The 100-Mile Week: Should You Try It?

Training for a marathon requires more time and effort than most think. It is not all about just running. Getting your body to be able to reach 26.2 miles safely and injury-free requires several other components. The priority should be to make sure we can get to that 26.2-mile mark without getting injured, burnt out, or being zombie-like throughout the entire process. Besides running several days per week, training will require extra time for strengthening sessions, stretching and more sleep. Because of this, there are a variety of different training plans you may find that are a “minimalist” approach, which include the least amount of mileage per week that will get you ready for race day.

On the opposite spectrum, there are those hard-core marathoners who have been training for years and attempt those very high mileage weeks without a problem. The most difficult part of this type of high volume training is the amount of time it requires. If you have a regular work schedule and a family to tend to, the hours remaining in your day will just be for training and sleeping. Evidently, you must be okay with the sacrifice. For the regular person, a normal training plan will usually consist of 50 to 60 miles per week at the most, whereas high mileage would be considered 75+ miles. Scattered throughout the week with some days including a morning and evening run, it can definitely be doable.

What about the elite runners out there hitting 130 miles per week? It sounds crazy but there is a science behind this extraordinary mileage. The classic 100-mile week is something even the everyday hard-core marathoners try to achieve. Some may say it is completely unnecessary, and that may be so, but if research shows a benefit to getting you to that next level, it may be worth a try. Fifty miles per week probably feels hard enough when first starting out, so considering doubling up your training will most definitely seem impossible. The key to getting to this point is to gradually and safely increase the workload. And no, this training approach isn’t for everyone OR the only way to progress in distance running.

Why 100?

Running Economy

Well, training to hit a weekly mileage of specifically “100” miles is merely just to get to the triple digits, because in essence 95 miles will provide the same benefit. Several studies have been done on high volume training and have concluded that there are many benefits linked to improving running economy. Basically, this means the more miles you run the less your body will have to work during the race, allowing you put that extra energy into faster paces. This is due to muscle and tendons training to adapt to prolonged running. These adaptations lead to increased elasticity of joints including the ankle, which in turn leads to a more forceful and less vertical push-off from the ground with each step. This will save a good amount of energy over time.

Aerobic Endurance

The goal of marathon training is to get our bodies to be able to run far, and if possible, fast.. The higher mileage programs essentially increase the amount of mitochondria and capillary density in the body, as well as hemoglobin and red blood cells. The growth of these factors leads to more and better oxygen transport through the blood cells to the muscles. This is why marathoners are eventually able to run farther and faster over time. Once you train to run more miles your body will learn to use fat as fuel and store more glycogen, which means more energy will be readily available for when you really need it, like at the end of a race.

Resistance to Fatigue

When you go from running 50 or 60 miles per week to 100 miles per week, the majority of those extra miles should all be performed at a slow, easy pace. The lower intensity, high mileage prepares not only our bodies for long races but also our minds. When you ask someone who is not a runner how they feel about running 26.2 miles, they will most likely think it’s a crazy idea. That’s because our minds become just as fatigued at the thought of running for so long as our bodies do. Many of the training runs in a 100-mile program will be 10-15 mile easy runs, where your body will undergo uncomfortable fatigue and soreness at times. It is during these long, slow runs that we get our mind accustomed to this sensation so that come race day, we can push through it.

Should I Try It?

Training to reach a weekly target of 100 miles is definitely not easy, but it is doable. The difficult part besides the extra time and sacrifice it will require is the high risk of injury it brings. More time on your feet means more chances of both accidental injuries as well as overuse-type injuries. It is important to gradually increase mileage every week. This means setting enough weeks in your training cycle to build up to 100 miles with no more than 5-10% increases per week and low mileage weeks built in every few weeks. The most important rule is to listen to your body not only for signs of pain but also for symptoms of overtraining and fatigue as well. Along with the 100 miles should also be at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night and 2 to 3 days of strengthening exercises. If these components are possible with your schedule then incorporating this extraordinary mileage program can be attainable.

Feeling Sore Days After an Intense Workout? It's Probably DOMS. Here's How To Beat It

Soreness can be a sign of a good workout, but not all soreness is a good thing. When you first begin an exercise program or get back into it after a long break, experiencing a bit of muscle pain later that day or the next is normal. This specific pain should not be so uncomfortable that it limits being able to move around as usual and should subside within a day or so. If the soreness causes you to not be able to lift your arms or go downstairs without severe pain, and lasts longer than two days, your workout may have caused delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS for short).

