You’ve been running on a regular basis, and now want to increase your weekly mileage and train for a longer distance race. This is a great time to look into hiring a coach, join a running group and use a training plan designed for a specific race. Increasing distance should be gradual to avoid injury. Carving out time to train is also important – longer runs demand a bigger time commitment, but will pay off as you train for your goal race.
For most runners, you should not increase your weekly mileage by more than 10 percent each week to prevent injuries. In addition, as you add mileage, alternate your run days rather than run on consecutive days. Each run will be longer, but your body will have additional time to recover from the new physical demands being placed on it. Let your body recover between long runs and hard workouts with some light cross-training.
As you add mileage, slow down your speed approximately one to two minutes slower per mile than you’re capable of running. Run slowly enough that you can have a conversation with your running buddy.
While you’re following your training plan for building mileage, make sure to also follow a good nutrition plan to ensure you’re getting the calories and hydration you need to keep your body running strong to the finish line.