"I had a good string of training that allowed me to get in good shape," he said. "That's what made the difference last year. I got a higher mileage week (before the marathon) than I did last year. I got up to 211 miles in a week."
So today marks the running of the 2011 Boston Marathon and I've been reading up on the race history (who could forget the 1982 Duel in the Sun between Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley? video below) and this year's edition which happens to include an 'accidental' elite runner.
So, I was reading an article that popped up in my Google Reader this morning. The article talks about a Scott Rowe, a marathoner who's run the Boston Marathon a few times in the past. When he tried to register for the race this year, he discovered it had already filled up but somehow managed to get an elite field entry into the race.
His marathon times aren't horrible, but I'm not sure they can be considered elite. With a PB of 2:24, he now finds himself toeing the line with the world's best...men who can cover the distance 20 minutes faster than he can.
The quote above is from the news article that discusses his 2011 Boston Marathon and in it he claims to have peaked, I'm guessing at most once, at 211 miles of running in one week. 211 miles! That's a ridiculous amount of
Though I'm sure he's run lots during his prep for the Boston Marathon, 211 miles seems rather high and lofty. If you're a marathoner and took the time to read this, is there any chance you could let me know what your highest week has been? Do men pad their weekly kill counts like they do their penis size? Does 211 miles really mean 150 miles...the same as 8 inches is really only 5?
Haha good one! No I actually ran 211 miles. Had 100 miles in the first 3 days. The article wasn't exactly all true, I got my number based on my time and place last year and isn't a true elite #. Usually a 2:26 gets you in the elite corral at Boston, however you are considered a sort of sub elite. The top 22 numbers are the real elite runners. The higher ones are for the 2:20 to 2:26 guys like me. I don't run that kind of mileage regularly it's a one time thing I do before marathons. I usually average 100 to 120 a week.
ReplyDeleteHey Scott! Thanks for stopping by, looks like you put my question to rest. That's mind blowing, over 210 miles in one week. How did you recover properly from so much in one week? I'm finding it time consuming to recover from 60 to 70 mile weeks.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the result this year, satisfied/happy?
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ReplyDeleteI actually did it to prove it was possible to a friend. Don't know if you are aware but a local NH woman elite runner, does 200 as a part of her regular routine.
ReplyDeletehttp://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=21039&PageNum=1
Many people don't believe her story. I however do and wanted to prove it was possible. Last year she peaked out at 210 for Boston 2010. Prior I had only gone as high as 175 and done a bunch of 150 weeks. Also being the completive person I am, I wanted to 1 up her, so I did 211 :p Was running 2 to 3 times a day. Did 80 miles the following week and was fully recovered after. Then 100+ mile weeks seemed like cake and was able to do it mostly at tempo effort.
You should give 100 mile weeks a shot some time. Sometimes running more can decrease recovery time. It will be miserable at first, but then 70 will seem like a cake walk afterwards.
Was lucky I finished this year, had hydration issues. Not thrilled with my time, but that's how marathoning goes. Boston was a blast none the less.