How to increase mileage when running daily

tegalicious

Hey everyone!

I know I can probably look this up via Mr. Google but I trust you guys and gals more .

I am wondering how I go about increasing mileage when running daily. I am currently trying to run 1 mile every day this month. My goal would be to get to where I am running 5 miles every day. Prior to this 1 mile a day goal, I was running 5 miles twice a week and then 8-13 miles on one weekend day. So I had roughly a 18-23 miles weekly mileage base that I built up before taking on this different challenge. How do I go about increasing mileage on daily runs? Do I just add a mile to every other day for two weeks and then add a mile to the other days for two weeks to be at 2 miles every day? And then repeat until I get to five miles a day?

I have past knee issues and past ankle issues and also joints that think it is cute to swell when I ask them to do too much. I am hoping if I go slowly I can get to 5 miles a day and stay injury free!

wombat94

Increasing frequency and distance at the same time can be a challenge, so I think it was a good thing to back off when you are trying to get to running daily... but going from 3 days a week of running to 7 days a week in one shot is a big leap, no matter how you slice it.

One big question for you - what is your pace like for the daily runs?

When increasing frequency or distance, my recommendation is to slow the pace down and allow your body to adjust before trying to ramp the speed back up.

If the 1 mile runs are agreeing with you, I think your plan is reasonable, but I'd say that the shorter days (i.e. the 1 mile days when you add in the 2 mile days, the 2 mile days when you add in the 3 mile days, etc) should still be slow and easy runs.

Running every day doesn't have to mean running HARD every day... you still need to have easy days so your body can recovery from the hard workouts.

Good luck!

Ted

rduhlir

Hey Tega, I use this formula to build on my runs:

http://davidhays.net/running/buildingbase.html

Hope it helps.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Why do you need to run every day if you're just starting out? I'd pick 3-4 days and work on building those up by adding 1/2-1 mile to each run and maintaining that for a few weeks, back off for one, then resume and add again following the same pattern. Doing it like that would put you at your goal (20-25 MPW) in about 5-6 months. I currently do 2 weeks of 50mi, then back off a week, and pick it back up again. However, I'm building a plan to achieve a specific goal in the fall.

tegalicious

Increasing frequency and distance at the same time can be a challenge, so I think it was a good thing to back off when you are trying to get to running daily... but going from 3 days a week of running to 7 days a week in one shot is a big leap, no matter how you slice it.

One big question for you - what is your pace like for the daily runs?

When increasing frequency or distance, my recommendation is to slow the pace down and allow your body to adjust before trying to ramp the speed back up.

If the 1 mile runs are agreeing with you, I think your plan is reasonable, but I'd say that the shorter days (i.e. the 1 mile days when you add in the 2 mile days, the 2 mile days when you add in the 3 mile days, etc) should still be slow and easy runs.

Running every day doesn't have to mean running HARD every day... you still need to have easy days so your body can recovery from the hard workouts.

Good luck!

Ted

The weird thing is that my pace was really slow before I ran my personal half marathon. I was running between 11-15 minute miles. Now I am averaging 8-10 minute miles even on the long runs I did before switching to daily runs. The daily 1 mile runs are averaging between 6:47-8:50. I am not pushing myself hard or anything. I think maybe I doubted my potential and was running slower than I needed to.

The 1 mile runs are agreeing with me very well! I don't have the soreness I had doing the 3 day/week runs. I feel strong and healthy. I see your point though and will make sure I include different types of runs despite doing relatively the same mileage.

tegalicious

Hey Tega, I use this formula to build on my runs:

http://davidhays.net/running/buildingbase.html

Hope it helps.

I will check it out when I get home! Thank you!

tegalicious

Why do you need to run every day if you're just starting out? I'd pick 3-4 days and work on building those up by adding 1/2-1 mile to each run and maintaining that for a few weeks, back off for one, then resume and add again following the same pattern. Doing it like that would put you at your goal (20-25 MPW) in about 5-6 months. I currently do 2 weeks of 50mi, then back off a week, and pick it back up again. However, I'm building a plan to achieve a specific goal in the fall.

