Building Mileage

Spring is in the air which means runners are thinking of trails and upcoming races. Most of you likely have a race already on the calendar and are either just getting started running again or have been training through the winter.

Ramping up miles at any time often can come with an increase for injury. Having a training plan is KEY whether you have a coach or not, training should be planned and strategic if you want to continue to improve and give yourself the best chance of avoiding injury. Here are some signs that you may want to consider having a plan in place:
✔️ you don't have a general idea of how much you should be running
✔️ you approach running sort of day-by-day
✔️ you are inconsistent in your training load
✔️ you feel unsure of the purpose of any given run
✔️ you don't keep a log of your workouts (workout history)

To best avoid injury, keep these key points in mind:
🗝Avoid big upswings in your training volume (such as running 10 miles one week and 20 miles the next week) - gradually build mileage and plan consistent increases based on what your body handles best.
🗝Remember that cardiovascular adaptations occur more quickly than musculoskeletal adaptations. Be sure you have an established base of consistent mileage before adding higher quality workouts.
🗝When it comes time for you to begin adding quality workouts to your plan, remember a little goes a long way. More intense workouts are usually lower overall volume than a typical training run. Start small and build to optimal.
🗝Have a "big picture" plan and keep it front of mind. It's very helpful to keep a training log as part of that big picture.
🗝Listen and learn from your own body. It will tell you how much it can handle and how much recovery is needed, and when. It will tell you how much increase from week to week it can handle.
🗝For the ultimate injury prevention, make sure your plan includes strength training and running technique work and if you don't know how to approach these, get a coach who knows their stuff.

Our utmost goal is to keep running and improving and staying in love with running!