Fun run today, waited till late afternoon to avoid gusting wind. It was a beautiful breezy sunset of a run, 8.25 miles which included 8x10sec hill sprints. It’s funny because they sprints are supposed to be “5K effort”, but if you do them on a grassy hill, they end up being as fast as sludge. No matter. I’m getting into them, I can tell they’re giving me Super Runner powers.

Speaking of Super Runner powers, I’ve been thinking of mileage and my next move in that area. Funny how the things you think “I can’t imagine wanting to do that” end up being the next logical step. For instance, last Fall I fully expected my mileage to stay around 45-50, 60 wasn’t even a contender.

Then I got Hudson’s book and noticed that midway through his Half plan he called for 7 days/week. Eh, I figured that when the time came, I’d stick with a 6 day week. Then in January, before I’d even begun the plan, I thought it’d be a lark to try it out, run 7 days/week, just so I could see what it was like. It ended up being so natural that I had no reason to return to 6 days.

So now I’m an “around 60mpw” runner. If nothing interferes (like a race or taking a day off when my foot was smarting) then it’s 60, otherwise, if I lose a day it ends up being around 55. My Half plan will peak next month at 68, but besides that, I figured I’d sit at 60 for awhile. But this week I’ve become curious.

If things are going so swimmingly at 60mpw, what would happen if I went to 70? If you read this blog, you might remember me saying I never liked the thought of doubles. I guess the main reason is that running is my big event for the day, my treat. But to get dressed, run, change clothes again, do daily stuff, be stinky if I don’t shower, change clothes again, run again, etc… just does not appeal to me. Still, knowing that the only way to get faster is to continue to add mileage means I was starting to come round to the thought of doubles.

So yesterday I posted a thread on the Marathon Training Forum asking 70+mpw runners a few questions about their schedules and found out the most amazing thing. Most of them don’t run doubles! And we’re talking up to 88mpw of singles. Whether it’s because they have family obligations, job obligations or just don’t like doing doubles, it is apparently not the requirement I thought it was.

Lest you think I just pulled that “requirement” out of my ass, it’s a factoid I’ve read in several books and articles from esteemed mega-coaches, that if you run more than 70mpw, you need to start doing doubles, else you’ll never be adequately recovered. So what a thrill to find this is book learnin’ advice, not necessarily a real-world necessity.

Game On! I’m going to continue as planned for this Half, peaking at 68 (although I reserve the right to run more if I’m feeling craaaazy), then in May start building mileage a bit.

The cool thing is that marathon training doesn’t start till August and I’m not planning on running any summer 20-milers on a whim. So for a couple months I’ll enjoy some longer mid-week mid-longs and then, once training begins, I can keep that going and just add some mileage to the Sunday run. This way there’ll be no dramatic peaks or surprises and I should be in strong shape as I move through the marathon cycle.

So there you have it, my newest diabolical plan to rule the world. Or at least beat the crap out of some 45-49 year old hags ladies.

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