I feel this weird spiritual pull to run daily. I can't explain it. I just feel the need to do it. I am very in tune with my body and will not continue anything that leads to injury. My health is more important than my wants . I have been running for a year and while that isn't a long time, I have learned a lot about how my body works and what I can and can't do.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Increasing frequency and distance at the same time can be a challenge, so I think it was a good thing to back off when you are trying to get to running daily... but going from 3 days a week of running to 7 days a week in one shot is a big leap, no matter how you slice it.

One big question for you - what is your pace like for the daily runs?

When increasing frequency or distance, my recommendation is to slow the pace down and allow your body to adjust before trying to ramp the speed back up.

If the 1 mile runs are agreeing with you, I think your plan is reasonable, but I'd say that the shorter days (i.e. the 1 mile days when you add in the 2 mile days, the 2 mile days when you add in the 3 mile days, etc) should still be slow and easy runs.

Running every day doesn't have to mean running HARD every day... you still need to have easy days so your body can recovery from the hard workouts.

Good luck!

Ted

The weird thing is that my pace was really slow before I ran my personal half marathon. I was running between 11-15 minute miles. Now I am averaging 8-10 minute miles even on the long runs I did before switching to daily runs. The daily 1 mile runs are averaging between 6:47-8:50. I am not pushing myself hard or anything. I think maybe I doubted my potential and was running slower than I needed to.

The 1 mile runs are agreeing with me very well! I don't have the soreness I had doing the 3 day/week runs. I feel strong and healthy. I see your point though and will make sure I include different types of runs despite doing relatively the same mileage.

Running 6:47-8:50 is running hard, for me at least. Aside from racing, that's a 1-2x/wk indulgence for me. I like your 8-10min pace, preferably closer to 10 as the pace you run the majority. You know what I do though, and you know the training>results I get too, so take it how you will.

wombat94

Running shorter distances generally means you CAN run faster, but it is not a good idea to try to keep that faster pace as you add miles back in... that's where injury is likely to occur.

For the first two years, I always ran that what I considered a "sustainable" pace. Whatever distance I was running, I was generally able to maintain that a pace that was hard enough to be a challenge but not so hard that I couldn't keep it.

The rule of thumb about easy runs is that you should be able to carry on a conversation without really gasping for breath. I never understood that... and it wasn't until the last few months as I forced myself to slow down in prep for serious mileage with a marathon training program that I finally found out I DO have a slower gear... I'm still running, but I can carry on a conversation very easily now.

The funny thing is, that now my "conversational pace" is what was my "sustainable but hard" pace from two years ago when I was training for my first HM. I take that as a sign of improvement.

Again, just because you CAN run faster, doesn't mean should run faster when you are trying to add mileage.

Ted

tegalicious

Running shorter distances generally means you CAN run faster, but it is not a good idea to try to keep that faster pace as you add miles back in... that's where injury is likely to occur.

For the first two years, I always ran that what I considered a "sustainable" pace. Whatever distance I was running, I was generally able to maintain that a pace that was hard enough to be a challenge but not so hard that I couldn't keep it.

The rule of thumb about easy runs is that you should be able to carry on a conversation without really gasping for breath. I never understood that... and it wasn't until the last few months as I forced myself to slow down in prep for serious mileage with a marathon training program that I finally found out I DO have a slower gear... I'm still running, but I can carry on a conversation very easily now.

The funny thing is, that now my "conversational pace" is what was my "sustainable but hard" pace from two years ago when I was training for my first HM. I take that as a sign of improvement.

Again, just because you CAN run faster, doesn't mean should run faster when you are trying to add mileage.

Ted

100% agree. I think because my main focus before was getting to a half marathon distance I was taking things extra slow to avoid injury. At 8-10 I can hold a cconversation when it is just a mile. I will try to stick to a 10-13 when I start increasing the weekly mileage. And then when I get to 5 miles a day, I will start working on speed. I don't really care what my speed is because it is irrelevant when I am not racing and am not trying to rank in anything so I will be sure to make sure I keep my speed at a reasonable rate so I don't get over ambitious and end up injured.