Forums >Running 101>Why does weekly mileage matter so much?
Sure there are lots of resources out there that say you should run alot if you want to improve. They don't necessarily do a good job of explaining why. To me this is very counterintuitive when compared to other sports so its far from obvious. Running seems to be the only athletic activity that you actually get better by doing alot of it at a low intensity without really challenging yourself physically. In weightlifting, if you aren't pushing yourself by lifting enough to make your muscles fatigued, then you are essentially wasting your time. In tennis, if you just play alot without challenging yourself and working on your weaker components of your game, then you will stagnate as well. So I came into running with the mindset that intensity matters, but apparently thats not the case.
Sure there are lots of resources out there that say you should run alot if you want to improve. They don't necessarily do a good job of explaining why.
To me this is very counterintuitive when compared to other sports so its far from obvious. Running seems to be the only athletic activity that you actually get better by doing alot of it at a low intensity without really challenging yourself physically. In weightlifting, if you aren't pushing yourself by lifting enough to make your muscles fatigued, then you are essentially wasting your time. In tennis, if you just play alot without challenging yourself and working on your weaker components of your game, then you will stagnate as well. So I came into running with the mindset that intensity matters, but apparently thats not the case.
Actually all endurance sports work that way and in fact there is a lot of information out there that explains why--I'm just saying that I don't find much need for the why. The fact that running lots of base mileage has worked for every successful distance runner in history is good enough for me.
And, do you think comparing distance running to sports like tennis and weight lifting is more intuitive? Really?
Okay I see we're back to square one and I kind of get now why really reasonable people like srlopez managed to get worked up.
So I guess the only thing to say is: have a nice day.
Runners run
Hail to The Victors!
where did you get the idea that you don't ever need to push yourself?
I don't know that running lots of relaxed miles (punctuated by a few harder workouts) is best described as 'easy'. It involves pushing yourself in ways that I'm thinking you wouldn't even guess at.
Weightlifting is 100% anaerobic and developing or having a good aerobic system does nothing for your performance.
Tennis has a combination of both aerobic and anaerobic. If your game and skill are strong, but lack the endurance it takes to compete for three hours, you're gonna lose. Distance running is similar to tennis in that it takes both to succeed. The longer the distance, the more developed your aerobic system needs to be, thats where the easy miles comes into play.
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
2014 Goals:
Stay healthy
Enjoy life
Feeling the growl again
I mean, really? Even after I wrote you off I took the time to explain this very issue to you in great detail, and you still act as though you didn't even read it. I'm done. You're either a true troll or too clueless to learn what you need to to reach your goals.
You can lead a horse to water, but sometimes you really just want to ship them off to the glue factory instead and save the water for a horse that will appreciate it.
MTA: Going back and deleting all your posts then continuing to post on the thread afterwards. I think this tells us all we need to know about you.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
The King of Beasts
Classic.
"As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin' man I have chalked up many a mile. Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks, And I've learned much from both of their styles." ~ Jimmy Buffett
"I don't see much sense in that," said Rabbit. "No," said Pooh humbly, "there isn't. But there was going to be when I began it. It's just that something happened to it along the way."”
Perhaps it is viewed as easy for someone that thinks you need to run hard every time you workout.
I've got a fever...
No, no, there is no why. Nothing more will we teach you today. Clear your mind of questions.
On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.
Mine's already cleared of answers. If I were to do this there will be nothing left.
Thanks for the info. I got some helpful info from a few others, unfortunately had to filter through alot of nonsense along the way.
Excuse me; I wasn't kidding. My sister's name really is Nancy.
"If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus
Fancy that! I have a sister named Nancy too. And, Brenda, and Sandra, and Cheryl.
In real life, my stepbrother is named Steve Ray. Really really.
(Ray is his last name)
In real life, my stepbrother is named Steve Ray. Really really. (Ray is his last name)
That's pretty cool, but tell me this, what was his first iTunes purchase?
Prince of Fatness
Not at it at all.
A Saucy Wench
This is a true statement if I ever read one. I mean there are lots of yahoos on this board who might get worked up for the fun of getting worked up (and you know who you are) , but not srlopez.
Truthfully, if he called me an idiot I would probably step back and say....oooooh, I should check and see if maybe he has a point. And I would probably find one.
I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7