Need some advice from the experienced. My schedule, like probably a lot of people on this board, gets screwed up one way or another for long periods of time.
Just say I’m on this training plan and I get to 15 miles as my long runs (or 60 miles on my bike or whatever…you get the idea). But for whatever reason, whether it’s finals, family obligations, or work, that you can’t continue the high mileage for let’s say 4 weeks. But, you can run 3 miles a day everyday for those 4 weeks, because that’s only 20-25 minutes a day.
What happens to your fitness after those 4 weeks? Can you still run 15 miles at the same pace you ran it 4 weeks earlier? Can you even run 15 miles anymore? Do you have to start all over again the training plan where 4 miles is the long run now? Are you now more prone to injury if you try to start the training plan where you left off? Any experience is greatly appreciated.
I wouldn’t go directly back to 15 miles because running’s so weird on the joints.
But having to cut back like that for a month is essentially an unplanned taper. The first couple of weeks back can go surprisingly well because all the odd little twinges and pains have had a chance to help up for the first time in a while. It’s a couple weeks after the first few weeks back that usually end up hitting me.
For maintenance of fitness, you should be training at the same intensity as you were training before you went into maintenance mode. In short, yes, you can keep your fitness through a large reduction in volume, as long as intensity remains the same. If you start training at a different intensity–probably at a higher one, because 3-4 miles is a lot easier to run at a high intensity than 15–you’ll start training different systems, and the maintenance effect will be decreased.
What happens to your fitness after those 4 weeks? You will still be fit, you might notice that your ability to run long/ride long as comfortably as before might have declined. Can you still run 15 miles at the same pace you ran it 4 weeks earlier? Probably not at the same pace for the latter half of the run. Can you even run 15 miles anymore? Sure you could. I’d probably start with 8-9 as my first long run back though. Do you have to start all over again the training plan where 4 miles is the long run now? No. Are you now more prone to injury if you try to start the training plan where you left off? Possibly.
Here’s a question along the same lines, that I’m just gonna throw out there…Sorry to highjack
During the fall I was running 80mpw and swimming 3xper week at about 4000yards a pop. 15 mile long run, 6 miles lt, 3-5 mile vo2max, 1 morning run. 3 swims were in the morning at high intensity.
Now and for the remander of the winter I have been swimming 7x per week and running on average 3x. I run usually two 4-5 mile runs. Sometimes it will be a 7 miler with some miles at lt. And I have been continuing to run 15 miles every weekend. My swims are on average 7000 yards in length at high intensity.
In the spring I may or may not deciede to primarily run again. My question is what kind of milage should I jump into? And is this running maintaining my run fitness well, or is there a better way I could be doing it?
The better way to maintain run fitness is almost always more mileage.
However, if you are locked into only running 3 times a week, you are pretty much on track. Make sure one is a long run and one is a tempo (LT) run. If you have the time, though, might I suggest that you try bumping up one of your other runs into the 10 mile range.
As for what kind of mileage you should jump into, I’m not really sure what you are asking. What kind of races do you plan to do and when are they?
I’m not locked into anything really, except i’m on a swim team and do pretty intensive workouts daily, which makes running a second priority. I would increase, but only if it didn’t take away from the swimming.
And when I said jumping in I meant, like after this lay off and into the spring season. I may or may not do a couple of races on the track 5k/10k. So if I deciede to do that I would be running primarly.