Every year I want to try to improve my times by improving my training. This just so happens to be the general mantra of every runner ever. However, last year I learned that there was a major difference between attempting to improve with gimmicks rather than running miles. In addition to my personal experience, I'll supplement this post with my weekly training log in an effort to provide real evidence for training with mileage.
Due to a soleus injury in the later part of the summer, I needed to build up again during the start of the cross country season. My thought process was, "If I figure out a way to get around this setback, I'll be all set and an altitude tent would be my best bet." I had heard of a lot of success stories about athletes incorporating altitude tents into their lives by sleeping in them for extended periods of time. Olympic Marathoner (Dathan Ritzenhein) Mine also looked similar to this:
So in addition to sleeping in this tent, I would try to build up to above 70 miles/week to at least try to get a near-competitive fall base in. It made sense in my head, but this turned out to be a nightmare to sleep in every night since it was a pain in the ass to find a comfortable position and felt like a Turkish bathhouse due to humidity.
In addition to sleeping in this tent, I started to drink beet juice and take a beet supplement before my races. Aside from the large financial cost, this caused for my wallet, my sanity went along with it. Every time I would race, I would feel like it was dependent on how well I did with my supplements. Needless to say, my races were not anything special. The supplements were not a substitute for mileage.
September 2016: 8/29-9/4: 59mi | 9/5-1: 64mi | 9/12-18: 66mi | 9/19-25: 67mi | 9/26-10/2: 70mi
October 2016: 10/3-9: 73mi | 10/10-16: 73mi | 10/17-23: 71mi | 10/24-30: 50mi | 10/31-11/6: 65mi
November 2016: 11/7-13: 32mi | off weeks & minor injury 11/14-27 | 11/28-12/4: 37mi
My weekly mileage in the fall was never high enough to warrant any significant gains. I performed similarly to my previous year and realized that the hassle of dealing with a $600 machine and ~$100 in beet supplements were not worth it. In addition to the lack of sleep the altitude tent lent itself to, I also felt guilty for using it because it didn't feel like a natural addition to my training. I sold the machine and just decided to focus on my sleeping schedule, but I did keep drinking the beet juice purely because it was healthy.
December 2016: 12/5-11: 42mi | 12/12-18: 57mi | 12/19-25: 63mi | 12/26-1/1: 70mi
After the fall season, I began my buildup again and focused on hitting consistent mileage. This builds strength and aerobic endurance. That turned out to be the best indoor season of my career, boasting a conference title in the 3k and a 14:15 5k in February. The mileage could not be substituted for anything else because if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it. Supplements & gimmicks, as it turns out, are a good servant, but a bad master. It wouldn't hurt to sprinkle them into training, but it won't provide a runner with a sturdy foundation they need to build on for the season.
January 2017: 1/2-8: 71mi | 1/9-15: 78mi | 1/16-22: 76mi | 1/23-29: 81mi | 1/30-2/5: 83mi
February 2017: 2/6-12: 70mi | 2/13-19: 60mi | 2/20-26: 70 | 2/27-3/5: 60mi
Tom Slattery
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