Stop Overcomplicating Your Running Training

[@flowerfaeri]

Love this. I tried heart rate, MAF training, etc. and it took the joy out of running for me. I was becoming a slave to my Garmin and walking virtually every hill as a result. I now run by perceived effort which is pretty much what you’re saying, enjoying running again and getting faster. Thank you for promoting a more natural approach to running 😊

[@patrickmartinrunning]

That's a good way of putting it, ' a natural approach to running' thanks.

[@joohj1187]

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - most of us not running to qualify for the olympics or something, this advice makes a lot of sense. We're all focused on data that we forget running is a very straightforward sport, needed to hear this - thanks!

[@Kelly_Ben]

So well said! At the end of the day, it's our HOBBY. Enjoy it.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

So true, love that, 'simplicity is the ultimate sophistication'. Running is simple, just enjoy it.

[@dan-312]

What Patrick is saying - when in doubt, do the Forrest Gump training plan. "Just felt like running" turns into "just run for feel."

[@DanMcIntyreMusic]

Your story is incredible. I ran a 100k ultra this past summer and although I trained well my weekly mileage was really inconsistent. I've got another ultra in May 2024 and I've decided to bin off the training plan and make my focus consistent higher mileage and building it up over time. I always run focusing on my heart rate no matter how I feel and after watching this video feel like I may have become a bit of a slave to it. Thanks Patrick!

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Thanks, yes if there's one thing that I could almost guarantee results from it would be consistency. Just focusing on that is a game changer.

[@davecowdry6274]

I love how you’re turning what is a very simple sport into simple training again. I’ve doubled my weekly mileage this last couple of months from 50k to 100k per week by just running to feel. I’ve no training plan apart from ever increasing miles. Well done Patrick. One of the more sensible running voices on this platform.

[@TirnanHealy]

Did it work well?

[@RunSensible]

I've tried to run sub 3hrs for the marathon twice and both times got so bogged down on workouts and stats and only realised after I failed I hadn't ran on feel or enjoyment at all. I was a slave to the stats on my watch. Just starting again to go sub 3hrs in spring or summer 2024 and I'm using this method. Thanks Patrick.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Thanks, yes it's so easy to get bogged down with details that aren't that important. When you just focus on consistency it makes it more enjoyable and you're more likely to want to run more too.

[@RunSensible]

@@patrickmartinrunning so true and sadly I had forgotten this. When I was trying to break 1hr30 for the half I messed it up a few times. Then I ran 10km every day for 77 days and on the 78th day I ran 1hr28 easily.

[@zacsborntorunrunningadvent3441]

​@@RunSensibleif you can run 11km Zone1-low2 12km Zone2 11km Easy Z1-2. 20km Zone2 mlr 12km Easy 15km with 2 x 20min 32km longrun @5:15/ 2hrs 50min for atleast 10wks then throw 4wks of Intervals in & a h.m race untapered youll get your high 2 and have fun remember :) 🎉.

[@JesseStarks]

This is one of the best running videos I’ve ever seen, because of its simplicity. Returned to it again after finding it a couple months back. Thanks a lot for putting this out there.

[@lee_legs_it]

Very simple approach. Love it. I've recently switched to this, running steady in a morning and easy in an afternoon. Running 80mpw, and feeling fitter week-on-week. Would be great to know more about your typical week day, balancing training/work, food consumed, etc.

[@edwardroberts739]

I like this - strong work ethic. Consistently doing anything is the way forward... being perfect at something for a month is worse than consistent over the long term - solid

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Yes so true, this probably works for anything

[@dutchgus]

“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection”. Mark Twain

[@Audifan8595]

I came back to running over the summer after 10 years of being completely sedentary due to a chronic illness (finally in complete remission 🎉) and I did some wildly inconsistent running for August and September, but in October I buckled down and started running 5 days a week however I felt like it, only rule was one run each week had to be at least 10 miles. Last weekend I ran a 1:45:58 half marathon, my first ever half and the furthest I've ever run at once. (I am 28/F and ran XC/track in high school) I didn't follow any sort of training plan, I didn't do any core or strength training. I just ran at whatever pace felt good, it was usually in the low to mid eights per mile. Now, I am running a full marathon in April, which I've obviously never done before. I am nervous and had been thinking about the best way to approach my training. This video I feel came to me at the perfect time and it confirms that what I was already doing was probably the reason why I was able to run such a fast half marathon when a year ago my muscles were so atrophied I couldn't even sit up straight. Not to say my time is super incredible, but given the context of my illness and how little time I've been training, I think my time was actually pretty crazy. Thanks so much for this video, I think I will prep for my marathon by continuing to build mileage. I'm running about 30 miles a week right now and hope to build up to 60-70 by April!

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Brilliant, running at a pace that you felt like worked well for you and got you results. Sometimes I think we forget to listen to our bodies and be flexible according to how we feel. Good luck with the marathon prep and building up the mileage. Just keep enjoying it! Thanks so much for the comment too.

[@thepsychologist8159]

I just ran a half-marathon after coming back from a bad achilles injury. Towards the end of my recovery I started doing simple things like going for light walks, some squats and side leg raises to build my glutes. Then I did some bike riding for a few weeks. With only 5 weeks to go before the HM, I started doing some light running but always mindful of my injury to ensure I didn't re-injure myself. Gradually I became more confident and built up the kilometres. With limited time I focused on volume as there's no point in running a HM if I couldn't make the distance. Most of my training was done at 12k/ph. With two weeks to go, I sprinkled in some fartlek sessions - total distance 8km - 2km easy pace (12k/ph), 400m @ 12.7k/ph, 400m @ 13.4k/ph, back down to 12k/ph for 800m, and repeat 3 more times, with one final 400m at 12k/ph. With one week to go on the Sunday before the race I pushed myself to do an 18km at 12k/ph. On race day I ran the HM in 94:52. This was nowhere near my best, but with only 5 weeks of running, not too bad - an average pace of just over 13.4k/ph. Conclusion to the story. Spend most of your time training at easy pace. Sure, you need to throw in some high-intensity stuff, but volume at easy pace is most important for endurance runners.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Brilliant stuff, lots to take away from this. Building up gradually, not going too fast and listening and understanding what works for you. Thanks for the comment.

[@SuperFuzzyDunlop]

I used to find all the directly contradictory advice from running experts who are really just relaying what worked for them personally very demotivating, until I realised they're all just trying to find their own angle to differentiate their brand. Very high mileage works for some, relatively low mileage and lots of speed work works for others, fairly high mileage and some speedwork works for most. I do agree there is a tendency for perfectionism and optimisation - ultimately as long as you're improving, staying injury free and still enjoying it, don't question what you're doing.

[@ethan62]

Love this! There is so much information online and the most important thing is to just get out there and do something!

[@zacsborntorunrunningadvent3441]

Another brilliant-to the point- endurance running reminder to simply Run and run well & often. Most people massively underestimate the results that come from high volume running in ones own Zone 2 & 3 (in the easy to steady range up to say 15sec above marathon pace etc). What youve shown time & time again Patrick is the continual mths of 10+ hrs a wk mostly all aerobic (slower than m.p) perhaps 90% of the time builds a tremendous Aerobic Base. Everyone wants to make 120km wks fit 40km wks...and it just doesnt work that way. Your Left Ventricle must be improving constantly too which is exciting. Have u noticed your resting pulse is now near 35-42bpm etc? The Left Atrium achieves a full filling of the chamber with runs not faster than steady so its very rewarding. Keep inspiring 🎉Cheers from Australia

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Thanks very much, yes my resting pulse is pretty much exactly between 35 - 42 bpm, spot on! Normally around 37. That's very interesting. Exactly, it takes hours of consistency each week to see results, rather than a special workout every now and again. I would love to find a short cut, but from my experience and listening to knowledgeable people like you, there isn't one.

