Have run 2 13.1's in the past couple months and I am taking some time off to do some tri's/cycle over the summer. Looking at the BMW Full at the beginning of December, which puts me ramping up the mileage starting in August.

To keep a solid base until August, what would you recommend? Run 3-4 days a week at 3/4/5 miles = 15-20 mi? Do long runs every so often? 5/10K's every so often?

That sounds like a solid plan.

I'm keeping a base while training for a Spartan, and i'm doing 5-5-10 and one day on the elipitical for an hour.

I'm in a similar spot. I'm going to keep my Sunday am long runs at 14+. That worked well last summer. I think if you dropped your long run to 6 miles, it could be hard to get back to 13.1 by December, much less building to 26.2.

If you are doing tris there is not big reason to move your mileage up too much, biking and swimming will help a lot without the wear and tear. What distance tri?

Not really. Depends on his level of fitness, but most training plans are 18 weeks which is a perfect fit for August to December. I've gone from 10 miles/wk (because eff running in the summer jk) to December marathons several times.

If he is doing tri'so, I think it's reasonable

wangus12 - That could be. It could depend on age too. [Geez can't believe I'm writing this ... yeesh]. I bet someone in their 20's could train back up to a marathon distance faster than someone in their 40s.

Even In my 40s I went from a low base to a respectable marathon time. Overall fitness is key.

Sprints and Olympic tri's. I don't mind doing a long run on Sunday, but I can't do 15+ for the whole summer or I will burn out when 26.2 training comes.

To be fair, I'm not looking to bust a sub 3-hour in my first marathon. I run about a 1:45 half, and would just hope to complete my first full without breaking down. Total completion grade.

Good to get opinions from some more experienced folks.

Some people will tell you it's never enough miles.

I basically took the summer off from running but stayed active and in shape. I started training in Oct for Cowtown. I ran a good race with an 18 week Higdin program. Your mileage is fine in my opinion.

JDL 96 said:

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I'm in a similar spot. I'm going to keep my Sunday am long runs at 14+. That worked well last summer. I think if you dropped your long run to 6 miles, it could be hard to get back to 13.1 by December, much less building to 26.2.

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depends on a lot of other factors.

after trans-zion at the beginning of may, i'm "shutting down" running for the summer. I'll run 3 times during the week, probably 4-5 miles, and a weekend long run of 8-10 miles. I'll be doing swimming, cycling, and weights all summer. I'm planning a difficult 50K in the davis mountains in mid september, that i'll do on probably two "long runs" in the month before.

i won't be setting any course records, but i don't expect any issues finishing in a respectable time. I'll maintain a lot of fitness through cross training, and I have years of running experience.

If structured properly, I don't see a huge issue in dropping the long run down to 6 miles through august.

As long as you have a 2 hour plus session of swimming or biking (probably biking) every week (i.e. Olympic distance is the focus), I'd bet you could be OK dropping the long run to 6 - 8. That will keep your endurance up for a longer event.

I bet for me it is mental. Now that 12 is my minimum weekly long run, I don't want to go drop it down, because in my mind that would mean I was getting weaker. And for full disclosure, I'm strongest (by far) in the run, average to a bit under average in the swim, and bad (not last, but bottom 25%) on the bike. So take my suggestion to keep emphasis on the run with a big grain of salt.

Honestly it depends on age, how long you have been running, goals, etc. on your mileage. My first suggestion would be to find a coach to layout a plan for you that can do both triathlons and then a marathon focus. From the limited info working on your speed doing the shorter tris and building up your mileage would be ideal.

I love keeping biking and swimming into a marathon program since they offer a great way to build fitness without a lot of impact. Also like doing a long bike the day after a long run to build fitness (also builds fatigue which is why I like the idea of a coach).

I think most people focus too much on just running and forget about training your body as a whole. Unknown is a perfect example, does a lot of cross training and runs a good time marathon. Periodization and overall fitness are key.

2 hour swim session? For an olympic or sprint no more than 45-60 minutes at a time. If you can swim longer than that then you are not swimming hard enough.

P.U.T.U said:

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2 hour swim session? For an olympic or sprint no more than 45-60 minutes at a time. If you can swim longer than that then you are not swimming hard enough.

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i think he was arguing for a 2 hour swim session to keep overall endurance.

on a sort of separate note...

also remember there are two facets to run (or any) training...speed and volume. A lot of guys I know are able to do lower volume b/c they do a higher intensity. I'm not saying to go out and red line every effort, but if you put some extra intensity into your longer runs, and keep at least one quality workout during the week, you'll find that it will be easier to extend the distance back out in the fall. Caveat is that if you are truly looking to just do base work and have plenty of time to get in a 16 or more week training plan leading into your marathon, keep the intensity down and reduce the risk of injury.