I’m now tapering, but went from ~20-25 mpw in season run training to ~50 mpw run-focused Barry P training. I kept a bit of swim and a few hrs of biking up until my taper.

Managing my hours per week to balance out to my typical 10-12 / week.

I never felt beat up because I kept the pace easy, but like you felt like I was carrying around some fatigue. I just backed off on my pacing to the low end of zone 2 for a day or so.

My biggest improvements seemed to come after I recovered from the fatigue.

Keep at it!

Cannot wait to test the fitness in a race, but the real question I have is how the maintain it when my mileage drops back down... TBD, I guess

i recently completed a pretty good run streak where i ran everyday for at least 20 minutes. but by the end i was averaging over 60 miles/week and had a good half marathon. the residual fatigue you tend to build up during longer periods of run focus is difficult to ignore. just little things seem to constantly stay with you and yes, all the other sports become a bit harder. running is very high impact, especially if you do the majority of it on hard surfaces. there seem(ed, at least for me) to be peaks and valleys of fatigue though, even throughout a focus/streak. some days i'd feel amazing, albeit unexpectedly, and the next day would be quite rough. a bit unpredictable.

Yep, sleep is your rest recover tool. I like to try to get at least 9 hours a night

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I have the same concerns re what happens when I cut back. I think I top off around 45-50 miles so I’m thinking of maintaining a 30 mile/ week or running about 6x/week. Since I’m over 40 I find the increase in frequency with 1 long run, 1-2 higher intensity and a bunch of 20-30’ ez runs to be easier for my body to tolerate, recover while getting an overall increase in volume compared to 3-4 medium-longish rubs.

Great thing is that my bike has maintained most of the power though clearly I don’t have the endurance to do it for a long time yet.

I’m having the exact same experience, albeit at a bit lower or volume. Just surprised at how much the impact is affecting me despite my 80 Low intensity/20 mid-high intensity approach. Love the fact that I’m running so much more without breaking down. Goes to show how I have been overestimating my pace/ability and going too hard, relatively speaking

The trial of miles, miles of trials.

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https://markmcdermott.substack.com

This may be your best post ever. A statement that is short and concise, backed by a ton of scientific research, you showed a little empathy to the OP and made him feel ok about that extra hour of sleep, no front door brags about your athletic accomplishments, you gave a n=1 example to reassure the OP, and above all else you didn't call anyone a snowflake.

Well done Dave! I think you can build upon this.

I’d reach out to Rick at L3 Endurance. He’s also in a major run focus block right now. He sent me a message saying he’s up to 50 miles right now and feeling great. I’d ask him what he’s doing for recovery. He’s a good guy and will be happy to answer any questions.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

This is exactly how he should feel by increasing his running load. It will pass.

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https://markmcdermott.substack.com

And this is why Slowtwitch needs a "like" or "thumbs up" button!

I’ve done a few run focus periods now (currently been in one for 12+ weeks and up to 65 mpw w/ the most intensity I’ve ever done). IME there always come a time or two when you feel really broken down. Just take a day or two completely off to recover. Don’t try and make up the lost miles, just move on with the plan. You will rebound stronger and start killing it again.

Also, I’ve found it’s really benefital to do less miles every 4th week. I don’t reduce the intense/workout miles but do cut back on the recovery run distance as well as some of the endurance I will do before and/or after the workout. This may not be as critical for runners, but when still swimming and biking some it sure seems to help.

For example this week I will run about 44 as opposed to 64.x I’ve run the previous 2 weeks. To do this I completely ditched the Monday recovery run, only did 10 miles on workout days instead of 12, and cut the other 2 recovery days to 5 miles instead of 7-8. Long run isn’t that long yet so I didn’t cut it. On speed day and tempo day I still did the full workouts that were on the progression towards my HM in Feb just less “Wu/cd”.

That's what showed up on your screen? It just says "Ignored Post" next to his name on my screen.

I'm at a similar point, just nudging 40mpw running 6 days, with some swim/bike mixed in.

As I ramp volume there's always spots of fatigue, but whenever it's consistent generally I need to eat more.

My problem in big run training (been mostly marathon training for a few years) is I go through these unpredictable peaks and troughs, which seem to start and stop randomly. It's not related (directly) to volume, and I can't end one at will. When I'm on, I'm on for weeks or a couple of months, and then I'll be slow all over for a while. Just when I'm getting dejected, it all comes back better than before and the cycle begins anew.

Now if I could time it so that I felt fastest on race day...

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.