PART ONE

Running More: 45 Tips to Help You Safely and Successfully Increase Your Daily and Weekly Mileage

“How much do you run?” Every runner has been asked that question, even from non-runners. It’s an implicit acknowledgment that when we think about running, we fundamentally think in terms of volume, both for individual runs and for longer blocks of time. “How much do you run?” can mean on an average day, or how many times a week, or how many miles per week, or how many hours a week. You could even answer the question (and blow the questioner’s mind) by saying something like, “Last year, I ran 2,715 miles. That was down a few hundred from the year before because I had a calf strain in February and some hamstring issues in the fall.”

So the first thing most runners want to know is how to handle running more. After all, even if your main goal in running is to see how fast you can run, first you need to be able to cover the distance. And you need to be able to cover that distance reasonably comfortably so that you’re good to go on the next run, and the one after that, building that baseline of fitness you need for running to be enjoyable.

At some point, every runner gets to what seems to be their running set point, in one or more of the ways to answer “How much do you run?” It might be the length of the average run, or the duration of the longest run, or number of runs per week, or miles run per week or month or year. It’s fine to stay at that set point, of course, but most runners want more. (You wouldn’t have become a runner in the first place if you’re the sort who’s easily contented.) The tips in this chapter are about how to get past those set points. They’re about how to advance your fitness by running more, whether that’s on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis.