We've discussed the importance of "Base Training", logging many miles to build up our aerobic system.  Logging a lot of miles in the off-season is the surest way to get fast during the xc season!

BUT it's one thing to write down 50 miles a week or 200 miles a month, and an entirely different thing to actually "Git'er Done"!

Putting in the miles is a challenge.  It is physically demanding as well as mentally challenging, but the rewards are great if you can accomplish it.  But be aware, lots of running will make you tired, and make you more susceptible to injury, so we have to be smart about putting in the miles.

Here are some tips to help you through the drudgery of weeks of mileage training.

• PLAN!  Having a written plan to follow takes some of the mental stress off of you, you don't have to think, you just do! Each week you should make a quick plan as to which days are going to be your long runs, and which days are going to be your easy runs and recovery runs.
• BE PATIENT! Gradually increase your weekly mileage (avoid increasing your weekly mileage by more than 10% over what your body is used to doing).  After increasing for a couple of weeks, take a week to cut back on mileage and recover your legs.
• ADJUST AS NEEDED! Adapt your plan!  While we want to be disciplined, sometimes we have to adapt.  When our body is extremely tired, or you feel an injury coming on, it's smart to back off a few days to let your body recover.  Once your body is healthy or recovered you can bounce back to your regular training.
• START SLOW!  Ease into your runs and allow your body to loosen up.  Easy Mileage is good mileage! Easy mileage accomplishes the goal of logging miles.  Do not worry about your speed, that will come later!
• DIVIDE AND CONQUER! When it is hot, or when you are tired you can split your run into 2 runs (one in the morning one in the afternoon/evening).  This is mentally easier to tackle, and physically accomplishes the mileage!
• EXPLORE! Find new places to run! 
• SOCIALIZE! Find friends to run with!  This will help the mental challenge!
• EAT! Make sure you have fueled before you run.  Running on an empty tank is hard.  Obviously you want to allow time for your food to digest!  A light snack, or an energy bar/gel before a run can make accomplishing your run much easier
• DRINK! It is critically important to stay hydrated throughout the day, and especially before/during your run.
• RECOVER! Eat/drink with an hour after running.  Your body recharges it muscles the most with the first 2 hours after exercise.
• SLEEP! Tired running is hard running, so get your rest! 7 hours a night minimum, but 8-10 is best! 
  

"What was the secret, they wanted to know; in a thousand different ways they wanted to know The Secret. And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as with that most unprofound and sometimes heart-rending process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of his training shoes. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials.”
― John L. Parker Jr., Once a Runner

Elite runner's approach training in "phases", emphasizing different types of training at different times during the year.  In the most simple format they break it down into five phases:  off-season, preseason, in-season, peaking and post-season. Each phase emphasizes different types of training designed to produce slightly different results

Their secret to success is to have a great off-season phase, this is where where you build your "base", also known as your aerobic system.  This is critical for a distance runner.  The aerobic system fuels your muscles with the oxygen needed to run fast for a long time. It includes your heart, lungs, blood vessels and at the cellular level the mitochondria that power your muscles. Your bones, joints and connective tissue gain strength to become resistant to injury.

Base building is best accomplished by logging miles and miles, most at an very easy pace!  Why?  Scientific research shows us that lots of time spent running causes your muscles to develop more mitochondria  and blood capillaries.  It also conditions your heart and lungs to work efficiently with out tiring.  So, how much running is needed? Here are a few stats for you:

• Logging an average 6-7 hours of running a week for 8-12 weeks produces the most benefit for your efforts.  Beyond that you gain benefits but also increase risk for injury. This translates to about 55-60 mile per week for boys, and 40-50 miles per week for girls.
• Long Runs of  90-120 minutes produce the greatest gain in mitochondrial and capillary development.
• Easy runs of 40 minutes produce the most optimal amount of naturally produced HGH (which fuels your recovery), helping your body to become very proficient at translating the training into performance gains.
• Running daily (and even twice a day) increases your benefits, even if those runs are short 15-20 minute runs (keeps the recovery mechanism stimulated).
• 85-90% of your training during this phase of training should be done a about 60% effort (very conversational pace).  Running faster does not produce better results, and too much fast running actually results in less improvement.
• 10-15% of your training should be at a faster pace, either tempo pace or intervals
• Tempo pace runs (slightly slower than 5k pace) should be 15 to 30 minutes produce the most benefits

Two other interesting developments come from logging lots of miles.  One is mechanical, with miles comes increased efficiency.  Your body finds the optimal stride length and foot placement that produces the most efficient stride for you.  This is called "running economy" and is one of the greatest determinants of a runners performance!  The better your running economy the less wasted energy and the easier running is.

The other fascinating aspect of logging miles is increased resistance to fatigue!  This means your body does not get as tired from running.  Why?  The more you run, the more routine the movements of running become.  As this happens, your brain does not have to work as hard to make the body run, which reduces mental fatigue.  The result is a lower level of perceived effort for whatever pace you are running.

Off-season training generates the greatest gains in performance, so why don't we do this type training year round?  Because this type training takes weeks to produce results, and during the process your body does not show the results!  You will be tired, beat up and slow.  You are more susceptible to injury during this phase, which is another reason to keep faster running to a lower intensity and to a minimum. Your results show up when you back off the training and allow the body to recover.

One final comment on base training.  you will reach a point where you feel "fried" from all the running.  It is perfectly acceptable to take a few days or even a week of reduced mileage and intensity just to get your legs back underneath you!

So, in summary, if you want to be a great runner, you have to log the miles, and you have to be patient enough to resist too much fast running during this phase! We will tackle the faster running when we get closer to the start of the XC season!

In the immortal words of Quentin Cassidy
“You don't become a runner by winning a morning workout. The only true way is to marshal the ferocity of your ambition over the course of many day, weeks, months, and (if you could finally come to accept it) years. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials.”

ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE
The first step in becoming a serious runner!

That was the title of a column I read in a running magazine back in the early 1980's.  It was written by Marty Liquori, a world class runner, and one of my running heroes.  It was a summary of the book Marty had written on training for a serious runner.  Over the years I've searched for a copy  of the column and was thrilled when this popped up on my suggested reading list

On first reading it I thought Marty was a little over the top, but eventually I began to understand his concepts.  His point was, if you want serious results from your running, you need to be serious about your running. A serious runner makes running a focal point of their daily routines.  It's OK not to make running the focal point of your routines, but don't expect extraordinary results with a less than great commitment. 

You can be a runner with/out eating/sleeping/breathing the sport of running, BUT if you truly want to achieve great results, you make running a focal point.  This is true with most any endeavor/sport that you want to be great at.  Don't fool yourself into thinking you are serious if you are not serious unless you prioritize your running. This does not mean that you can not do other things, but make a point of planning out your running so that you get it in, and that it does not take a backseat to distractions and other things. Manage you school, work and family so that you can run and still take care of getting rest, eating properly, etc.

This concept made a lasting impression on me as a young runner.  It changed how I thought about my training and commitment, and set me on a a course to become a true competitive runner.

I recently found the complete series of articles (19 pages total) of which is a condensed version of Marty's book on Training, it is well worth taking a few minutes to read! It is also a great explanation of the concepts of importance of training phases.