The mileage totals of elite runners of all levels are common topic on the internet message boards. Anytime a runner wins a major race or sets a new record there is always a focus on how that runner is training; and inevitably how much they are running is going to be discussed. It is true that there is often a correlation between higher mileage and improved running but it is important for runners, especially developing runners, to remember that the reason to train is to set records in races, not in training.
Too often I see runners become fixated on so called magic mileage numbers when in reality there is no such thing. There is the 100 mile week or the 20 mile long run but as great as those numbers sound there is no magic to them; at least not physically. What we do know is there is truth in the saying “train smarter, not just harder”. When developing training plans and setting training goals the focus should be on what is needed to race at your best. If training smart means big mileage totals are achieved then great. If training smart means less impressive mileage totals then that is fine too. What matters is whether each runner is reaching their potential on race day.
Each runner has their own strengths, weaknesses and a background that must be considered when putting together a training plan and determining mileage goals. However, there is no getting around the basic need for an aerobic base as a distance runner. Regardless of the event being trained for each distance runners season, from the 800 meters and up, should begin with a phase of training dedicated to developing an aerobic base and improving aerobic endurance.
To continually improve at a significant rate from season to season runners must strive to progress their training to new levels. Without increases in training the body will need not use its resources to prepare itself to perform at a higher level. There is a limit to the amount of high intensity and anaerobic training that can be completed. Only so many more 400-meter repeats can be completed at 1600 meter race pace and we can only keep increasing those tempo runs for so many more miles before we change the purpose of the workout.
So the most affective way to continually improve is to increase our aerobic training which in general often means increasing mileage. I truly believe that there is not an eventual cap on how much aerobic training a runner can progress to. The key is progressing at a rate that is safe and allows us to maintain quality training.
The principle of diminishing return in part states that as training loads continue to increase the return, or rate of improvement, slows with each increase. However, there is not a principle of no return. With some limits improvements will continue to occur through your peak years of running each time you properly progress training.
Before deciding to increase training load, and specifically mileage, first analyze whether or not the current level of training has been mastered. For starters I would consider a level of training mastered when that training has been completed with quality. Quality training means that each type of training has been completed at the correct intensity. If a runner is so fatigued from their increased mileage that they can not muster more than a jog on distance runs or can not meet realistic pace expectations on their race specific workouts then the body is likely not yet adapted to that level of mileage and is not ready for an increase and may even need a decrease.
Other factors to consider before increasing mileage are health history and any other outside factors that may affect training. If the runner suffered from an overuse injury while at the current level of training then it may not be safe to increase mileage until it is proven that their body can handle that training load. Decisions to increase training should consider the runners growth and maturity level, training age and even whether or not this runner has the available training time to put in increase training.
When it is the right time to increase training this can be accomplished by either increasing the runner’s peak mileage, the consistency of time trained at that peak mileage and also the frequency of training sessions can be adjusted to increase training load.
Increasing the peak is the most commonly way to increase mileage. The peak refers to the highest week (or cycle) of training completed during the season. For example a runner whose highest week of running has been 40 miles could then increase that peak to 50 miles.
When increasing the mileage the weeks building up to the peak and through the remainder of the season should equally build as well from previous seasons. The benefits of increased mileage and increased aerobic training come from consistent training over a long period of time. The improvements seen from increasing one single week of training would not be insignificant. The overall mileage achieved over a long period of time, like a season, are where significant improvements come from. Therefore no single week of training will make a runner; however, if the peak is increased at an unsafe rate it may break a runner.
Once a runner has reached their previously achieved peak mileage levels and they are ready to increase that peak consider the 10 percent rule as a recommendation. This states that mileage should not increase by more than 10 percent from week to week. When a runner’s mileage is so low that 10% is a fairly insignificant number it is usually safe to add at least five miles per week regardless of the 10 percent rule.