[@tomverdich184]

Love it Patrick. Just run : )

[@MichaelLoweAttorney]

Probably the best advice is to find what style of training works best for you. For every high mileage runner there’s a moderate mileage runner doing more intensity who swears their approach is the best. The best results for me so far has been moderate mileage with an emphasis on speed and strength. Higher mileage didn’t get me a PR.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Yes agreed, but I think it's less about the mileage and more about the consistency of running.

[@MichaelLoweAttorney]

@@patrickmartinrunning thank you for this channel. I enjoy it. I totally agree about not running strictly to a training plan. I’ve only done that once and had the worst result. Learning to listen to my body has been important to know when I can go hard again. New runners have an advantage in that they know nothing. It’s a good thing to approach running from a simpler way and just learn from experience instead of listening to coaches or training plans.

[@JeDindk]

Patrick, I love your videos. Thanks for sharing the thoughts behind your training strategy. There are many great running channels on KZbin, but you are one of those who inspire me the most. 👍😀

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Thank you, I'm so pleased to hear that.

[@Utku-vt5xk]

hi Patrick greetings from turkey. your training idea very effective.actually we don't need fancy training plans that is so confusing.congrulations and thank you for sharing

[@alexanders4911]

This is the way to approach running ❤ pure wisdom. Book recommendation (tho can be hard to get hold of): "running within". Keep the good work going Patrick n i always looking forward to your videos 👏🙏

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Thank you, that's appreciated. I'll see if I can find that book.

[@brianhangfaing4946]

Thanks for sharing this, things get some complicated in the world now 😅

[@HardCoreCT333]

Patrick, I really appreciate you sharing your story. I feel that I have some similarities as I like to run based on how I feel and not by the pace that the running watch tells me. I have been criticized for not following the plan or a scheduled pace so I mainly run alone now. I have big plans for becoming a better and stronger runner and your story fits with my future goals.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Good luck, sounds like you're on a path that will keep you consistent which is the main thing. Thanks for sharing.

[@tweakLeeds2006]

Fully agree - its all about consistent mileage. When I am doing marathon training (more miles in the week), my Parkrun times just improve and then dip down when the marathon training stops. Intervals and tempo don't do anything for me - its all mileage.

[@JeDindk]

How do you combine Parkrun with marathon training? Is Saturday a sort of off-day where you only run 5 km? Or do you run twice that day? Or maybe something else?

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Yes it's amazing how much the miles help.

[@soccergalsara]

Great comment , thank you !

[@soccergalsara]

I did 6 weeks marathon training but I would do weekly intervals . I love the long runs and didn’t mind the intervals but 10k- hm pace doesn’t appeal to me , I don’t think I’d enjoy it . I was thinking of getting around to trying tempo and see what benefits I’d get. But I love getting out so maybe I’ll just stick to higher mileage and intervals weekly or every ten days :D

[@pierreroudaut]

Inspiring story, thanks for sharing! Managing one's training by feel more than a pedantic plan is in my opinion something that comes with self confidence which is built over time. In the early days of a runner's journey, learning about the different frameworks, paces, workouts, and metrics can be beneficial to understand how adaptation and progress occur.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

So true, the more we understand how it all works the more confidence we have to just go by feel.

[@ubermensch1979]

This is really good advice. But I think it’s good to have a plan, even a flexible one, so it takes the pressure of deciding every day what type of run to do, where to go, what stretches, what kit, what hydration & nutrition to carry etc.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Yes, good to have structure sometimes too

[@Kinaanath]

Well said, keep things simple

[@majora320]

This is the best advice for working out in general. Listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Exactly

[@marcwaddingham3091]

I agree it's a simple sport really...lots of miles with a sprinkler of strides every week will get you fast....lots of bread n butter as I call it

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Exactly 💯

[@jakehoneywill1]

Very inspiring video.. listen to your body and ‘just do it’.. today I set out to do 10k in about an hour (I’ve only ran 10k about 3/4 times).. set the pacer to 6:18/km just felt good so I crushed 1h and got 56:20!

