Many inexperienced runners believe they must run a lot to achieve great race results. They think the more they run, the faster they will get. But they fail to consider that a sharp increase in mileage can lead to common running injuries.
There are many thoughts about how to increase mileage safely. We’ll discuss the most effective of them below so that you can ramp up your running plan without negative consequences.
Percentage Increase in Mileage
You may have heard about the 10 percent rule. Some runners and coaches call it the golden rule.
The main principle is to increase sports activities by no more than 10% per week. That includes distance, intensity, weight lifted, and the duration of workouts.
Still, when it comes to increasing running mileage, this rule doesn’t work for all runners and doesn’t stand up from a practical standpoint.
Let us turn to research published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy in 2018. It says that significantly more runners were injured 21 days into the study period when they increased their weekly running distances by 20% to 60% compared with those who increased their distances by less than 20%.
However, if we dive further into this study, we will discover that not all runners met the selection criteria. There was no specification of running experience and a clear demarcation by what percentage each runner increased their mileage. So, using this study, we can only conclude that a sharp increase in load leads to traumatization.
During another study, researchers followed runners for 1 year. They compared runner injuries based on each participant’s weekly increase in the running distance: less than 10%, 10% to 30%, and more than 30% in the 2 weeks before injury.
Runners who increased their mileage by more than 30% had a higher injury rate than those who increased their mileage by less than 10%. Still, these results are related only to some types of injuries (for example, iliotibial band syndrome, tensor fascia latae, etc.), while many injuries like plantar fasciitis, tibial stress fractures, and others were not related to the 10% rule.
In fact, runners who increased their training load by up to 50% per week experienced almost the exact same injury rates as runners who followed the 10-percent rule did, according to one study from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. And novice runners who averaged 20% to 25% weekly increases avoided injuries, per a study at Aarhus University in Denmark.
What is the conclusion? Each runner is individual. So, when choosing the strategy of increasing weekly running mileage, you should pay attention to your running experience, personal health condition, and your own purposes.
How to Increase Running Distance? The Main Tips to Follow
1. Determine Your Baseline Mileage
Baseline mileage is the number of miles you can comfortably run each week. Base miles should be run at a comfortable, conversational pace, or about 60% to 75% of your maximum heart rate.
View your running diary for the last 4-6 months to understand your mileage. When did you have the most comfortable workouts? Not too easy, but not too hard. This is your starting point.
Begin your new training cycle with fewer miles than this number.
2. Increase Mileage Wisely
The fundamental answer to the question of how to increase mileage running safely is knowing when to increase volume fairly aggressively and when to be more careful.
How quickly can I increase long run distance? As you understood, the answer to this question is individual and depends on your running experience. If you are early in your training cycle and your weekly mileage is even lower than your baseline mileage, you should increase your mileage by more than 10% per week. Running in volume below the baseline mileage will be quite comfortable. So, you can add miles even at 15-20% per week, but don’t forget to monitor your fitness level.
When you hit your baseline mileage per week, it’s time to switch to a more conservative approach. This fact is proven by this study which showed that the fastest runners kept most of their training light, while the slowest ones spent most of their time at relatively higher efforts. Following these results, adding 5-10% of the weekly mileage every second week is better.
You can also try to run more than once a day if you have such an opportunity. This can improve your endurance and effectiveness, which is proved by research.
3. Add Adaptation Weeks
What is an adaption week? It’s when you repeat the training plan of the previous week: the number of running miles, workouts, and the duration of the long run.
This is a useful approach for runners of all experiences, especially those prone to injuries. It also works great for beginners because they need more time to recover and adapt to workouts.
Repeating the previous week’s workouts gives your body more time to adapt to the increased mileage, intensity, and longer duration of training.
You don’t need adaptation weeks very often. Also, you shouldn’t do them while building to the baseline mileage. After you reach your baseline mileage and start to increase weekly mileage running, the adaptation weeks will help you to overcome discomfort from the increased load. So, do them in proportion to the increase and perceived discomfort.
4. Do Not Miss the Down Weeks
Another key to safely increasing mileage is not forgetting about down weeks. We don’t do heavy speed workouts every day, do we? So, sometimes, it is necessary to reduce the load so the body can adequately recover and adapt.
Pete Rea, coach at ZAP Fitness in Blowing Rock, N.C., believes that regularly incorporating down weeks allows an athlete to successfully complete a full four-to five-month training cycle, avoid injury, and ultimately make fitness leaps and achieve a higher level of performance. Ryan Hall, a world-famous runner, also proves this fact from his experience.
Greg McMillian, an exercise physiologist and USATF-certified coach, recommends taking one down week every 2-5 weeks, depending on your experience level. But, remember that you should listen to your body – maybe, you need down weeks less often, for example, once every 7 or 8 weeks.
What to do this week:
- reduce mileage by 15–25% (depending on your running experience, the intensity of training, and propensity for injuries. For example, if you are running 20 miles a week, on the down week, you should run 17 miles if you are an experienced runner)
- you can do speed workouts but reduce the number of repetitions or their duration
- reduce the number of running days per week (for example, if you usually run 5 days – reduce it to 4)
- be sure to get enough sleep and eat nutritious food
- reduce strength training as an option – replace the “iron” in the gym with workouts using your own weight at home.
5. Do Not Increase Volume and Speed at the Same Time
Many training plans include weekly tempo sessions and long runs. Although both types of running are great ways to pump up performance and work great with experienced runners, it’s best to avoid combining them if you’re a beginner and planning to increase your mileage for the first time. On the contrary, you can get injured.
Focus on increasing distance before adding any speed elements. Running the extra miles every week is already tiring for your body; give it time to adapt to the new load level without excessive stress.
Run long runs at a comfortable, leisurely pace, and don’t worry if this pace turns out to be slower than expected. After the body gets used to the increased mileage and you notice that training becomes easier and recovery occurs faster, you can (and should) add various variations of speed runs to your plan.
6. Recovery is the Basis
Enough sleep, proper nutrition, and elimination of excess stress are necessary components of recovery.
Good sleep and healthy nutrition significantly affect the training results. Runners often interpret signs of lack of sleep as fatigue from training, which can lead to less running. But you may just need a good night’s sleep.
When you increase the mileage, you must also increase the amount of sleep. Ideally, it is 8-9 hours. This study showed that normal sleep increases the motivation to engage in physical activity.
The right “fuel” is also an important element. Consuming enough good carbohydrates, proteins, and fats guarantees that the body will have enough energy and nutrients to restore bones and muscles. When you start running more, you need to increase the number of calories, but don’t overdo it: it is very easy to overestimate your need for food.
Wrap Up
Beginner runners often think that the answer to the question of how much to increase running distance each week is to increase it a lot, which leads to injuries and other negative consequences.
How to add miles in running? There is no set way; it is individual for every runner.
The main principle is not to overdo it. Understand your running experience and health condition. First, reach your baseline mileage, then work with it to increase the load.
