EPISODE 52 LISTEN HERE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/52-building-your-mileage-how-when/id1446735036
Weekly mileage can be a fun way to track training volume. This is often one of the first questions you are asked when starting a new training program or chatting with runners. How many miles per week do you typically run? As a running coach, we work with people who run 3 miles per week all the way up to 80 miles per week. Many elite runners run 100+ miles per week. Most competitive recreational runners who place in races on the weekend or qualify for boston run anywhere from 25-60 miles per week. This is a wide range of mileage. Today we will be chatting about how to build your mileage & how to know if you even should build your mileage!
How does an athlete decide it is the right time to increase mileage?
How do you approach those who have been overtrained?
Do athletes ever reach a point where they can no longer increase mileage?
As an athlete ages or has life stress, should they ever consider reducing volume in mileage?
Run less run faster approach? Why does this sometimes work?
Is it a risk to increase your mileage? Why is more not always better?
Why is more sometimes better? At the end of the day: it depends on the athlete!
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🔥WHY:🔥
✅Develops your capillary capacity so oxygen can be exchanged in your cells more efficiently
✅Helps the growth of mitochondria, which helps the body burn fat as a source of energy efficiently
✅Allows your bones, muscles, and connective tissues to build up the tolerance of longer distances over time •
🔥WHEN:🔥
✅If you feel your progress has stagnated and you don’t feel challenged at all (look into other things that may be affecting your training too)
✅If you have a race coming up which will require longer runs and workouts to complete the race and reach your goal
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🔥HOW:🔥
✅DO IT SLOWLY! Building mileage too fast, even 5 miles more per week than you should, can lead to negative downstream effects
✅Every runner’s background is different, so mileage must be built based on each specific situation and background. You need to start where you’re at!
✅It is a SLOW process! It will take a few training cycles to handle running more mileage
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🔥IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS:🔥
✅The main focus should always be consistency and being a lifelong runner. Increasing mileage too much at once may yield big fitness gains in the short term, but it will almost certainly lead to injury or burn out in the long term. Having a few big weeks of training (relative to you) that then lead to injury will NOT be as beneficial as making slow increases over time that allow you to stay consistent and injury/burn out-free
✅Don’t compare your mileage to others! Everyone is so unique in what they can handle as it relates to their current life stressors, past history, and schedule
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