10% is a good generally accepted benchmark for increases. I recommend though, to increase your mileage, but when you increase it, do a few weeks at that increased distance.

For example, if you now run 33 mpw, then increase it to 36 next week, but then do a few weeks at 36 so your body can adapt to the increased punishment.

Here is how I increase/decrease mileage:

I run (more or less) the same weekly mileage for four weeks. The fifth week I cut miles by 10% to 20%.

During the weeks I log the following information: date, route, distance, time, note, pace (time/miles), max/avg/min heart rate, laps, intervals, resting heart rate, blood pressure, hours of sleep, quality of sleep, weight, body fat %, and eating quality (see Screen shots of running log[/URL" target="_blank">)

During the fifth week when I cut mileage by 10% to 20%, I look at the average numbers of the numeric data (distance, time, pace (time/miles), max/avg/min heart rate, resting heart rate, blood pressure, hours of sleep, quality of sleep, weight, body fat %, and eating quality) in my log. If the numbers just jump out, screaming, "Things are good!" I will increase mileage by 10% to 20% over the next four weeks. If the numbers indicate things are "holding - not improving or declining," I will keep mileage the same. If the averages show I am slowing down, gaining weight, eating badly, etc - my body is not doing well, and I decrease mileage.

Coincidently, I was running 30 to 35 miles at the beginning of this year, and have increased my mileage to 40-45 (see Year to date training[/URL" target="_blank">)

http://This message has been edited by MaineRunner2001 (edited Oct-24-2007).

Not to Hijack the thread, but Mainerunner, what progam are you using? Did you develop that Microsoft Access program yourself?

http://This message has been edited by msvaughan (edited Oct-24-2007).

quote:<HR>Originally posted by MrPHinNJ:

I'd also be curious as to how and / or where folks are adding the miles within the week, long runs, spread evenly through the week, etc. <HR>

It depends:

In the beginning of the year, I increased my "long" run from 6 to 10 miles, so any increase came from that run. In spring/early summer I started doing 1K reps. Started with three, built to five. That was where the increase came in those months. In the summer, I focused on a particular 5K race. I decreased my "long" run from 10 miles to 9 miles. I kept the weekly kilometer reps the same. Additional miles were added to other runs, similar to February and March. In late summer/early fall I switched focus from racing 5K's to an October half marathon, and increased my "long" run to 14 miles, accounting for increases in weekly mileage.

I raced a half on October 7. Last Thursday I caught a miserable cold. I have been running fewer miles due to those things. Probably will not run 30 miles this week. Watching the Red Sox until midnight - 1:00am is not helping anything

quote:<HR>Originally posted by MaineRunner2001:
It depends:

In the beginning of the year, I increased my "long" run from 6 to 10 miles, so any increase came from that run. In spring/early summer I started doing 1K reps. Started with three, built to five. That was where the increase came in those months. In the summer, I focused on a particular 5K race. I decreased my "long" run from 10 miles to 9 miles. I kept the weekly kilometer reps the same. Additional miles were added to other runs, similar to February and March. In late summer/early fall I switched focus from racing 5K's to an October half marathon, and increased my "long" run to 14 miles, accounting for increases in weekly mileage.<HR>

Thanks, this was helpful. I am running in a half next year in April and this is in line with how I was thinking of increasing mileage.