    What I feel my greatest performaces

                     

                    2004 - Marathon - running 2:56 at 232#

                    2006 - Marathon Running 2:47 at Houston - gutting out last 10k with scorced legs - this is where I learned how high a pain level I could endure

                    2006 - Marathon 2:45 ~ Needing a 6:03 and 6:01 last 2 miles to break 2:46 (2:45:58)

                    2006 - 7:50 at 1st ultra - Glacial 50M - Quads gone at 35 miles, but went into animal mode and felt primal

                    2008 - 123 1st FANS 24 - I was dizzy and dehydrated by 6 hours and would run a few minutes until I felt like passing out - Then walk until I could run again - The pure stubborness

                    2009 - 147 FANS 24 - Knees went out at 100 miles ~ felt like a knife in both knees the next 8 hours and 45 minutes

                    2010 - 154 Worlds 24 - Sureal - Last 4 hours, I went into beast mode (Like 2006 glacial) and disassociated from the pain ~ Duing the 4 hours increasing the effort and speed continously, not caring if I died ... I was constanly gowling as I forced down the pain the last hour.

                    2010 - Marathon 2:59 ~ I redlighted since mile 3 and ran a perfect race ~ I had not right to break 3 hours

                     

                    To me performances are great or not by either the effort level or perfection of pacing and effort level.  The race above are the ones I learned from and progressed from to get to my only 2 good 24 hour distances.  But I can only judge how good a race was by knowing what shape I was in and what I think was possible ... Less by comparing it to how I placed.

                    Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

                     

                     

                      Dopple, holy sh1t!  I was impressed with your times in other races, like the 12 hour performance and the 154 mile 24 hour performance, but I had no idea of all the back story to some of  those achievements.

                      Sometimes when you see folks blowing by you in a race for a 125+ mile performance, seems as if they are having an easy time doing it.  But "Knives in the knees" for over 8 hours, wow.

                      And that was the point I quit in the 24 hour, knees were swelling and hurt, but dull pain, not sharp like what you describe.  -- I haven't put myself into anything close to "beast mode" yet in a race.  I just hope when that moment comes, I can endure at least a quarter of the pain you have been able to endure.

                      Also on mileage, you stated: "March 938 and then started a taper, so April I only hit 762."  Simply amazing mileage.  Well, I go on terminal leave (IE.  Not working but still getting a full check) from May 10, all the way through August31.  I think I will try and implement running 2x a day, possibly more if my body will let me ramp it up without breaking down.  Although 938 in a month?  Maybe more like 300-350 would be short term max for me, but if I am not injured I will be pushing the distance late May-August.

                       

                      It was great to read what you have done so far and what those performances are based on.  This is what I was looking for.  I hope that when I am on the brink in a future race and deciding if I am going to throw in the towel or not, I think back to some of what I read here today and push through.

                      .

                      The Plan '15 →   ///    "Run Hard, Live Easy."   ∞

                        I'm not sure that you will be able to draw a max distance correlation from weekly mileage.  There are lots of folks that run 100 mile races on 30-40 MPW but are nowhere near their max performance.  Even max performance may depend on the individual, some people thrive on high mileage and other people break down.  Some of that depends on progression though.  Most folks don't go from 0 MPW to 100 MPW in a year.

                         

                        I don't think there is a silver bullet when it comes to mileage.  DB may have dead legs after running 150-200 MPW but I have dead legs after 90+. I could rearrange my running schedule to allow for better recovery, but by doing it the way I do my wife can do group runs on certain days of the week.  Anyway here are my stats if they provide any value:

                         

                        2005 - averaged 30 MPW peaked at 40 - first marathon was a 3:26 where I walked about 2 miles

                        2007 - averaged 40 MPW and peaked at 60, first qualified for Boston with a 3:10:57

                        2009 - averaged 60 MPW and peaked at 70, first sub 3 with 2:57:07 (PR in 5k, 10k, 1/2, and marathon)

                        2011 - averaged 70 MPW and peaked at 80, first 50 mile Ice Age was 8:10, marathon PR of 2:54:46 (PR in 1/2 marathon too)

                        2012 - averaged 75 MPW and peaked at 100, 50 mile PR of 7:27 (ice Age), marathon was 2:56:30 (only PR this year was 50 mile)

                        2013 - so far averaging 87 MPW Shocked and shooting for a 50 mile of 6:59 (Ice Age) --fingers crossed

                         

                        At least for me as I have increased my weekly mileage my short distance races have suffered.  If they were more important I would probably drop my mileage back down to low 70s.

                        DoppleBock


                          The 3 times I have went to a different place of pain in races I had something the meant more to me than it should have - I know at least one other person around RA that understands ... when you are so focussed on your goal that you think - I can stop if I die and death does not scare you.

                           

                          I am not proud of the statement as I have a family and nothing is more important then them to me ... but those 3 times in the heat of the race, I did not care if I left my kids fatherless.

                           

                          I doubt I will ever return to that place again and hope I do not.

                           

                          .  -- I haven't put myself into anything close to "beast mode" yet in a race.  I just hope when that moment comes, I can endure at least a quarter of the pain you have been able to endure.

                          Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

                           

                           

                          DoppleBock


                            What you see from Flatfooter is the best and most common progression - Build up that takes years, results that progress over years 7-10 years to hit a sweet spot in your racing.

                            Long dead ... But my stench lingers !