How fast do you increase mileage?

aaronmefford
aaronmefford Posts: 20 Member
edited November 17 in Fitness and Exercise
I ran 6 miles Sunday and for the third week in a row added a mile to my long run day. I think I will run 6 again next weekend instead of increasing. What do you guys do?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited April 2017
    How long have you been running? How many times do you run per week? What distance do you do on your other runs?

    I tend to increase my long run mileage every 2-3 weeks, depending how the run feels.
  • aaronmefford
    aaronmefford Posts: 20 Member
    I have ran off and on for years but never super long distances. I'm getting ready for a 12k in may. I run 3 days a week right now. Two shorter runs and then a longer run on the weekend. I wouldn't typically increase so fast but really want to get to 7.5 by race day.
  • mburgess458
    mburgess458 Posts: 480 Member
    I thought the rule of thumb was increase by 10% a week.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    The rule of thumb is increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10% per week. You will need to pay attention to your body to see how appropriate this is for you. If you feel pretty beat up, that's a good time to either have a cutback week or simply hold the miles steady for that week.

    If you're looking to increase mileage to a level you've never run before, you should be more cautious than if you're increasing to a level that you have run in the past. When I was building a base of new distances, I increased no more than 10% one week, held the distance steady for 3 weeks, then increased again. That worked well for me, but is obviously not the only way to get there.
  • runningkel
    runningkel Posts: 53 Member
    I also follow the 10% rule. It's gotten me through more than 20 half marathons injury free. I would increase 10% for 2 or 3 weeks then back off a week.

    One other thing to think about when setting your weekly mileage is that your long run should only make up about 33-40% of your weekly mileage...that's not exact but that's to keep you from having, say, 6 of 10 weekly miles be in one day.

    Try not to stress too much about running the race distance prior to the race...the adrenaline on race day will get you through the extra .5 miles if you've only done 7 before then! Good luck!
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
    That is a radical increase in mileage. You added 100% in three weeks when the idea is a Maximum of 10%/week. If I were you I would stop increasing the long run for a while and start adding some additional distance to your short runs (you didn't say how long they are). Maybe add 1/4 or a 1/2 mile to each of the short runs for a while instead of adding to the long run. When I started running seriously I ramped up way to fast and pretty soon I was running 5 - 8 miles every other day....felt great....and then an injury that kept me off the roads for 3 months (over stressed my right hip flexor). Increase slower, run longer (months wise)!!!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,749 Member
    A different way to do it is to increase your miles by the number of days a week you run (i.e. 3 days + 3 miles) then hold that level for 3-4 weeks, then increase again.

    10% rule works better for intermediate runners than for beginners (less than 10 mpw) or advanced runners and only works for so long before the numbers get ridiculous. Usually you increase by 10% for 3 weeks, then back off and do less for a week, then go back to your gradual increase.
  • alternativemommy
    alternativemommy Posts: 12 Member
    General rule of thumb is to increase by 10%. I generally don't increase more than 1 mile on my long run days. (I keep to 2-3 shorter distances per week and 1 long run on the weekend). Best of luck.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    A different way to do it is to increase your miles by the number of days a week you run (i.e. 3 days + 3 miles) then hold that level for 3-4 weeks, then increase again.

    10% rule works better for intermediate runners than for beginners (less than 10 mpw) or advanced runners and only works for so long before the numbers get ridiculous. Usually you increase by 10% for 3 weeks, then back off and do less for a week, then go back to your gradual increase.

    This.
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    Do what I say, not what I do.
    Add 10% to get to your goal mpw. Your long run should not be more than 30% of your total. Some people say 25% max.

    I hurt my calf end of January, so for the last 3 weeks, I've added 100% a week... I'm still a little shy of my mpw goal, but my A race is Saturday.
  • brittyn3
    brittyn3 Posts: 481 Member
    As many have said, it depends on your level or running. For a beginner, stick to the 10% rule. If you've been around the block a few times and have ran longer distances before - gauge by how you feel. Depending, I usually up my mileage from anywhere to half mile - mile. I don't increase again until I can run comfortably at a specific pace I've set or myself. That could take a week or it could take a month. Sometimes, I'm feeling fantastic and decide I want to run longer, so I do.

    Injury is a real thing, if you feel good doing what you're doing - keep doing it. But if you start to feel more aches and pains SLOW DOWN.

    Hal Higdon has FANTASTIC training programs. I strongly recommend any of them. They are all free. http://halhigdon.com/

    Good luck in your race!!
  • N6314P
    N6314P Posts: 28 Member
    I didn't follow the 10% rule and was sidelined with an Achilles tear for months. I now follow the rule. Good luck.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I highly recommend following a reputable training plan rather than guessing. I just use the ones in Runkeeper, but there are plenty of others. If you are already running 6 miles in a long run and you want to race 7.5 in May, it sounds like you're well on track to hit your maximum training mileage and start tapering for your race.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    aaronmefford wrote: »
    I ran 6 miles Sunday and for the third week in a row added a mile to my long run day. I think I will run 6 again next weekend instead of increasing. What do you guys do?

    There are two principles to think about; no more than 10% increase per week and your long being no more than 25-30% of your total weekly mileage.

    As you're only doing three runs per week the latter point is difficult to stick with.

    Given your objective, you could do a 12K race now, but what I'd suggest is adding a mile to each of your shorter runs over the next couple of weeks before extending your long any further.

    I'd also agree with the suggestion of using an established plan, rather than winging it, but it's probably a bit late for that now.
  • jennypapage
    jennypapage Posts: 489 Member
    i follow the 10% suggestion until i reach the goal i've set and it works for me. Then i pause and keep my distances the same for a few weeks, until i decide on a new goal.Then i go by the 10% again.
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