Run-Down Forums

[Robby]

Hi all, im just wodering how many miles a week an adult male should be doing? who races 5k's mostly and what percentage roughly should be high intensity training?

Thanks

[Double]

An adult male can handle a high volume load of training. The higher the load built up to means a higher volume of intensity can be achieved. Now, the volume question depends on what type of times one wishes to achieve, past experience, current fitness, and a host of other pieces of information. People are not alike when it comes to running and racing. Generally speaking, I know people in the 40-50 age range who can run 16-17 minute 5ks on 30-40 miles a week. I also know people in the 30-40 age range who can run 17-18 minute 5ks on 50-60 miles a week.

Having said all that, intensity means little in relationship to long term racing performance, especially for people new to the sport of racing. The majority and I mean the vast majority of local 5k runners could achieve better performances just on learning to run and build miles. I suggest a beginner think about just learning to run and move up the easy mile scale for two years. Sure, blasting into intensity training will make one faster, but for how long and at what price?

Personally, at 42, I could race 5ks fairly competitively at 30-40 miles a week, but would prefer to be at 70 a week for the distance to see optimal performance. I'm confident I could run 17-18 minute 5ks on 20 miles a week. This is very misleading information on a message board as again, we are all built differently, have certain gifts, and possibly have been competing for a few years.

Remember, a 5k is almost exclusively ran at an aerobic pace. This is the engine which needs to be optimized first (which could take years) before climbing on the pain train.

[Dan]

30-50 miles a week seems about right for a moderately serious 5k'er. Less if you're purely recreational, more if you want optimal conditioning for the distance.

Dan
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[Robby]

well i have been back training for a month (averaging 15 miles per week) after a few years off, i havnt gained any weight so its purely a fitness thing. i am now 22 and ran a 5k in 19.45 on wednesday.

when i was 18 and racing reguarly i my pb was 17.24 and i was only training an average of 10 miles per week.

I am amazed at how much slower i am and im looking forward to getting fit asap.

[Dan]

It's safe to say you were severely under trained and have the potential to go quite a bit faster.

Dan
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[Micah Ward]

Robby, You surely have the potential to go faster. I would caution you to build both your distance and your intensity gradually. Too much too quickly can lead to injury. Good luck and keep us posted.
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[Adam]

The most beneficial amount of easy mileage depends on your propensity for injury, primary running surface, work schedule, and many other things. Building up to between 30-60 miles/week is a reasonable range.

Initially, doing 95-100% of your mileage at an easy pace will get you some improvement with minimal injury risk. At some point a lot of easy running won't help because you're not taxing your aerobic capacity enough to stimulate adaptation. Easy running is at 40-60% of max aerobic capacity. 5k races are run at close to 100% of max aerobic capacity.

Once you shift over to more 5k-pace and faster training, total mileage no longer makes sense as a measure of training volume. A 5k-pace mile is much more taxing on your body than a jogging mile.

You could start with 2-3 miles per week of race-pace training, and gradually build up to 15 miles per week or more if you're ambitious. The easy workouts take care of themselves at that point.