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Awesome! That's what running is about, challenging yourself and enjoying it. You'll be consistent more if you do that.

[@johndupreez5663]

Needed to hear this - thanks! 👍

[@hcronos]

Finally, someone who makes sense. Run how you feel and fuck all

[@mpham0110]

Thanks for sharing. Totally agree with your approach! Cheers!

[@Eddie-Spaghetti]

Patrick is there any chance you could do a what I eat in a typical day nutrition video that supplements all this running I can never seem to get nutrition right what you eating? Times? How much? Calorie counting? Etc etc?

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Yes will do! That's been asked a lot.

[@soccergalsara]

Very insightful ! Thank you .

[@dr.mohamedaitnouh4501]

I enjoy listening to your channel it makes running fun and more accessible. I subscribed. I noticed you put a lot of mileage though .. no joke

[@mikehobbs624]

Good to see you back Patrick. Great video 👍 I follow you on strava, you've been banging out the miles. Have you got any goal races between now and London?

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Thanks Mike. Nothing set in stone yet. I'm just enjoying training and will probably enter something in the next few weeks.

[@georgebarr5102]

Patrick - it’s surely possible that you are naturally brilliant and if you followed 8020 you could run 2:05 😂

[@nicksaveka5078]

I’ve been saying this for yrs , stick with what you’re capable of doing but go out and do it consistently for your self - DW about what other people are doing at gym or running, focus on building ur mind and listening to ur body

[@manuelferreira8884]

Great advice

[@sub240mara]

Hi Patrick really enjoying your content, love your journey so far! Will you be able to bring out a video on running technique as I think I'm over complicating thing at the moment

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Yes I will try to. And thanks for the suggestion.

[@sub240mara]

@@patrickmartinrunning thank you much appreciated 🙏

[@stevencauser15]

First of all congratulations on your success and I really could buy into this philosophy. You do however run almost superhuman distances which would see my body at a similar age to yours simply fold (that is if I even had the time to do it). Just wondering.... I understand that you run to feel, but obviously there is more.planning involved.... Do you therefore run with a distance in mind or a time? Or is it again simply you run until you think thats enough (which happens to be crazy numbers) like I said it's all brilliant what you do and best of luck in the future

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Thank you! I just try to run as much mileage as I can with the time I have and as much as I feel my body can take at that time. Over the last couple of years that's allowed me to gradually increase my mileage. I'll go out knowing that I'm doing a longer run or a shorter one. E.g. on a Sunday morning I usually do 30+km and week day evenings roughly 10km. But if I feel good I can increase those distances or decrease if not. The pace can vary too. Over the long term if I'm consistent I know I'm getting in a good amount of mileage.

[@the_village_runner]

One question, where you say increase the mileage are you doing this over a block for a specific race? Or are you just increasing this week on week for as long as you can? I am inbetween races at the moment and in a bit of no mans land. Still running a good amount but not sure how much I should be doing before my next marathon block starts before London 2024, Great video as always thanks Patrick

[@patrickmartinrunning]

In between races I like to get to a level of mileage I can maintain for a while and then in blocks before races either increase the mileage to a peak, increase the intensity, or both.

[@jenniferjoy7511]

Thank you for this

[@craigtsmith6957]

well said sir - i get paralysed through over thinking

[@geoffreymccann2841]

The best races I've had at an older age is off the back of just running how I feel I ran a 17.47 5km track race at 48 just a couple of weeks after a hilly 2.06 30km race and that was just doing whatever I felt like doing. Sometimes I feel you put more pressure on yourself when things are too structured.

[@lakshaydalal541]

moral of the story : CONCISTENCY is the key

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Exactly

[@ABucc]

I have ran 2 marathons, and I used to just run every day, which was good, but when I added rest days and hill repeats to my routine, I ran 18 minutes faster than my first marathon.

[@dimitar297]

Maybe the temperature of the second race day was lower.

[@michite7435]

Very good! You gave your body time to recover between runs and strength with hills!

