how to increase your running distance.

Hello peeps!

I know a lot of people have started running during the lockdown, whilst another group, myself included, found running through this time quite stressful and so fitness and distance dropped.

With the small goal of a half marathon in mid-2022, I’m trying to run with a minimum total distance of 30km per week consistently before I start a marathon training cycle. I’ve been using a combination of the Garmin Coach guided runs, easy runs and run/walks to build up my mileage. Each day I have a plan on daily distance goal in mind, and that motivates me to go out and running. 

INCREASING YOUR RUNNING DISTANCE

Whether you’ve completed your first-time marathon and working towards the next level, and you are looking to take a step up in distance, or you’re coming back to running after an injury or just some time off and are building back up to longer runs, it’s really important to build up the distance slowly and not jump up in too much in one go. Doing too much too soon can increase your risk of running injuries or burning out or demotivate. 

Don’t increase your distance too quickly

Incorporate easy runs and rest days

Listen to your body, back off if you’re struggling with the extra mileage

Find the distance that works for you!

How much mileage is right? 

Some people thrive on 60 km per week, some on 90 km per week (I personally never got there). Honestly, it all depends on the individual, their goals and their other life commitments. I run best around 20km jer per week, more than that and I struggle to fit all my runs in (and sometimes forget about strength training!).

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR RUNNING MILEAGE

Build up slowly.

General advice is to follow the 10 per cent rule, increasing your week on week distance by a maximum of ten per cent per week (this also works when you’re building up your weight/reps when strength training). So if you’re used to running 10 km per week, you’d add one more the following week etc, then another one plus km the next week.

You could also do this in terms of running time rather than total run mileage. For those who train in minutes, like many of the Garmin Coach apps and marathon training plans, you would add 10% more time to your overall weekly run time.

Increase the length of your run.

Typically when you’re building up your long run when marathon training, you would increase this run by 1-2 km per week. If you already have a longer run in your weekly schedule, you could add a little extra distance per week and keep the rest of your runs as they were. Alternatively, you could add 1 km to 2 km of your mid-week shorter runs to build overall mileage.

Add extra run distance in your weekly run.

Add in an extra 2-3 km easy run per week, this could be on a day you usually do your cross-training or a day you already run making it a double run day. Just remember to keep it easy! I have been using a run-walk to keep things super easy and helping me run more miles each week. Because pancit sometimes to increase immediately.

Follow a plan or use a coach.

If you’re increasing mileage then following a plan can help do it safely and successfully. I used Garmin Coach on my very first SCMKL 2020 Virtual Run. Need to say, it does works surprisingly. I feel my stamina and endurance increase as I follow it meticulously every running session. 

Hope you will enjoy your fitness journey.
Good luck and very the best of you, 
Talk to you soon,
EMIR xx