How to Build Your Mileage Without Getting Injured
The short version
- Too much, too soon is the most common way runners get hurt.
- Add a little, hold it, then add again.
- Change one thing at a time, and plan an easier week before you need one.
More running makes you a better runner. The catch is how you get there.
Fitness comes quickly. Tendons, bones and joints take longer to catch up. Many running injuries are not bad luck. They come from doing too much, too soon, often just as things were starting to go well.
Build in small steps
Forget big jumps. Add a small amount to your week, hold it there until it feels normal, then add a little more. If a week felt hard, repeat it before you move on. There is no prize for getting to a number early.
Change one thing at a time
Mileage and intensity are both stress. If you are adding distance, keep the hard running where it is. If you are adding a new session, hold your mileage steady. Doing both together is where it tends to go wrong.
Plan an easier week
A simple pattern works well for most runners. Build for three weeks, then take a lighter fourth week before you build again. The easier week is not time off. It is when your body catches up with the work you have done.
Keep most of it easy
Extra miles should be easy miles. If every added kilometre is run hard, you have not built your base. You have just made every week harder. If this is the part you struggle with, read why your easy runs are too fast.
Let the long run grow slowly
The long run is where runners get greedy. Add to it gradually, and do not let it grow faster than the rest of your week. One huge run on top of a small week is a common route to trouble.
Know the warning signs
Tired legs are part of training. These are different, and they are your cue to back off:
- Pain that changes the way you run.
- Pain that gets worse as the run goes on.
- Pain that is still there, or worse, the next morning.
A couple of easy days now is far better than a few weeks out later. If something does not settle, get it looked at by a physio.
Want the structure done for you?
The free plan builder gives you four weeks of training based on your current mileage and paces, with the build and the easier week already worked in.
