How to Tell if Increasing Your Weekly Running Mileage is Working

Figuring out if increasing your running mileage is effective can be tricky. You might feel frustrated or unsure. Tracking your progress isn’t always easy. Many runners deal with tiredness, the risk of injury, or feeling mentally drained. This can make it hard to know if running more miles is helping or hurting you.

Things to Think About:

1. How Your Body Feels:

   • Are you often tired or sore?
   • How does your body feel during and after long runs?
   • Daily stress or work can affect your running, so your performance might change from day to day.

2. Is Your Speed Staying the Same?

   • When you run more mileage, you want your speed to get better too.
   • If you notice your speed isn’t improving or is getting slower when you run more, it might mean you’re pushing too hard for your body to keep up.

3. Injuries:

   • Running more miles can increase the risk of injuries.
   • If you find yourself hurt from overdoing it, it’s a sign that the increased mileage isn’t working for you right now.

To help tackle these issues, you can use a plan to track your progress more effectively.

How to Fix These Problems:

1. Keep a Running Log:

   • Write down your training details. Include not just how many miles you ran, but also how hard you felt you worked, how well you recovered, and if you had any pain.
   • Use this log to find patterns. For example, if running more miles means you’re often sore, think about slowing down your mileage increase or stopping it for now.

2. Take Your Time Increasing Mileage:

   • Try to add about 10% more mileage each week. This slow increase helps your body adjust without too much pressure.
   • Check in with how your body feels after each increase. If you feel good, you can go up a bit more.

3. Focus on Recovery:

   • Make sure you’re using recovery methods like drinking enough water, eating well, stretching, and taking rest days.
   • Keeping track of how well you recover can show if your mileage increase is helping you get better or if it’s making you feel worn out.

By understanding the challenges of figuring out if your mileage increase is effective and using this plan to measure your progress, you can build your running strength in a smarter way.