A lot of runners (especially those who run high mileage) share their weekly or monthly mileage totals on social media. While it’s great to be proud of your hard work, it can also be challenging when we are exposed to so many other runners and their training that we may end up comparing our own mileage to someone else's. We may also get caught up in the trap of thinking that ‘more’ mileage is always better. More mileage can be better and faster runners usually do run more, but it’s important to look at the variables at play for weekly mileage and come up with a plan to see what weekly mileage YOU should be running. 

Your background?

Other endurance sports?

Are you injury prone? High mileage = high responsibilities

How long have you been running?

How many miles per week do you usually run?

Have you ever increased and gotten hurt?

Current life

Do you get 7-8 hour of sleep per night

What are your goals?

What are you training for in the next few months/years?

When was your last off season?

Your training

How often do you do other activities

Do you have time to commit to more mileage?

Will you have to sacrifice sleep?

How do you feel after a week of increase or decrease

Do you currently run slow enough on easy days?

Can we optimize by adding in quality workouts?