[@ABucc]

@dimitar297 actually, the temperature on my second race was warmer.

[@ABucc]

@michite7435 whatever, it worked for me.

[@paxundpeace9970]

This clearly shows some structure helps a lot. It does only need som basic rules. No two hard days in a row.. Take a few rest days it depends how many. Easy days - easy. Hard days - hard.

[@harpldlewis7764]

I have always believed that a training plan cannot be a 'one-sized fit all' type of arrangement. It should be tailored to individual needs and strengths. I also believe that you might just be naturally gifted.

[@roadto0mortgage52]

Thank you great video 🎉

[@nicomastropietro3996]

I agree 100%! 👍

[@gregwhittier5206]

Just wanted to say that as a 52 year old coming back, I found adding workouts from the EIM book you recommended helped immensely to get me out of slogs I'd been doing. With basically the same mileage I ran a 10k 10 secs per mile faster than I'd run a 5k at 7 weeks earlier. Really made me cognizant we run with muscles and tendons and not just energy systems. I think steady running might have done the same, but I found this very easy to recover from and think it would be harder to recover from longer continuous efforts.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

That's great to hear. I've found the same and I enjoy the faster running more. Mentally the longer efforts can be harder too, which can put people off training.

[@hughgurney8686]

I'd say you've got more talent for distance running than you realise Patrick. If everybody could run a 1hr09 1/2M simply off running lots of miles you'd see a lot more people doing it. Whereas look at race results and you might see the winner going sub70 and that's about it.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

The message I'm trying to get across is that you can improve from whatever your level is now with consistent running. Not that everyone can start running lots of mileage and suddenly run 1.08 half marathons.

[@hughgurney8686]

I agree - consistent training is very important. Lydiard said it in the 60s and proved he could take a bunch of people from beginning running to a sub-4hr marathon just by getting them out running day-in, day-out. His basic schedule is one of the best you'll see for not overcomplicating things.

[@GNP999]

I totally agree with the main message of this video. This is the approach I took for my last marathon and it went well. A friend told me to get rid of the watch too. Get rid of Strava. No music. Just run and be free and become more in tune with your body and mind.

[@hughgurney8686]

@@GNP999 It's a great approach for a marathon which is 99% aerobic. If you want to get to your best at a 5K, parkrun, cross country or even 10K, you're going to need to some lactate tolerance and clearance training and so on which need more than just steady running.

[@zacsborntorunrunningadvent3441]

​@@hughgurney8686only need 6wks of it though. People over focus on the Anaerobic system 1st and that's the 1st pitfall. Its why most fun runners or non elite club runners never break sub20min 5k etc. Cheers

[@hardipchima7828]

What if you want to get quicker but can’t run 100 mile weeks?

[@patrickmartinrunning]

You don't need to run 100 mile weeks, just increase the volume of running you're currently doing to something you're able to. Gradually build up from whatever your starting point is.

[@Davidm-u7g]

I feel one of the most difficult things is nutrition to have the fuel to run long runs, 100 mile weeks etc. you ever gonna show us your diet?

[@JeDindk]

Yep, that also what intrigues me the most. I don't understand how people get the energy/fuel to run so much, and I think it's hard to find good videos on the subject.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

The reason I've never done a video on this is because my diet isn't anything special, like the running it's very simple. I eat when I'm hungry and just the usual 3 meals a day. I'll see if I can make a video about it though as I do understand it's an interesting subject.

[@Gzubit]

​@@JeDindkHello. I run about 150 kms/week and my nutrition is very very simple, but very very boring! Rice eggs milk, fruit apples mainly, and dark chocolate 85% . As an example: morning run , I drink a 250ml of juice and a slice of bread ( without jam or anything) after running 1 boiled egg and about 250 ml of milk. At Lunch Lots of rice with 3 scrambled eggs and a salad ( 1 tomato and lettuce ).Two squares of dark chocolate 85% after lunch.Take a nap and 7 hours after 1 st run i go to my second running session, easy run, my second run in the afternoon is always easy. After my second run I eat a pancake, and two hours after that I eat my dinner. Again rice with meat ( mainly turkey or chicken) very rarely red meat. One thing to notice, is that all the cooking must be very simple Rice, only boiled with salt, eggs with only a little bit of olive oil, same for meat. dressings like ketchup and maionese are skipped .You want your digestive system working flawlessly, without spending much energy. Everything very very simple. Rely a lot on carbs.

