How can I run ahead? I feel like I need to run more to meet my goals. Does the 10% Rule Really Work? I love to run and I want to run all the time!!! Some of the most common questions and statements I get. How to Increase Running Mileage.
Boy I understand. If there was nothing I could do but run, I probably would.
But increasing your mileage and improving endurance aren’t always the same thing. I’ve talked before about things you can do as a beginner to help you run further or regain endurance after an injury.
Right now, we’re talking about the point where you feel good or really excited or maybe you realize you’ve missed a few weeks of training and you want to get going.
6 keys to increasing running distance
There is no right way to increase mileage, but there are some very good rules you should know and follow.
Most training plans refer to what is called the 10% rule. However, there are different ways to build mileage. All of this is meant to help you safely increase your running mileage!
Adding more miles just to add more miles is a waste of time. And if you get injured, you have to go back to square one, which often means you don’t start over.
Let’s look at some different methods and which ones might work best for your purposes.
The real key is to listen to your body and back off when you need to. Once you’ve built a solid base of miles, you won’t have to start from square one after a break or injury.
Benefits of increasing running mileage
- Ensures you can handle time on your feet for distance running.
- Improves your endurance for all kinds of events.
- It will improve your speed over short distances.
- Long slow easy runs improve your fat burning.
- It seems that more runners are when you are doing some long runs consistently.
When you’re ready to increase your running mileage and avoid injury, it’s about more than just running. Adding weekly miles is only part of the equation to becoming a stronger runner.
What else comes in the game?
#1 Race variation
Maybe you’re only getting in 2-3 runs a week, so you want to maximize them and suddenly find yourself only doing speed workouts or hard runs.
This style may be fine if you’ve been running for a long time because you rest in between, but when you’re first building up, you need to make sure you’re running fairly easy. .
- 80/20 is a good model for most runners. This means 80% of your runs should be easy or HR Zone 2.
- Exercise should vary in distance and pace.
#2 Adding another race
Running twice a day isn’t something we want to do all the time, but when you’re building mileage as a high-mileage runner or a very busy runner, it can be a useful tool.
Instead of trying to fit an 8-mile run into 10 on Wednesday, you can do 7 and 3, which usually makes the 3 miles feel fresher and reduces the overall pressure of daily mileage.
#3 Adequate amount of recovery
Active rest and recovery days allow the body to recover from the stress of adding new mileage.
While we’re eager to ramp up the miles or continue cross-training to build our fitness, skipping recovery can ultimately lead to missing many runs because you’re injured!
- Our muscles do not heal
- Our efficiency is decreasing.
- We get tired of playing.
- We are susceptible to overuse injuries.
#4 Glute, Core and Hip Strength (aka Pre-Hub)
To increase mileage, you need a body that is ready to handle the load. The most common weakness that leads to knee, ankle, or hip pain is weak hips and glutes!
You can do a range of movements in your dynamic warm-up before each run, but it’s also worth trying to do at least 2 days a week of strength training.
I actually created a 30-day core program to help you sneak in a 5-10 minute pre-run. It’s a combination of pre-hab to prevent injuries and strength to help you run faster!
#5 Embrace extra sleep
We know sleep is important, but it becomes even more important as you start to rack up the miles and thus stress your body. If you feel like you’re missing out on sleep because you have to wake up at the crack of dawn to get in the miles, know that lack of sleep can contribute to our running injuries.
When we sleep, our bodies…
- Produce hormones that heal and repair muscles and tissues.
- Synthesize protein.
- Create new cells
- Boost the immune system.
As we run more, we actually need more sleep. So start planning for it!
#6 Adequate fuel
When you start increasing your mileage, it’s only natural that you’ll get hungry (or as I’ve been saying). Beginning runners will especially feel like they can’t get enough to eat. However, burning more calories doesn’t give you a free ticket to eat whatever you want!
Eating for performance means:
- Proper fueling during runs
- Eat a balance of carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes of exercise to aid recovery
- Eating plenty of carbohydrates is appropriate for runners to keep their energy up and burn fat
- Don’t overeat junk because it affects how your runs feel.
- Avoid undereating. Running is a great goal to lose weight, but you need to do it the right way.
Food is what helps our body repair and recover from endurance exercise. Without the right fuel, our bodies cannot function and keep us healthy.
So, which method is right for you? Try them all at different training intervals and see which one fits your style best.
3 Ways to Increase Running Mileage
The timeline for increasing your mileage varies depending on experience and fitness level. If you’re only running 3 miles, it’s entirely possible to double your running distance in 30 days!
But if you’re running 30 miles a week, it would be irresponsible of any running coach to encourage you to double that in just 30 days.
When considering how to increase your running distance and thus your weekly mileage, there are a few golden rules we consider.
The 10% Rule
The most popular method of increasing mileage, the 10% rule, states this. Runners should only increase their total mileage by 10 percent per week. to avoid injury.
Example
If you are currently running 20 miles, the following week, you can run an additional two for a total weekly mileage of 22 miles.
This rule originated from two studies, which found that those who increased mileage faster where more likely to get injured… except that in both studies they were increasing their mileage by 20-30%.
SOOOOO how accurate is that?
The idea is that runners who increase their mileage by more than 10 percent per week are more prone to injury. Mostly because the muscles, joints and tendons need time to adapt to running and the micro-tears it causes (which are key to improvement).
Is the 10% rule the only way to decide how much you can safely increase your mileage? find out! #running #marathon #bibchat Click to tweet.
Does the 10% Rule Work?
Yes and no. It really depends on how much you are training.
New runners with very low mileage will be able to increase their total volume faster than runners with existing high mileage programs.
Being careful about reducing the volume or intensity of your runs will absolutely prevent injury
And of course remember that it doesn’t have to be a constant process of adding miles.
There should be a cycle of increase followed by a week of decrease to allow your body to adapt as shown above.
The Jack Daniel’s Method
Olympic running coach Jack Daniels established his own guideline for increasing mileage in his book. Daniels Running Formula. Called the Equilibrium Method, Daniels recommends that runners increase mileage by a number that does not exceed the number of weekly training sessions.
Example
If you currently walk four days per week, you can add four miles. If you want to increase the number of running days per week, it’s fine to add four of those extra training runs.
From there, runners stay at that level for 3-4 weeks before growing again. Once you reach your maximum weekly training load (ie six days) you can continue to increase to six miles until you reach the peak of your training load.
3 build + 1 recovery
First-time half-marathoners, marathoners, and ultrarunners may experience mental fatigue or lack of motivation after months of training. The idea behind the recovery weeks is to recharge the mind and body to get excited for the training ahead. Plus, they can help prevent injury when mileage and intensity increase.
Example
Over the course of 3 weeks you can climb from 20 to 24 to 27 and then drop your weekly mileage to 20 miles or less and take a recovery week to give your body time to adapt to the demands. can go.
Rule of thumb: Go slow as you add miles. You can do plenty of low-impact cross-training while building, which will help ensure you achieve injury-free fitness.
Increasing running mileage after an injury or as a new runner
As you build your base, it’s important not to worry about adding too much, too soon.
That is gave Instructions for injury.
Start slowly and stay at a weekly mileage that feels comfortable for 3-4 weeks, gradually increasing as you get stronger and more fit. The 10% rule doesn’t really apply to runners coming off injury because the additional weekly percentage based on low mileage will exceed 10%.
For example, if you’re currently running 15 miles per week and add another two miles for a total of 17 next week, that’s a 13 percent increase.
The same rule applies if you’re coming back from a long rest period, coming back after pregnancy, or just starting out.
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