7 Days a Week Running

squinn2912

This conversation came up on another thread so here we go.

Auld Man King said it would make an interesting thread on its own so we’ll see how that pans out.

I’ll get the ball rolling. I did 42 days straight in the summer. After that I went back to the gym and had planned to do easy running for 2 weeks then get back to it. My legs seemed to disintegrate on me and I ended up barely running for 3 months. Just getting going again after a lot of gym work, physio incl dry needling. I do have hopes to get back at it in 2021 but don’t see myself taking on 7 days a week running again.

What are your experiences of it and have you come up with ways to avoid the pitfalls.

healy1835

Hi Squinn. Good to see you back around these parts at the risk of jinxing myself here, I've been fairly lucky with injuries and increasing mileage since I started running. If I'm in a training block I'd usually have a target range of mileage for the week, eg 110-130km and this frees me up a little as regards taking a rest day. The focus is always on the session(s) and LR. I could go a month without a rest day, but it's never really to the forefront of my mind.

Lambay island

I was just looking back. Out of 50 weeks this year, 33 of them have been 7 day running weeks. Back at start of original lockdown in March, I had a 100 day streak of approx 50 miles p/w. I'd say 85% of that was easy running. It became routine just to get out every morning.

I had another 80 day streak in marathon training from July to Oct. This was approx 65 miles p/w average. There was alot more intensity here despite plenty of easy running too. I was glad of the Taper and a couple days off after 14 week block.
After the TT marathon I had two weeks with plenty of days off. I then kicked back into 7 days weeks but averaging around 45 miles now. I have dropped the milage a little due to a touch of plantar fascitis. I've increased my grass running too.
I have become accustomed to 7 days weeks so unless the foot becomes worse, I will stick with it.

jaggiebunnet

Currently on day 241 of a streak, avg 40+ a week. Most of the miles have been easy and really started to just motivate me to get out with no races to train for. Looking to keep it going but transform into a more structure plan next year. Most days it is the highlight for me to get out although there have certainly been days when I would have loved to jack it in. Physically I am in good shape, no real niggles but i put that down to the miles mostly being easy.

ReeReeG

Just copied Lambay's way of looking at it - 29 weeks have been 7 day running weeks. Before 2020, the most I had ever run in a row was 6, and had probably only done that a handful of times. I managed 60 days in a row in the initial lockdown, and I'm on day 63 this time I think.. but to be honest I had a lot of that done without even noticing. Granted my weekly mileage is far less than many on here (averaging just under 35 miles per week), and some of the days is a simple 5km, so that surely helps.

The reason I ended up running more days was really to counteract the increased inactivity that came with working from home this year - only for it, I may get no fresh air in an entire day and my headspace would be all wrong. I also started running by heart rate a lot more, so I think that has lessened any possible ill effects of running several days in a row i.e. keeping the intensity down on the easy days. I'll take a rest day if I really feel the need, but I strangely haven't had that feeling in a number of weeks! I imagine I will want a few over Christmas

Murph_D

Yes, as others are suggesting, I don’t think it’s the number of days you run that’s the issue, it’s the total mileage and the ratio of easy to moderate/hard effort. The more (appropriately paced) mileage, the better the aerobic engine. Recovery is crucial - but a recovery run is as good as a day off, and vice versa. Personally I like to have one non-running day per week, sometimes two. I find the rest day helps motivate as I actually miss the run, whereas running 7-days a week means some runs feel like a chore. But that’s just me.

crisco10

Murph_D wrote: »

Yes, as others are suggesting, I don’t think it’s the number of days you run that’s the issue, it’s the total mileage and the ratio of easy to moderate/hard effort. The more (appropriately paced) mileage, the better the aerobic engine. Recovery is crucial - but a recovery run is as good as a day off, and vice versa. Personally I like to have one non-running day per week, sometimes two. I find the rest day helps motivate as I actually miss the run, whereas running 7-days a week means some runs feel like a chore. But that’s just me.

I really subscribe to this view also; I've realised if I do enough Recovery/Easy runs I can keep up a streak. BUT, I find this a bit boring because I'm also never energetic enough to really enjoy harder sessions.

So for me, I prefer to do "only" 5 or 6 days a week and let my appetite for hard work build on the days off.

OOnegative

I hugely admire the likes of AMK, Lambayisland, healy1835 & ReeReeGee running 7 days. I know my body at this stage and it wouldn’t stand up to it, I need a day off and a recovery run in my week or else the legs break down(well the left one as it’s the one I’ve had all my major injuries on).

BeepBeep67 is where it’s at in regards running streaks!!

event

I dont think I would be able for that mentally even. The pressure I would put on myself to make sure to get a run in, I'd end up running for the sake of it which I dont like doing.

