3 runs a week

[dylan]

watch your recovery shaunaneto,
i do simil;ar to what you are going to do.you dont loose any fitness on the running through biking and swimming,just the general feel for pace.
make sure your swimming leg kick doesnt suffer due to tired legs.
your hill running will aid your cycle climbing,but may leave you with occasional tight hamstrings,so plenty of stretching mate.
good luck and eat well.

[noel]

I'd build in one set of reps. Something you can do at much faster pace than you'd ever run normally, like 500 metres. Maybe once every two weeks. They're not really enjoyable but I think they'd help.

[luxinterior]

So I also have at least three runs a week. I am training for 50 miler in lakes in oct (4000m climbing).

I am doing a long run, and a couple of hilly 5 milers a week. Should I change these and do any speed work or try and do another run and do more climbing?

[shaunaneto]

Yeh, part of the reason I asked Noel.

The problem is fitting it in. I run with two clubs. Albeit not every week, one of the runs is at a very relaxed sociable pace the other I'd class as steady. And at three runs a week you start limiting your options, that's not to say you can't throw sprints in. But it'd lacking in any real structure and would be more akin to Fartlek with long rests. Which I suppose could be mitigated by upping the intensity.

[that_fjell_guy]

So I also have at least three runs a week. I am training for 50 miler in lakes in oct (4000m climbing).

I am doing a long run, and a couple of hilly 5 milers a week. Should I change these and do any speed work or try and do another run and do more climbing?

I'd suggest its a bit late for real speed work now Lux. I think I'd just concentrate on as many long days as you can get done without knackering yourself. Preferably over similar trails or parts of the route. 15mile + (5hr +) runs that is. There's an interesting thread elsewhere concerning the need for speed in 'ultra' races....complete or compete etc.

[TheReverand]

Easy, one steady run for 1hr30, one medium paced run for 45mins (throw some quick miles in) and one interval session or 5k

[Tahr]

Pretty much all my training is based on three runs a week, would like to run more but finding time is an issue. Although some days I run twice a day. My staple diet has been.

1 fast club session, track, rep’s ect.

2 Steady run off road.

3 Weekend long run, on the hill if poss’ about 3 hours plus/or a race.

ATB

Tahr

[shaunaneto]

As it goes this is proving to be one of the best decisions (regarding sport) that I've made in years.

I'm still running, I've rediscovered the utter joy of bicycles. And my back is the best I can ever remember it being.

Multi sport for the win.

[The-Big-Gray-Man]

I only do three runs a week and have found that it is enough to get myself very fit. Am definitely a believer in quality over quantity, at least in terms of your fitness.
I tend to do two short hard paced steep hill runs lasting about one hour which include twenty minutes of very hard paced climbing, to work my cardiovascular system to its maximum. With one longer glycogen building endurance run at the weekend between one and a half to two and a half hours long, which is run at a hard pace. I aim by the end of the runs to be totally spent and have nothing left to give. I don't really see the need to run more than three hours as once you have expended all your glycogen your body knows that it needs to adapt to store more and so no benefit can be derived from running beyond that.
Of course thats only talking about hill running from a fitness point of you.

[Daletownrunner]

I only do three runs a week and have found that it is enough to get myself very fit. Am definitely a believer in quality over quantity, at least in terms of your fitness.
I tend to do two short hard paced steep hill runs lasting about one hour which include twenty minutes of very hard paced climbing, to work my cardiovascular system to its maximum. With one longer glycogen building endurance run at the weekend between one and a half to two and a half hours long, which is run at a hard pace. I aim by the end of the runs to be totally spent and have nothing left to give. I don't really see the need to run more than three hours as once you have expended all your glycogen your body knows that it needs to adapt to store more and so no benefit can be derived from running beyond that.
Of course thats only talking about hill running from a fitness point of you.

Interesting, I seem to have lost a bit interest of late, due to a change of jobs etc, I was running to and from work clocking 70+ miles every week, in hindsight I think I was better when I started out running and was running 3 times a week as that is all I could manage, my plan to get back to fitness is going to be based around 3 quality runs a week, a few weeks of that then a Parkrun to measure where I am, I definitely think that less (although it has to be a quality less) is sometimes better than more, just need to get my head around a decent speed session, would rather run a 20 miler than do a track session