The official running thread™

8letters said:
anything 5:10pkm and slower is basically a recovery shuffle lol.

Anyway… I was in Sedgefield last week, grabbed like 3 Strava segment CRs, and suddenly the locals absolutely lost it. Next thing I know, they're hunting me down on Facebook like I stole their garden hose or gnome, demanding I make the run private so I don’t show up on “their” leaderboard.

I wasn't even running that hard.... like 3:50 - 3:55 pace.Still totally beatable. But apparently Sedgefield has its own constitution that says only locals may touch the sacred segments.

Didn't know Strava was that serious down there. 😂
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How dare you! 🤣
 
8letters said:
anything 5:10pkm and slower is basically a recovery shuffle lol.

Anyway… I was in Sedgefield last week, grabbed like 3 Strava segment CRs, and suddenly the locals absolutely lost it. Next thing I know, they're hunting me down on Facebook like I stole their garden hose or gnome, demanding I make the run private so I don’t show up on “their” leaderboard.

I wasn't even running that hard.... like 3:50 - 3:55 pace.Still totally beatable. But apparently Sedgefield has its own constitution that says only locals may touch the sacred segments.

Didn't know Strava was that serious down there. 😂
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"I wasn't even running that hard"

You better go back and do some proper max efforts to teach them a lesson.
 
8letters said:
Just build on your weekly mileage. Try to reach 70-80km weeks. Run that weekly distance for a few months then gradually start to implement speedwork. The only way to run faster is by doing speedwork. Intervals, fartlek, threshold and tempo's all help improve speed. Oh and hill sprints or steady hill climbs.
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So if I am at 20km now do I just up the mileage by 10-15% each week till I get to 70-80km per week and then start doing the speed work stuff with the running and still try to reach 70-80km per week? That does seem high though that is on average 10km per day
😳
 
Sicarius404 said:
So if I am at 20km now do I just up the mileage by 10-15% each week till I get to 70-80km per week and then start doing the speed work stuff with the running and still try to reach 70-80km per week? That does seem high though that is on average 10km per day
😳
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@8letters is an overachiever. Us mere mortals will struggle to keep up.

What is your goal? I think his insane mileage is only for someone who wants to smash marathons on a regular basis.
 
Sicarius404 said:
So if I am at 20km now do I just up the mileage by 10-15% each week till I get to 70-80km per week and then start doing the speed work stuff with the running and still try to reach 70-80km per week? That does seem high though that is on average 10km per day
😳
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I’ve never really been a big fan of the whole 10% rule.Personally I'd rather just add around 5km a week (or a bit more) depending on how the body feels. Jumping straight to 80km is a lot if you're not used to it.
Perhaps start by setting easier goals ie 36km per week and then try to move up to 50km per week. When you peak at 36 or 50km try to stay at that mileage for a few weeks before increasing your mileage again.


Back in high school, 80km was our baseline weekly mileage just to run decent 5km times. When I moved up to longer stuff (10km and half marathons) I had to push up to around 100 - 120km a week. Eventually that led me into marathon territory and 160km weeks.
 
notayoba said:
"I wasn't even running that hard"

You better go back and do some proper max efforts to teach them a lesson.
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There's this one segment in Sedgefield where some guy averaged 3:05 pkm uphill on the N2. Absolute madness. I saw that and just thought Yeah… I'm not touching that one.

Honestly, if I ever do actual max effort intervals or a proper tempo in Sedgefield,I'll probably upset the whole ecosystem. Next thing you know there will be locals chasing me down with pitchforks and spades because I dared to breathe too fast on their segments.
 
8letters said:
There's this one segment in Sedgefield where some guy averaged 3:05 pkm uphill on the N2. Absolute madness. I saw that and just thought Yeah… I'm not touching that one.

Honestly, if I ever do actual max effort intervals or a proper tempo in Sedgefield,I'll probably upset the whole ecosystem. Next thing you know there will be locals chasing me down with pitchforks and spades because I dared to breathe too fast on their segments.
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Please do it and post the reactions here
 
8letters said:
There's this one segment in Sedgefield where some guy averaged 3:05 pkm uphill on the N2. Absolute madness. I saw that and just thought Yeah… I'm not touching that one.

Honestly, if I ever do actual max effort intervals or a proper tempo in Sedgefield,I'll probably upset the whole ecosystem. Next thing you know there will be locals chasing me down with pitchforks and spades because I dared to breathe too fast on their segments.
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Strava is serious business in the Garden Route, because in the respective sports everyone knows each other. (I know, because I live about 40km from Sedgefield). It's a often discussed pub topic.

A local paddler lost his record on a paddling segment on the river here. A week later he shows up in a K2 with the current under 23 world champion in the back seat to reclaim it.
 
Sicarius404 said:
So if I am at 20km now do I just up the mileage by 10-15% each week till I get to 70-80km per week and then start doing the speed work stuff with the running and still try to reach 70-80km per week? That does seem high though that is on average 10km per day
😳
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To get through a marathon at a decent pace like 6-7mins a km you only need to be doing 40-55km per week and 2 weeks will be above that threshold.