In the summer I did that 4/4/48 challenge and that was the height of my continuous running. I did one sunday with 3 runs, 2 weeks later did one with 6 runs, then the event itself.

Not sure if would do it again

ThebitterLemon

I’m close to running 50 days in a row, I’ve a chronic back injury so need to be careful but the back likes movement and many of those runs would have been 3 miler shuffles.

I think you can get caught up with the thought of breaking a streak though and end up not enjoying it. A few years ago I was training hard and was at over 70 straight days, targeting 100. Wasn’t really enjoying it so on day 77 (I think) I just went for a burger and didn’t run for a couple of days.

My highest weekly mileage since the injury has been 44 miles.

I also can’t emphasize enough doing core work, if you’re running a lot and doing no core work, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Listen to your body and make sure it doesn’t become a chore.

TbL

Swashbuckler

Interesting reading so far.

For me it's an interesting transition into 7 days (I don't have all my runs on Strava so anyone checking up on me will not see many seven day weeks!).

I have always been a 6 day a week guy since Luke starting coaching me in 2017. Had myself convinced that was my limit, mainly driven by the fact I used to train like an eejit before being coached.
This year, thanks to Covid the approach to my training centred around a tonne of aerobic base building. Building up throughout the year. I was switched to a two week cycle in the middle of the year where the long run became a long session every second week. The day before that had an easy day added (cumulative fatigue going into the long session) which would have normally been a day off. And I haven't looked back. Found that I adjusted well so kept it up and am now in seven days a week.

A few factors to consider though;
1. It's dependent on work/life balance. Babies don't help with trying to run seven days a week! Neither does a stressful job.
2. The intensity of the sessions allows for it. The day after the long session is true recovery, run very slow.
3. Mileage increase hasn't been huge. 6 day weeks were 50 odd miles. 7 day weeks hovering around 57-60 odd miles.

ariana`

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Interesting reading so far.

For me it's an interesting transition into 7 days (I don't have all my runs on Strava so anyone checking up on me will not see many seven day weeks!).

I have always been a 6 day a week guy since Luke starting coaching me in 2017. Had myself convinced that was my limit, mainly driven by the fact I used to train like an eejit before being coached.
This year, thanks to Covid the approach to my training centred around a tonne of aerobic base building. Building up throughout the year. I was switched to a two week cycle in the middle of the year where the long run became a long session every second week. The day before that had an easy day added (cumulative fatigue going into the long session) which would have normally been a day off. And I haven't looked back. Found that I adjusted well so kept it up and am now in seven days a week.

A few factors to consider though;
1. It's dependent on work/life balance. Babies don't help with trying to run seven days a week! Neither does a stressful job.
2. The intensity of the sessions allows for it. The day after the long session is true recovery, run very slow.
3. Mileage increase hasn't been huge. 6 day weeks were 50 odd miles. 7 day weeks hovering around 57-60 odd miles.

Going on that your 7th day is in the area of 7-10 miles. At my pace that would a 65-95mins easy run and longer if I was running true recovery. That to me doesn't constitute a very light 7th day... So i wonder is number of miles is the best way to quantify training. If we look at time as a metric, us slower runners, are probably doing as much in 5 days as some of the faster runners are doing in their 6-7 days

I run 5 days consistently, I've done any streaks this year except with steps - i have made a consistent effort since the start of the pandemic to walk/move/exercise more especially on the days i don't run but also on the days i run.

I'm in the same camp as OONeg here, i don't think my body would hold up to 7 days, maybe for a while but not forever! But then when i was running 3 days about 4 years ago a week a Physio told me I was at my max and if I wanted to introduce another day I'd have to bike or something else and here I am running 5 days with no major injuries this year, or last year either... So who knows maybe in the future

Ceepo

ariana` wrote: »

Going on that your 7th day is in the area of 7-10 miles. At my pace that would a 65-95mins easy run and longer if I was running true recovery. That to me doesn't constitute a very light 7th day... So i wonder is number of miles is the best way to quantify training. If we look at time as a metric, us slower runners, are probably doing as much in 5 days as some of the faster runners are doing in their 6-7 days

I run 5 days consistently, I've done any streaks this year except with steps - i have made a consistent effort since the start of the pandemic to walk/move/exercise more especially on the days i don't run but also on the days i run.

