Will you consider me for the Badass Prize?

I ran.

In the rain.

No.

---

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Ran 15 miles at mercer county park today did bout 2 1.2 loops of the NJ State Oly course. It was a nice sunny morning temps around 24 degrees with a 5-10 mph wind. Think I averaged a bit over 8 minute's per mile . Not bad for being last day of 3 consecutive 70 mile weeks. Felt like I could keep that pace all day. Think I will do 45 minutes on rollers tonight and take a day off tommorow (No running but will bike and swim.)then start a sort a kind of recovery week. Then get back at it with some speed work.

---

__________________________________________________
Official Polar Ambassador
http://www.google.com/...P7RiWyEVwpunlsc2JtQQ

I guess we are half way there. Is it me or do the numbers seem less than the past couple of years. I will admit to not having looked at the spreadsheet for a while but was suprised that my 50 runs has me in 23rd place.

Agreed. THough I missed one on Saturday. Broke the 47 day streak. Rats.

---

--
MyGearGarage - Track all your gear!

Yeah, today is the 50th day. I think there are around 80 people less in the challenge than last year. I think after doing it for a few years the novelty might wear off on some. I know I am not pushing the 1 run per day pace, cause I know I can get better overall training without running tha often (in the context of tri training).

I see 105 overall on pace for at least 80 (currently at 40 or more) of which 28 at 50 on pace for 100 runs. In the metric that I am really interested in (because running frequently is not the end, but the means to build a bigger base through more mileage), 49 people are over 400K on pace for at least 800k of which 15 are passed 500K on pace for 1000K. We have 5 people over 600 on pace for 1200K.....before you jump all over these people, let's do the math.

• 600K over 50 days is around 12K per week or 84 K per week. This is your 50 miles per week crew
• Those on pace for 1000K are your 44 miles per week crew
• Those on pace for 800K are your 35 miles per week crew

Which brings me back to something I like to point out. When you ask someone what their weekly mileage is, it is always highly overinflated. They take their biggest week and say "my weekly mileage is 50 miles per week".

In a running challenge we have barely 1% on the 50 mpw plan, and another 3% on the 44 mpw plan. We barely have 10% of the folks on the 35 mpw plan. Funny how what people say about weekly mileage and what we really see is generally are miles apart.

OK, carry on with the challenge, and train safely. By now it should be easy sailing if you made it this far with no injuries.

thanks

Dev

That is very true about weekly mileage. I run almost every day more because I like to than for any other reason, will usually run at least 5 if just running, often 4 or abotu 30 minutes if I bike first [must admit that the 30 minute thing is a habit developed from playing in your challenges more than anything]. When I look at the data it averages out to just over 30 miles a week for the past couple of years. When I talk to people about their weekly mileage I usually hear numbers in the 40-50 which can only be a few of the biggest weeks every based on knowing what their routine is. The only reason it matters is that it is hard to understand what is woking for you and what is not when you are not basing your opinions on an honest assesment of your training.

My training volume is actually pretty low right now. I have been up at the camp skiing on the weekends and traveling for work has been averaging a couple days a week. The result is that I end up running everyday and averaging a couple hard EN bike sessions a week and not much else.

Bmanners...can you resize the picture you posted cause it is making this thread hard to read.

Chris, agreed 100% on the assessment of overall mileage. When guys come to me about what to work toward, I ask them..."What's your weekly mileage" and I get the inflated number.

Then I ask "What was your yearly mileage for 2009, 2008, 2007)"

We add it up and divide by 156.

Then I say, "OK, THIS IS YOUR WEEKLY MILEAGE. Let's start from here. This is your AVERAGE week. From THIS average week we can project big weeks and light weeks, but initially, your big week should not be more than 10-20% of this average week."

Then I get, "That's not much, I can handle more"

Then I answer, "What I see is you can't handle the truth. You want to cut cheques bigger than your bank balance and you're going to go into debt really fast.....I suppose you handle your finances the same way as your training????"