Causes and Symptoms

Typically, delayed onset muscle soreness begins within 8 to 12 hours after intense exercise and peaks to its worst symptoms at 24 to 48 hours. The pain from DOMS subsides by around 72 hours, but may last longer for some individuals. This pain is normally felt with active movement and stretching the muscles. Along with muscle pain, other symptoms that come along with DOMS are a temporary loss in muscle strength, decreased range of motion, and possibly swelling in the muscles involved in the exercise. The sore muscles may feel as if “bruised” when touched with light pressure. This combination of symptoms may even last up to 10 to 14 days in severe cases.

What exactly is the “intense exercise” that can causes DOMS? Studies show that the usual type of exercise that causes this condition is eccentric movements, which is when the muscles lengthen during the contraction (think: the movement on the way down from performing a bicep curl). Although this is the most common exercise to cause DOMS, many other forms of workouts can lead to this intense soreness, such as running downhill, high intensity sprinting or plyometrics, and heavy weight lifting. Most of the time, this condition arises after performing new exercises at too high of an intensity that the body is not used to.

What Exactly is DOMS?

In the past, it was believed that delayed onset muscle soreness was the result of the so-called lactic acid buildup in the muscles during exercise. This buildup occurs during any exercise, but returns to normal levels as soon as an hour after the completion of the workout. Therefore, DOMS is not related to the lactic acid accumulation in muscle that occurs during physical activity. Unaccustomed eccentric exercises cause damage beginning at the muscle’s cell membrane, which results in inflammation that expands out to the entire muscle and surrounding areas, creating metabolic waste. This waste product stimulates the nerves surrounding the muscles causing pain. Keep in mind this type of damage occurs with certain forms of exercise as explained above, not with all exercise as with the regular lactic acid buildup.

Treatment

Although the first line of defense used when feeling this kind if pain is to take an anti-inflammatory pill, it may not be the best option. This route may help ease symptoms in most cases, but is shown to have the unattractive side effects of stomach issues and can eventually lead to poor healing capabilities in the future. The best initial treatment options are rest and ice—which is a safe, natural anti-inflammatory agent. Another go-to pain reliever sought out by most athletes is massage. Gentle massage helps ease DOMS pain, swelling and tightness in most individuals, reducing the severity and duration of symptoms. Massage has been shown to help decrease the compound in our muscles that causes inflammation. Deep tissue massage that is typically used by athletes for tight muscles is not advised for this condition due to the intense pressure that may exacerbate the pain.

Another helpful treatment option is light exercise such as cycling, pool exercises, and gentle stretching. These approaches will help maintain good circulation and keep the muscles warm to be more prepared for the addition of intense exercise once the DOMS has subsided. Intense exercise, especially the type of workout that initially caused the pain, should be avoided, as one of the symptoms of DOMS is a temporary muscle weakness. This decrease in strength causes delayed shock absorption, which can lead to injuries such as a muscle strain or tear.

Prevention

Performing a proper warm-up before any exercise is the first thing that should be done to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness. A warm-up, as in its name, basically increases the temperature of muscle, which improves its elasticity, making it more resilient to tearing. The effects of a proper warm-up lead to improved muscle contractions and better performance during the workout. Research states that warming up for an eccentric-type workout with concentric moves is effective in helping prevent DOMS. A good warm-up for running consists of more dynamic moves such as walking lunges, legs swings, and military marches. Static stretches, where you hold a fixed position for several seconds is not recommended, as this will cause muscles to elongate and remain in a more relaxed state. Save these for after your run.

If you are beginning a running or exercise program for the first time or after a long break, it is advisable to gradually ease into the intensity and make sure to include that warm-up. It is important to note the difference between DOMS and other causes of muscle pain. If you are experiencing pain during a specific exercise, it is most likely due to improper form, a muscle strain, or other injury. DOMS symptoms occur between 8 and 12 hours after the completion of exercise. You are able to perform lower intensity exercises with DOMS without continued muscle damage, whereas with a muscle strain, further exercise will continue to impair the muscle.

DOMS is not necessarily a bad condition since it involves a natural effect of new exercise, but it should be avoided when possible as it prevents any higher intensity exercise to be performed for several days or weeks. If you want to go “all-out” during your track day with brand new sprint intervals that you have never done, and you develop DOMS, expect to not be able to get your long run done even if it is a couple of days after the track workout. A good rule of thumb when increasing intensity of your workout program is to increase sets, reps, resistance, or mileage by only 10% or less each week. This is the safest way to help prevent the unwanted limitations of DOMS.

Sources

Miles MP, Clarkson PM, Exercise-induced Muscle Pain, Soreness, and Cramps, Journal, May 6, 2020.

Connolly D, Sayers SP, McHugh MP,Treatment and Prevention of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, Journal, May 6, 2020.

Zainab Zainuddin, Mike Newton, Paul Sacco, Kazunori Nosaka, Effects of Massage on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness, Swelling, and Recovery of Muscle Function, Journal, May 6, 2020.