[@JeDindk]

@@Gzubit Thank you very, very much for your comment. That is much appreciated. 👍😀 Firstly, I'm extremely impressed with anyone who can run 150 km/week. My ambition is to get up to between 70 and a 100 km/week. But I can't do it .... that's why I'm so curious about how guys like you manage to run so much. Your diet might be a bit boring, as you say, but ... I like the simplicity. 😀 But something still puzzle me; I assume you must be eating a LOT. Otherwise you would not be able to run 150 km/week. You burn a LOT of calories, so you must also consume a LOT of calories = eat a LOT of food. Your comment solves a bit of the mystery - you have quite a lot of small meals during the day. But still .... do you ever feel like you have to force yourself to eat to get enough calories? I have 4 meals a day and eat about 2500 calories. I'm never hungry. I'm always full. But if I want to run longer, I have to eat more to consume more calories. But how can I do that when I'm always full? How do you do it? How do you eat all the food, that I assume you must be eating?

[@andybate9330]

Got to say I have to disagree with this... You can get results without " lots of mileage" by training smart ! I ran a 52 min 10 miler ) and 31 mins / 10k off around 40 miles/ week. Also 7th in the Inter Counties Cross country.... My training was 10-15 miles on a Sunday, 2 track or interval sessions / week and the rest was pretty easy running. It is not necessary to do high mileage to get results !

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Thanks, you were consistent though in your training. The point I'm trying to make is that consistency is incredibly important. You ran lots of consistent mileage, not necessarily high mileage.

[@fane2233]

Do you remember what pace did you had when you first started 3 and a half years ago? And also what was the weekly mileage back then? Thanks a lot!😊

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Over 4 mins per km and I probably ran about 25 miles a week.

[@fane2233]

@@patrickmartinrunning you already had a solid start with that pace, congrats. I was curious if you started with a common pace like 5 or even 6. I assume you had a great fitness back then.😅

[@L0Ls0ul]

I'm curious you said you've been running for 3 and a half years. What was your fitness like for what you consider your starting point. What would have been 5k or 10k times?

[@PMTCards]

Yeah I’m assuming VERY high.. his times are nuts for his age and late start at “running”.. I’m not doubting his ability or anything.. just can’t believe went from working 9-5 occasional gym goer to 2:20 marathon runner lol

[@patrickmartinrunning]

I had quite good fitness when I started running yes, and I was able to ramp that up quite quickly by being consistent with my running.

[@L0Ls0ul]

@@patrickmartinrunning what time would you have been able to run 3 and a half years ago? A rough estimation of any 5k+ distance is perfectly fine, I'm just very curious to put the improvement into better perspective

[@religionofrunning253]

Thanks

[@Foxtrottangoabc]

I been reading watching vids about zone 2 stuff . Complete overload and realised 99 percent of people including coaches are becoming too obsessed by it all and most dont understand it. I checked wickipedia and in the mid 1970s before the polar hr monitor came out , world marathon pace was 2hr 9min . Today its 2hrs . So since hr monitors came on the scene almost 50yrs ago ! Marathin time has improved by 9 minutes 😂. Outside of hr monitors trainers, diet , and drugs cheating has hot very sophisticated. And as u say what I noticed reading all this stuff training volume , discipline , common sense with regards to low intensity training to avoid injury still more important than hr monitors, which I have found useful though 😅

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Yes, listen to your body, we rely on tech too much and there isn't lots of evidence we're improving much because of it.