I don't think I hear many people say I am a "50 mile per week runner" or "30 mile per week runner". If I am asked the question, "How many miles per week do you run?".....My answer is CURRENTLY I am running ~24 miles/week. I don't think that is misleading or lying. That is what I am doing today.

Over the last 15 weeks I have averaged just 16.5 miles per week, but over the last 4 weeks I have averaged 23, and over the last 2 weeks, 24. So what am I?? How many weeks do I have to run xx to say that I am an xx mile per week runner?? Perhaps that answer is actually years on slowtwitch. We can't all just plop in and start running 50 miles per week. This challenge has coincided with an 8 month long journey taking me from 10 miles per week to 50 miles per week and I am only halfway done. If and when I reach 50 miles per week, how long do I have to maintain it so say I run 50 miles per week.

I disagree that it is overinflated, it is probably simply what that person is today, as opposed to what they have been at for 8-12 months. If you want a more accurate answer, ask a more accurate question.

Does anyone have a link to last years challenge? It would be interesting to compare. JoeO/Allan aren't there to drive up the mileage totals!

I know I certainly am not running as much as last year, but that is to be expected as I am not running the spring marathon this year(for the first time in 4 years)
I have taken several days of no running this challenge, in that past challenges that didn't happen. I also only have two runs over 1:30, so no long runs to boost the weekly mileage totals.
Interesting I don't think I have "lost" much in the running department, I actaully surprised myself with my numbers from my first test run of the year.
Heck I even joined a Bike challenge, so things have really changed for me this year :-)

Ewan

---

Ewan

-------------------------

Does anyone have a link to last years challenge? It would be interesting to compare.

I asked Rappstar about it and he said they take them down so it doesn't get too crowded.

So no, there is no link. I tried url munging to find it before I PM'd Rapp on it.

-Jot

Thanks.
That is too bad.

Ewan

---

Ewan

-------------------------

Do a lot of folks want last years back up? I can put it up at the end of the challenge (or before). Lemme know.

---

"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I do, but it is purely for selfish reasons... :-)
but I have my training log export into Excel, so if i really need to see my totals I can use that.
Ewan

---

Ewan

-------------------------

I think think an "Archived" section might be nice.

Just a single link, to not dirty up the page, but the a collection on the subsequent page.

Back to 100/100: I have to start putting in some longer runns since I'm going to try
to trade off the hardest Ragnar leg, but in turn get the single longest one. Since my
long runs have only been a little more than 6 badger miles need to start bumping up
to 8s.

-Jot

Yeah I wouldn't mind comparing myself this year to last year. I can do it in my regular log but it doesn't do the 30 minute minimum and all that.

Wohoo - just ran number 50. This is the most consecutive days I have ever run, and only had to mix in one unfortunate treadmill run. I have done them mostly on trails, and slow, but I did set my 5k PR over the weekend (surprisingly at a trail race - 18:39), so there must be something to this whole consistency thing.

---

Dax
http://dirtyrunning.blogspot.com

Dev,
The thing everyone needs to remember with the challenge is that the frequency/mileage number is only relevant to what your seasonal average mileage is in the non 100/100 days. Last year I did the 100/100 and had 90+runs and about 930 k. In the summer there was another 100/100 and I ran about the same mileage on about 85 runs. Frequency is a great way to gradually increase mileage. For me this year I went into it by missing the first 4 days and and then easing gradually into runs with 30 minute runs so mileage was down from the original plan. I like to add a bit of mileage with frequency ex. instead of a 50 minute run followed by a ride. I may do a 35 minute run ,ride and then run another 30 minutes. This is a way to add an extra 2 miles to the day safely. Now this does not replace 60 minute runs because that is needed as well but during the early season it gives the body a bit more mileage. Aimless 30 minute runs at 10 minute mile pace jsut to get 100 really does not prove anything if it is not consisitent during the remainder of the year. If you run 5-6 per week non challenge than 90-100 is relative to the athletes program. If someonone like Craig Alexander runs 50 mpw during normal training and 70 mpw during his Kona build it shows that while it is a bump in mileage it is proportion to his normal mileage.