As mileage is increased at the rates discussed above the body still needs time to adapt and recover as new mileage levels are achieved. A cycle of building mileage for three weeks followed by a recovery week of decreased mileage should allow the body time to adapt to the new workload. That recovery week should be equal to the amount of mileage run at the start of each three week building cycle. As the next building cycle begins the first week should be set at the mileage level achieved at the end of the last three week cycle.
How much the peak can be increased each season is often controlled by the time available for pre-competition training phases. Initial mileage increases should occur during the base training phases and may continue on into later phases of training until racing begins. For a high school runner the time to build mileage is during the summer months going into cross country and the winter months for track. Not having to focus on a true indoor track and field season for most high school runners, if taken advantage of, can be a great advantage because the available time to focus solely on training. This allows for the potential for significant improvement between each season.
When runners have reached fairly high peak mileages and it would be challenging or unwise to increase the peak any further, at least at that time, another way to progress training is to increase the consistency of training time at the peak mileage. This can be useful for athletes who begin to breakdown once they increase past a certain peak mileage, or they can not maintain quality at a higher mileage, yet they are in need of a higher overall workload. This method may also be useful for the athletes who have limited training time and are not able to devote additional time for additional or longer training sessions.
For this method a runner who in a previous season had built up to and mastered a peak mileage of 50 miles could build up to that 50 miles per week earlier than they had during the previous seasons and then complete that same 50 miles per week for lets say four weeks in a row instead of just one single peak week.
As stated previously the overall mileage achieved over a season is far more important than any single week of training. Training load can be effectively increased by running previously attained peak mileages more consistently without need for lower recovery weeks since the body has already adapted to that peak mileage.
A third strategy to increasing training load is to adjust training frequency. This method does not actually increase mileage but it does increase training load and the aerobic adaptation. Adjusting the frequency of training sessions can have a significant affect on training load. How this is done is to complete previously attained mileage levels in fewer training sessions than were needed before.
Adjusting the frequency of training sessions only applies to runners who have been completing multiple training sessions per day. This method is not meant to suggest that runners begin completing fewer days of training per week.
For example a runner who has been running 60 miles per week split into 10 training sessions could complete that same 60 miles per week in only seven sessions. A runner running ten sessions to achieve 60 miles averages six miles per training session. Now when running only seven training sessions per week the runner averages approximately 8.5 miles per training session.
Using the example given the peak mileage is the same; however, the workload of each training session increases, therefore increasing the overall training load. The affects of aerobic training are achieved through consistent time spent running at the correct intensity. Running for 30 minutes twice per day is not as affective as running for 60 minutes once. In fact it may be more affective to complete a single 45 minute run versus running two 30 minute runs even though the total amount of mileage is decreased.
Completing high mileage in fewer training sessions does present more injury risk because of the increased stress to the body per training session. Runners must be sure their body is ready for the increased stress to their bodies.
If increasing mileage using any strategy is not an option because of health or injury issues, although not as ideal, introducing new types of aerobic training may be your best option. If this is the route you are forced to take use methods that are as specific to running as possible.
Common methods that can be used to increase aerobic training when running is not an option are activities such as lap swimming, aqua running, stationary biking and the elliptical trainer. There are some new training devices out there now too like SwimX machines and Anti-Gravity treadmills too but getting access to those kind of machines is usually not realistic for most runners.
If you do decide to implement cross training into your training plan typically cross training for 10 minutes for each mile you would have run will give a similar aerobic affect. Cross training for 1/3 more time than you would have run may be more accurate for developing runners.
To finish up when increasing training you must make adjustments to all those lifestyle choices that affect your running. Increase calories intake, get plenty of sleep and take extra care of aches and pains. Higher mileage also means your shoes will wear down in less time. Most importantly listen to your body. However well thought out your training plan may be everything can not be predicted. When your body is telling you to back off listen to it. A few days of decreased training is always better than spending six to eight weeks injured. Hopefully if you follow these simple recommendations you should be able to safely and affectively increase your training and improve your running.
- Greg Hipp is the Head Cross Country and distance events coach for Track and Field at Missouri State University. Greg can be contacted at greghipp@missouristate.edu or through www.BearsTrack.net.