[@paxundpeace9970]

I gone disagree while i get your message and i feel like keeping it simple really helps a lot. Still it is important to have same guidelines and rules to applies. Some are personal how to structured do you like your plans and on the other hand how to make it your mileage or your lifestyle. So i would advocate to set some bundaries from time to time. How often do you run per week or per months at a maximum? What's the ratio between easy and hard workouts? How much rest is needed ?

[@fraac]

reckon if you started adding stephen scullion style gym and workouts you could compete near the top level?

[@patrickmartinrunning]

I'm not sure. If I was professional and had the time I would like to try. Being nearly 43 probably doesn't help though!

[@ericgonzales3418]

Tomorrow I do 40 mins to see how many miles I can do with Garmin smartwatch it’s been working out for me so far

[@zeniktorres4320]

Totally agree

[@jordi7911]

Just saying, if you love running, just enjoy it and run how you feel that day so you enjoy it the most.

[@ronaldosanpablo6761]

Not everybody has the body to adopt well on those given loads of running not getting injured. Lucky you don't get injured. Easy for you to say those things. One success is not everyone's solution. To each his own.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

That's pretty much what I'm saying, to each his/her own.

[@guzgrant]

So true .

[@Pvm_enthuasist]

To play devils advocate, is it possible that you were able to achieve those feats without structure due to genetics? (Not discounting your hard work). I come from a bodybuilding/strength training background and that community is also saturated with information with new studies coming out every day on how to optimize every little detail. However, there are certain lifters in the community who recommend doing the bare basics such as compound only movements when in reality their genetics have allowed them to get away with simplicity, certain non responders to training need more volume and specialisation in their training. In addition to this, I like the phrase "everything works, until it doesn't", some training methodologies simply stop working after plateaus.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Genetics help of course and they get you so far in my opinion. I just focused on the things that got me the best return (consistency of mileage) and saw results from there. I feel like if I had just relied on 'good genetics' I would have plateaued.

[@io-rj6sk]

hay maybe random question but do u feel more or less energy and vitality with how much weekly mileage u do? also has all this mileage have a positive or negative effect on libido? was their a specific weekly mileage that u felt was more conducive to general well being or has running more just made everything in ur life better ? also how many strength sessions a week do u do? will b a interesting watch if u decide to record what u do for ur gym workouts

[@patrickmartinrunning]

I feel like I've got more energy overall. If I increase my mileage yes I do feel tired, but I find that my body gets used to it and the energy comes back. For me, doing about 100 miles a week feels right, but that's because I've got used to it. Anything less feels too little and more becomes tiring until I get used to it. My mental health improves when I run and I feel a lot better about everything in general. Honestly at the moment I'm struggling to find the time to do much strength training. But will try to do more as goal races approach. Not ideal.

[@io-rj6sk]

​@@patrickmartinrunning nice ! i assume all this mileage is still in the endo speed 3's? quite curious tho do u ever feel any niggles in ur joints/tendons or even muscles after or even during the runs? if so r they fleeting and just go away on their own as u go throughout ur day?

[@7bimbim]

Do I need still run if I got liitle pain in my thigh?

[@patrickmartinrunning]

No, probably best to rest.

[@Matt-iy2cf]

Wat was the time of your first ever 5k run?

[@master214able]

Run forest run.. how many miles you running per week? And how many days your rest day?

[@patrickmartinrunning]

At the moment 200km plus per week

[@master214able]

@@patrickmartinrunningwoah awesome …Im only at 100km..

[@darrenmoule8295]

Hi do you do much strength and conditioning training

[@kipponi]

I need to know every run purpose. I don't want just "junk miles" here km. Listening what body feels and needs It clears out to me when I always first just run 10-15min warmup. I can change program.

[@SimonSaysRun]

I'm curious to know what you do for a living? I'd love to have more time to be able to run, but work life can really suck the energy out of you sometimes

[@patrickmartinrunning]

I'm self employed so I can fit in runs around my work, I often end up working early or late, but I do have that flexibility, which helps.

[@dewarmckinlay4844]

What about the easy interval method? You didn't use that? Just the surges on the longer runs?

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Yes, the surges on the longer runs (faster paced running for a minute or so). A lot of my faster runs are a similar pace to the Easy Interval Method, but I do my own thing.

[@taylandag4025]

You can run in morning at 3:58 pace for 20 km and the afternoon at 4:20 pace for 10 km. At this level of course you can run 2:24 marathon. Think someone doing this 2 trainin at 5:00 pace in the morning at 5:30 pace in the afternon. Do you think that can someone run 2:24 marathon at this level?

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Keep running consistently and watch yourself improve. How far you go with it depends on how consistent you are willing to be, the amount of mileage you can run, and how much you want it. Just enjoy it and go from there, don't worry about the numbers.

[@lostpianist]

If you’re running 2.24 at 42 then you have been lucky with your genetics. But yes, you can think too much and do too little.

[@carolinehynes3186]

I assume you do strength training Patrick.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

A little, but not as much as I should.

[@mikeleigh6304]

''If you were a superhuman and could run super fast every day without getting injured or fatigued'', so Kelvin Kiptum then 😂

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Haha pretty much, he must be super human.

[@HowIsThat69]

If you like doping, sure

[@jota55581]

One of the Main aims of the internet is to muddy waters .

[@hoospoodles]

this isnt for everyone .When you are young nothing gets hurt. When you are older you need rest days

[@realstradman]

That's all well and good for you mate. But don't try to oversimplify things either. Running is like any exercise or activity. We are all different and what works for one person does not necessarily work for another. Just because you have the time to put in crazy amount of miles at crazy pace, and at the moment at least, not be injured and you're fine, does not mean you should be preaching this to everyone as some sort of motivational way that can work for everyone. There is a science to everything because there are many different ways that may need to apply to different people for various reasons. So you can't just try to brush away years of observation and research by many people simply because you've been able to post a great time after 3.5 years of running. Bully for you but this does not make you an expert in running...

[@vazquezcarlos]

I agree. I used to run mileage all the time. Getting in up to 80 mile weeks and 2 or 3 20+ mile long runs. It wasn't until I threw in midweek 4 to 8 mile tempos, and progression long runs (8 slow, 6 HM and 2 10k), plus strengthening workouts at the gym...2 x's a week, did I finally drop my marathon average from 3:30 to 3:12. This is after training for 7 marathons!

[@Kelly_Ben]

"From my experience..." It didn't sound like he was pushing this as the only way. He was offering his own knowledge and experience, for other runners to consider as an option. He's doing a service to other runners by offering his opinion. Take it or leave it, no need to be insulting.

[@realstradman]

@@Kelly_Ben well that's what comment sections are for. If you don't want to hear unfavourable as well as favourable comments, then switch off the comments section, and just post what you want to say. By leaving a comments section open then I'm entitled to comment on what you've said. Simples

[@mikes5764]

So, in short, what is your conclusion about the relation between high mileage and performace, based on the years of observation and research that you mention?

[@realstradman]

@@mikes5764 I don't claim to be an expert by any means, nor do I preach to anyone based on my own performance and personal experience-as we are all different-, however to suggest that simply high mileage at your own pace is the key or main factor for many runners, and to just suggest to get out there and run, without talking about the quality of training, just sounds neglectful. In this day and age where people have jobs, families, various obligations and other things that can get in the way of training, its not a simple matter of just suggesting get out there and slog out 80-100 miles a week and it will all be good. Sure high mileage will get your body adapted to one degree or another, however equally if not careful it can also burn you out or injury you in different ways. There are ways you can noticeably and remarkably improve your running through more quality sessions- with less than stratospheric mileage-, including speed work, intervals, tempo or threshold running, where your training plan can be centered around such quality sessions. There's a lot more to it of course, but you said short and that's the shortest I can do at the mo...

[@guavlaskx9419]

Forrest Gump tactic.

[@patrickmartinrunning]

Haha!