How many miles did you run today?

Originally Posted by why

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I find it funny how everyone here is a ******* super athlete.

Four 6:15 miles? Jesus.

Then there's the guys that run 10 miles 9 days per week.

How are 4 6:15 miles "super athletic"? I mean granted, it's quicker than you'd expect the average person to run, but it's nowhere near what one could call super athletic.

Originally Posted by shoe

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for those who run 6+ miles per day.

are you of lean build? for those who are trying to add muscle, does running 5- more miles a day make it difficult to add muscle/bulk to your overall frame? thanks


I carry a pretty low body fat. When I get lazy, I only run, and I get skinny. When I feel like looking good for summer or am going on vacation I mix up other cardio, do lots of intervals and lift. It is much better for physique building. But eventually I get lazy and just go back to running. I think interval training is the hardest and most beneficial. Hurts like a ***** too.

ran 13 miles last night in just under 1hr25minutes.
probably will go about 10mi today after the sun goes does and it cools off a bit.

been running for the last 2 weeks now that I've decided to run the Marine Corps 10k in October...3 miles, 3 days a week, for now...yesterday was horrible in DC...humid as hell, and I was really struggling where I usually don't. Did 3 in 30 minutes, pushing real hard.

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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How are 4 6:15 miles "super athletic"? I mean granted, it's quicker than you'd expect the average person to run, but it's nowhere near what one could call super athletic.

Ummm...because they are.

Most people tend to grossly overestimate their mileage.

When a really good 5K time is sub-17 minutes and it seems like half the people on this thread are doing 6 and 7 minute miles for longer distances, either this is a hidden haven for athletes or I'm calling bullshit.

It's also pretty obvious by the almost ludicrous training schedules people here seem to have. I mean, what runners do the same distance every day?

Then there's the people that constantly ask questions about losing weight but for some reason have no problem getting 5+ miles in almost every day of the week.

Then again, I really don't care...so....carry on.

Originally Posted by why

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I find it funny how everyone here is a ******* super athlete.

Four 6:15 miles? Jesus.

Then there's the guys that run 10 miles 9 days per week.

6:15 miles is fast, but hardly in the "super athlete range", especially over just 4 miles. At this pace (which is just slightly over to my 5K race pace,) you are in the top 10, 15% of the (male) field, but far from elite. Even "decent" recreational runners, by which I mean runners who place consistently in smaller, local races, do about 5:30 for 10K. You are really only even marginally competitive if you can finish your 10K in under 35 minutes (Er, I am not.)

As for mileage, 3-4 miles/day is pretty low. 10K run is a pretty typical run for a recreational runner who is using that as their entire workout. On any given day on the Charles River in Boston, you will see people if all ages, shapes an sizes doing a 5.6 mile loop. My wife runs 6 miles to 9 miles on her long run days, and she didn't start running until maybe 5 years ago.

Besides, the people who choose to post in this thread obviously run, Eason excepted. It's not a typical cross section of the population. And reading through the responses, you have people who do distances, people who run speed, and then people who just run recreationally to stay in shape.

Originally Posted by jwied82

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ran 13 miles last night in just under 1hr25minutes.
probably will go about 10mi today after the sun goes does and it cools off a bit.

Dammit. Your training runs are faster than my PR for half marathons. Booo!

Originally Posted by why

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Ummm...because they are.

Most people tend to grossly overestimate their mileage.

When a really good 5K time is sub-17 minutes and it seems like half the people on this thread are doing 6 and 7 minute miles for longer distances, either this is a hidden haven for athletes or I'm calling bullshit.


Math is apparently not your strong suit. A sub 17 minute 5K is what, a 5:35-5:40 pace? A 6 minute pace brings you into the finish for a 5 K at 18:45, which is decent, probably within the top 15% of most fields. At 7 minute pace, you are finishing a 5 K in 22 minutes, which is going to put you in the top 35% or so - decent, but hardly super athletic.

There is a huge, insurmountable difference between someone like me who can beat 18:30 on a very good day, and someone who runs sub 17 consistently.

As for overestimating mileage, I don't know about everyone else, but I run on a treadmill at a 1% inclune, or on a track, so it's hard for me to bullshit even myself.

It's also pretty obvious by the almost ludicrous training schedules people here seem to have. I mean, what runners do the same distance every day?

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Me. I am not training for road races anymore. I train for martial arts, so I use intervals and sprints so that I can get some extra explosive power and muscle endurance in with my cardio. Occasionally, I'll do a longer run with my wife, maybe 6 or 7 miles, just for the company.

Then there's the people that constantly ask questions about losing weight but for some reason have no problem getting 5+ miles in almost every day of the week.

Then again, I really don't care...so....carry on.

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Weight is lost and gained, to a large degree, at the dinner table, not at the gym, so this doesn't surprise me at all. One dude at my gym is on the elliptical about an hour every single day. But he is still pretty overweight, maybe 30-40 lbs or so. Go figure.

Originally Posted by LesterSnodgrass

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I think interval training is the hardest and most beneficial. Hurts like a ***** too.

Yes. I am constantly doing interval training, and my wife likes to take walks. My legs are usually fatigued, and I would rather ride my bike or my razor scooter than walk a block.

Garmin has inexpensive, GPS wrist mounted running models. Track your history, real time pace, weekly totals, heat rate, etc. Ends that accuracy argument.

Originally Posted by LA Guy

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Weight is lost and gained, to a large degree, at the dinner table, not at the gym, so this doesn't surprise me at all.
Agreed, though I'd change 'dinner table' to 'couch/sofa/chesterfield'.

Originally Posted by jamoo

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Agreed, though I'd change 'dinner table' to 'couch/sofa/chesterfield/computer desk'.

Fixed.

Originally Posted by LA Guy

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Math is apparently not your strong suit. A sub 17 minute 5K is what, a 5:35-5:40 pace?

We're talking about a 4-miler where the pace per mile is generally slower.

Nice try though.

Weight is lost and gained, to a large degree, at the dinner table, not at the gym, so this doesn't surprise me at all. One dude at my gym is on the elliptical about an hour every single day. But he is still pretty overweight, maybe 30-40 lbs or so. Go figure.

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Anecdotal evidence is amazing. The 30-40lbs. could be his last bit to lose of the 100 he's trying to lose.

Or it could be that he's just doing a low intensity. Most people probably burn only 500-600 calories on the elliptical in an hour -- that's pretty ******.

Originally Posted by why

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We're talking about a 4-miler where the pace per mile is generally slower. Nice try though.
This is terribly wrong. Google Vancouver Sun Run and the fastest times. The "super athletic" run the 6.21 miles aprox at a pace of 4.83 minutes per mile. (30 minutes, well, slightly under @ 10km) It is done every year by many people and all the times are recorded in the paper.

Originally Posted by VINSON

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This is terribly wrong. Google Vancouver Sun Run and the fastest times. The "super athletic" run the 6.21 miles aprox at a pace of 4.83 minutes per mile. (30 minutes, well, slightly under @ 10km)
So you're trying to prove really athletic people are really athletic? Ummm...okay? I know what good times are for different runs. I also know the percentage of people that have those times. I just find it hard to believe there's so much athletic talent lurking around here.