Run High Mileage (Without Injuries)

Want to run higher mileage but not sure if you'll get hurt? Here's how to stay healthy as you build to high mileage weeks of running!

Want to run higher mileage? Of course you do! Most runners would become dramatically faster if they increased their weekly mileage.

But how do you do it without getting a running injury?

In this video, Jason discusses how to gradually increase your mileage so that ultimately, you're capable of high mileage in the future.

Jason Fitzgerald is a USATF running coach, 2:39 marathoner, and the host of the award-winning Strength Running Podcast. He's the 2017 Men's Running Magazine's Influencer of the Year and his work has appeared in Runner's World, Health Magazine, The Washington Post, Lifehacker, and other major media.

[ondrejhavlik]

Thank you for not forgetting about your "metric friends"! 😉

[tayloreminem]

Strength training comes before all else. Enables you to do all else

[xXAnthonyXx]

Looking at that progression definitely leads me to believe I was a bit too ahead of myself with my mileage. I lost 100 pounds walking and running two years ago and began running about 30-40 miles a week. I come from no athletic background so I’m sure my left knee patellar tendonitis might have something to do with going a little too hard 😆.

[lisaenglish]

Thank you! I needed this. I am going to train for my first half marathon and just came off a PB high from my recent 10K and wanted to see how fast I could do my first half. I needed to be reeled back in and use this training as a way to build aerobic base, and worry about speed another time. I need to see this as a gradual build and think in term of years!

[prsona]

I always forget to go gradually up in miles and my shins let me know it.

[bangbangfan]

RE cross training. I have found that high incline walking on a treadmill generates a very good heart rate with very little impact or injury risk. Cycling between 10-15% incline at 6.5-7km/h for 30-60 minutes is like a threshold session for your heart with only minimal injury risk.

[Kudal]

I am 60 years old. I always lifted weights and ran low mileage on the treadmill. I enjoy running outdoors more now and I have problems balancing weight lfting with running more mileage..I do not make gains in running without doing squats and bench press etc. however my time is limited. I never run and lift weights the same day. If I squat then I run two days later to allow enough recovery time. I would rather just run, but without weight lifting I get injured and do not make gains in my running. All of this is very time consuming!

[bryanvaughan]

Good video I ran 110 mile weeks 35 or more years ago did it for months and PB, d at every distance I I raced at. I'm in my 70, s now and am running 80 mile weeks, don't no why perhaps just cos I can.

[Kamau]

I started distance running at age of 39 after being 23years in strength sports. I started exactly 24th October 2018 and 2020 lockdown months June-July I was jobless and played with fire as setting 400miles in two months before finishing second year of my running journey 🤔 at the moment I'm in 357day running streak and having about 1900miles in the bank since 22nd May 2020.

[dewknow]

I started run in 2018 stated built up too 20 miles a week and it's 2021 and I getting 30 to 50 miles a week .

[LR]

Been running every day now since covid started, about a year ago. I'm blessed to be running 70 mile weeks for the past 2 months now. I hit 70 last summer and fealt like my hips where about to explode so backed off.

I was going to hold 70 for 12 weeks, but with how good I'm feeling at week 8 I'm going to attempt to bump it up to 75miles a week for the next 4 weeks and see how that goes (using doubles)

I'm thinking adding 2 2.5mile doubles should be easy enough

[matttherunner]

I've been running for just over a year now and my current mileage is 125 miles a week. On the very first week I ran 50 miles and been gradually increasing the weekly mileage since then. I ran an average of 140 miles a week in March, but now I'm back to about 125 miles. And as for the actual improvement, I ran a 24:40 5k on the first day and now I'm a 2:35 marathoner. Aiming to run a sub 2:25:00 marathon by the end of the year. Never done any kind of strength training btw. If I were to give one running tip for running high mileage I would say recovery is the absolute most important thing. Sleep is only one thing, another thing is that the less physical activities you do (apart from the running itself obviously) and the more you lie on your bed, the better the chance that you won't get injured. So if you have a physically demanding job that you do for 40 hours a week, it's gonna be pretty hard for you to get to running 100 miles a week regularly and not get injured, even if you sleep a lot. Also diet plays a huge role- you need to remember that the more you run, the more you need to eat. If you don't provide your body with enough nutrients throughout the day, then the risk of injury greatly increases.

[franciscotoro]

High mileage is effective only if it is the correct mix adn at the appropriate time in the season. High mileage is best applied in the fall, winter and spring, when build up and bulk workouts develop muscle endurance, push out the ATP and increase MVO2. Summer is racing season so mileage is low, more focused on upcomoing races and taylored to refine performance. It also has to have a mix of intervals, moderate and fast edium runs as well as slow-medium long runs. typically elite athletes trains as follows: Day 1 morning 8K easy, noon 5-8k easy, evening 10k medium. Day 2, morning 5K medium, noon 5k easy, evening 15k track workout Day b3 as day 1, day 4 as day 2 but with different interval distance, day 5 as day 1, day 6 20K track workout as on evening day 2 but different interval distance. Day 7 long run, 20-25k preferable on hilly terain. It should add up to 150 to 180K per week.

[neiluk]

I only started running regularly this time last year and by September was typically doing around 25km per week. I hit 50km per week in March of this year, but I think I overdid it in terms of both distance and pace as had a small calf tear that meant I had to take a break from running for two weeks. I'm looking to build the distance back up but this time slow down and also do some additional strength training.

[jeffreyharrison]

Thanks! I’m learning tons from your videos

[alvinwong]

I started running again in 2018 after recovering from both achilles ruptured back in 2017 (funny thing is I ran 8 rounds around the house in my village like a kid without realised that I am still 4 months recovery both 😆).

FF at present day 2021, from 130kg fat man 2017 to 86kg now. From huffing puffing and now I finished another 100km VR UltraM for 3 days (33. 33km per day).
How?... Answer... Thanks to David Goggins. Now I don't give any F****ng excuses. The end 😆.
Alright back to the topic. Honestly, crosstraining really helped me out to get me where I am now. I understand that it is underrated since not many really wants to wasted time to get out and see from outside the box.
That's okay, for the interested people, you need :
- elliptical or bike for cycling
- jump rope (light and heavy)
- 130Psi 295/80 R22.5 tire

Good thing some good Muay Thai workout from my neighbourhood Thailand always available. A funny
"Jumping tire" moves. Just jump like a trampoline flat view. Don't worry, soon you start to make your own too. Thank me later after you have none huffing puffing ✌️😁✌️

[littleboylosto]

Good job converting miles to kilometers on the fly!

[fastinradfordable]

7:00
‘ my personal limitations’

* no human is limited.

[arisonbiolchi]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Very helpful

[Sunflowrrunner]

Every time I get up to 50 miles per week, I hurt myself. I'm just now running a couple miles a day after about a month off from an ankle injury. My plan for the next year is to stay at 40-45 mpw, maybe doing 1-2 50 mile weeks in the last weeks of training before a race, and doing more trail stuff with more varied terrain.