Changes

While my training pattern varied somewhat, I typically did six [[Long Run|long runs ]] per week in the range 16-23 miles. Sometimes I took one day off per week, and sometimes it was a shorter run. For a few of the weeks I would run the same distance all seven days. This period includes one week of 185 miles as the [[Overload|overload ]] week for a [[Three Phase Taper]], and a 118 mile week when I averaged 7:10 pace, which is quick for me. If you exclude the taper/recovery/illness weeks, the average jumps to 128 miles/week. (The only illnesses I suffered during this period were migraines, which impaired my running for about a week each time.) You can see a more detailed breakdown of my training at the bottom of the page.

* I lost weight while running every day, getting down to below 130 pounds (60 Kg), which seems to be optimal.

The big question is how my fitness changed with the greater running frequency. Overall, there was no improvement in my fitness with greater mileage and frequency, even though I was running about 50% more than other similar periods. I did have a good result in September (3 months into the experiment) at the [[2011 North Coast 24 Hour National Championships]], finishing second with 146 miles. However, by the end of the six-month experiment I felt like my fitness had gradually declined. Here are some comments from my running log near the end:* My legs were tired and I felt like I was running on sand, and by mile 13 I was ready to stop.* This run started off with the dead legs and went downhill from there. * I really wanted to go further, but the wheels fell off too badly.Reading through my training logs from this period there is a pervasive malaise and fatigue. After a few weeks of returning to 4 days/week this mostly abated.

| [[Post Race Recovery| Post race recovery]]