I'm in the same camp as OONeg here, i don't think my body would hold up to 7 days, maybe for a while but not forever! But then when i was running 3 days about 4 years ago a week a Physio told me I was at my max and if I wanted to introduce another day I'd have to bike or something else and here I am running 5 days with no major injuries this year, or last year either... So who knows maybe in the future

You might need to find a better physio

ariana`

Ceepo wrote: »

You might need to find a better physio

Oh I did, I haven't seen him since

Swashbuckler

ariana` wrote: »

Going on that your 7th day is in the area of 7-10 miles. At my pace that would a 65-95mins easy run and longer if I was running true recovery. That to me doesn't constitute a very light 7th day... So i wonder is number of miles is the best way to quantify training. If we look at time as a metric, us slower runners, are probably doing as much in 5 days as some of the faster runners are doing in their 6-7 days

I run 5 days consistently, I've done any streaks this year except with steps - i have made a consistent effort since the start of the pandemic to walk/move/exercise more especially on the days i don't run but also on the days i run.

I'm in the same camp as OONeg here, i don't think my body would hold up to 7 days, maybe for a while but not forever! But then when i was running 3 days about 4 years ago a week a Physio told me I was at my max and if I wanted to introduce another day I'd have to bike or something else and here I am running 5 days with no major injuries this year, or last year either... So who knows maybe in the future

Just a couple of things there...

I don't think physios are best placed to decide what your limit is. I think someone coaching you can build you up to increase what "your max limit is". A year ago my physio probably would have said cut down on mileage and days running. She wouldn't say that now. The difference was a smart coach. I was overtraining myself.

In terms of my rough numbers. 50 odd miles in six days was usually in or around 53 miles. 7 days is more often than not around 58 miles. If I have higher than that its usually due to adding a little on to my session warmup and cooldown, or some chunkier sessions.
In terms of the easier 7th day not necessarily being easy - it's more a case of other runs during the week have slowed. So the day after the long session is now closer to 8.20min miles. Slower than any of my easy runs from my 6 day weeks previously.

So my 14 day structure is Long, Easy, Session, Easy, Session, Easy, Easy, Long Session, Very Easy, Very Easy, Session, Easy, Easy, Session.

MY BAD

I suppose anyone wanting to up their running to seven days should ask themselves why they want to do it? And what are they hoping to achieve?

Swashbuckler

MY BAD wrote: »

I suppose anyone wanting to up their running to seven days should ask themselves why they want to do it? And what are they hoping to achieve?

Definitely... One thing I would say is more miles usually equals more gains. Assuming you build up to it right. Its no coincidence most of the best runners you see are running what most of us would consider high mileage.

Lambay island

MY BAD wrote: »

I suppose anyone wanting to up their running to seven days should ask themselves why they want to do it? And what are they hoping to achieve?

At present , I simply enjoy it. Whenever I feel like it may be becoming a chore and if I'm training for nothing in particular, I simply wont run that day. For me, there is no obligation or feeling I have to run today. Bit of my own time away from House/office/kids every day is the balance keeping me somewhat sane at the minute. In fact, my wife encourages me to get out running more

wijam

Off the bat I’ll say before this year started I wasn’t big into running, did a few 5K events and a bit of training, but looking at Strava that summed up to 180km over 50 odd runs, so 7 days a week was not on the cards

Had planned on doing a few 5K events this year, and did the Sandymount 5K early March, then the lock down kicked in at the end of March, so I set myself a challenge of running 5K a day for 15 days, can’t remember the reasoning behind that, probably just something to focus on, after about 5 days in I had the idea of doing a charity fundraiser of running 5K a day for a year, but held off on announcing that until I was 50 days in, this morning I completed my 265th 5K, so only 100 to go 😀

I’d say when the challenge is over, I’ll definitely keep up the running, as it’s helped by fitness, but will drop it down to 3 or 4 days a week, so I can do a bit more cycling, as that’s taken a small hit this year. Over the 265 days I’ve learnt that if I push it one day, the next day is a slower one, so I’ve been watching my times and heart rate, and from it, have also focused on diet, hydration and sleep, the last two still need a good bit of work to be consistent

Will keep an eye on this thread for tips and hints, some impressive distances you folks are clocking up

py

squinn2912 wrote: »

What are your experiences of it and have you come up with ways to avoid the pitfalls.

I did it for a good chunk if time during the summer in prep for DCM2020. I'd do it for about 3.5 weeks and then TT'd whatever DCM Race Series event would've been on that weekend. This worked out at about 25 days of back to back running, a day's rest before and after the TT. Then the same 4 week cycle all over again. I got some good advice from the DCM2019 grads who had done 7 day running. The tips were as follows:

If I had a 50Km week planned for 6 days of running, I spread that over the 7 days. Build up slowly as per usual at 5-10% increase in duration/distance, depending on how your plan is laid out.
I did at least 1, if not 2, days of running on grass. That was at easy or recovery paces.
Get your rest/sleep outside of everything else nailed down. Nutrition/fuel too.

MY BAD

Lambay island wrote: »

In fact, my wife encourages me to get out running more

Mine too:D