Here is my take. Doing a few weeks or a few months of "50 miles per week" does not make you a 50 mile per week runner.

I really think you have to average that for 2 years....ideally more.

If you base your assumption that you are a 50 mile per week runner on the last 2 weeks or even the last 2 months and then design a program that builds from there (especially off the last 2 weeks) then injuries are likely to happen.

The main point is a running base does not magically happen over a few weeks or months. You realistically need a few years...or more and the heavier and bigger you are the longer it will take (sorry, physics against the 200 lb guy vs. the 128 lb Kenyan). But most people do not want to hear that.

When Tim DeBoom was asked what it took him to win Kona he said something along the lines of "Ten Years of training to get to the point where I could put the final training in to push me over the top for the win". While the rest of use are not training like Tim DeBoom to win Kona, even for more modest goals, a few years of gradual build is not out of line.

So I guess you are a 16.5 mile per week runner over the past 15 weeks, but I'd be interested to know what was going on before those 15 weeks, because if it was zero or close zero, I'd say that ramping to 50 miles per week in the NEXT 15 weeks is over ambitious. You can't just keep ramping and ramping and ramping, without stabilizing for a long period at your "new steady state" before ramping again. It's more like series of steps and after each step, you maintain the new mileage threshold for serveral weeks or months.

As for me "wanting answer"....well I'm not really wanting an answer. I'm just pointing out that people's self perception of the "base they have" is not typically accurate. There response is more in line with the "base they want".

Dev

2 years.....that is such a perfect slowtwitch response! To answer your question about me, last year I didn't do much of anything.....~500 miles of running total, not due to injury, but just other things I wanted to do. 2008, ~1,300 miles running. 2007 ~1,000 miles. So guess that means I am a ~17 mile per week runner. I still don't know why it matters, but at least now I know how to answer the question properly on slowtwitch.

Maybe an 8-9 month build seems agressive to you, but I am going to take my chances and continue on the path. 15 weeks from 10-24 is an average increase of 7% per week. The last 6 weeks have been 20, 21, 21, 23, 24, 24. I have done zero speedwork and no races and only a couple threshold runs when I feel good. I haven't even run longer than 6 miles yet. I am never sore, I have no injuries, no pain, I am not fatigued all the time. If and when those things occur, I will likely back off, but as of yet I am having a hard time keeping myself at this slow of a build.

Still, I thought the spirit of this challenge was to help many of us to build that base through frequency. Somehow I feel de-legitimized because I haven't averaged 50+ miles or even 30+ miles per week. I'll go play my little violin now.....

I probably average a little less than 20 miles a week. Some weeks a lot less, but normally in that
range. I know I've averaged over 20 miles a week for the challenge, and towards the end
it will be in the 30s. (I could pull my last few years and create a valid average but that would
require some work in Garmin TC, and I really just don't love all of you that much for a pissing
contest).

I've always been open about my race results and speed. Don't know why people feel a need
to inflate. I'm slow, but I'm not injured (from running) and I use the 100/100 as the stick
to get those short runs in that help me out later.

-Jot

Here you go saltman ... ;)

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...t_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

---

===============
Proud member of the MSF (Maple Syrup Mafia)

I guess I'm a 50 mpw runner. In the past 29 months I've run more than 5700 miles. Currently running about 70 mpw.

You're doing good and going about ramping up to higher volume in a smart way. It takes a long time for the body to adapt to continually increasing the stress. You really don't need to run fast very often to get some benefits that are additional to what you are getting simply by being consistent, but you do need to run faster at some point. Even adding some strides to the end of your runs a few times a week can help.

Keep it going!

---

Don

Tri-ing to have fun. Anything else is just a bonus!

lol...........I feel like Snooki from Jersey Shore.....waaaaaaaahhhh! Although I suspect in Canada you have been exposed to that little gem of a TV show.

+3 for an archive section of challenge results. It's fun to compare head to head. Thanks.

Dev Paul - You might be right about interest falling off since last year, but this is the first year i heard about the challenge...or even understood the social aspect that helps keep me honest when i would normally blow off another workout...b2