I dont think 80kms is really needed unless you plan on running under 4mins/km. 20kms I would say is easy to progress up from. You are prob at 4x5km or 2x5km and a 10km.

I would add an extra 5km for a week or 2 then increase the long run to a 15km. 3x5km and a 15km and you are at 30km. From here two longer runs like 2x8km 1x6km 1x15km. That is a good milage for a average runner at 35km and you are not exhausted from running all the time.

When going to a marathon you up the 15km to 20x3, 25x3, 30x1, 35x1 and add in a second long run at 10km or 15km depending where you are in the program.

For me this would look like Tues and Thurs-8km, Wed-6km, Sat - short long run 10/15km, Sunday long run 20/25/30/35km. For me this feels like a job after my job so I have no clue how people keep it up but props to them.
 
Scary_Turtle said:
To get through a marathon at a decent pace like 6-7mins a km you only need to be doing 40-55km per week and 2 weeks will be above that threshold.

I dont think 80kms is really needed unless you plan on running under 4mins/km. 20kms I would say is easy to progress up from. You are prob at 4x5km or 2x5km and a 10km.

I would add an extra 5km for a week or 2 then increase the long run to a 15km. 3x5km and a 15km and you are at 30km. From here two longer runs like 2x8km 1x6km 1x15km. That is a good milage for a average runner at 35km and you are not exhausted from running all the time.

When going to a marathon you up the 15km to 20x3, 25x3, 30x1, 35x1 and add in a second long run at 10km or 15km depending where you are in the program.

For me this would look like Tues and Thurs-8km, Wed-6km, Sat - short long run 10/15km, Sunday long run 20/25/30/35km. For me this feels like a job after my job so I have no clue how people keep it up but props to them.
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Mileage is king,especially if the goal is to build a proper aerobic base and get faster over longer distances. You can get through a marathon on 40 / 55 km per week, sure but youre basically just surviving it. If you want to actually run well, feel strong past 30 km, and not fall apart in the final 10 km, then higher mileage becomes a huge factor.
Jumping from 20 km to 70 / 80 km obviously isn’t something you do overnight, but the idea is the same. Consistent, gradual volume builds durability. The aerobic system adapts to time on feet, not just ticking off a long run once a week.
And honestly, 80 km isn’t elite only mileage that will help you run under 4 min per km(It won't without speedwork and not over the marathon distance). Plenty of recreational runners hit 60/80 km or more and feel better than when they were sitting at 30 / 40 km because the aerobic base is actually there.

the goal is to slowly add easy volume, spreading the load across more days, and letting the body adapt. Mileage first and then intensity later.
Speedwork only really “works” when theres enough easy mileage underneath it. Without that foundation it would be like building a house on sand.
 
8letters said:
Mileage is king,especially if the goal is to build a proper aerobic base and get faster over longer distances. You can get through a marathon on 40 / 55 km per week, sure but youre basically just surviving it. If you want to actually run well, feel strong past 30 km, and not fall apart in the final 10 km, then higher mileage becomes a huge factor.
Jumping from 20 km to 70 / 80 km obviously isn’t something you do overnight, but the idea is the same. Consistent, gradual volume builds durability. The aerobic system adapts to time on feet, not just ticking off a long run once a week.
And honestly, 80 km isn’t elite only mileage that will help you run under 4 min per km(It won't without speedwork and not over the marathon distance). Plenty of recreational runners hit 60/80 km or more and feel better than when they were sitting at 30 / 40 km because the aerobic base is actually there.

the goal is to slowly add easy volume, spreading the load across more days, and letting the body adapt. Mileage first and then intensity later.
Speedwork only really “works” when theres enough easy mileage underneath it. Without that foundation it would be like building a house on sand.
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I kinda disagree as soon as me or my running mates get to 80km+ a week they get injured, maybe not in the first month but in 2/3 and then you are out for 6 weeks with some fun ones like stress fractures, tendinitis, pulled hamstring, knee tearing etc. Some guys are built that way and can sustain it for longer but as you get older you fall apart more.

Also if you have alot of time then running is easy you can do a long run and then sleep it off but when you have work/kids/wife etc finding an extra 10 hours a week is a mission.

I agree you have to run fast to run fast haha and a speedwork session is a good way to do it. In my case I can't do speedwork without getting injured unless I gym 3 times a week to keep my strength up. Again this becomes a time thing do I want to be divorced or run fast. So my 6km run is a faster run prob 30secs faster than my casual runs. Also you dont need insane mileage to be fast you can do a garmin 5km program and set it the fastest speed (I think 4min/km) and in 3 months on a minimal kms you can get there.

I have also been a 3min/km runner but now I am a 5:15/5:30min/km runner and I can assure you casual runners may feel better on the run with 80kms but the rest of the time they are exhausted. I feel new runners should only attempt to get to 80+kms in 2 years minimum after starting.
 
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