"Increase total distance by no more than 10% per week."
When you want to build up your weekly training distance, the 10% rule is important. Yes, it means that for the first few weeks there will be smaller increases than you would like. The BIG mistake is seeing that someone else is doing twice the distance you are, and trying to emulate them straight away. Be patient!
While building up, a good idea is to plan to drop back in distance every third or fourth week. This might be the week you race.
So for example, a weekly buildup from 40k per week to 60k per week might be patterned - 40k, 45k, 50k, 45k, 50k, 55k, 50k, 55k, 60k.
A couple more tips - when in such a build-up phase, it is important not to try and increase speed from week to week. Focus on one thing at a time! You can work on your speed later when you are regularly running the 60k week.
Also, how do you increase your weekly distance? Do you do a little more each day, or do you add in a new session each week, or do you pick one session and make it longer? My advice is to pick one session and make it longer, and I would pick the longest session first. For example, if the longest day you want to end up with is 20k, and you are currently running 10k on that day, that is the day to increase first. Establish your longest days early in the phase; add in shorter /recovery days last (so they start off being rest days).
I really do hope you have the long term view - deciding on what your goals and training patterns are going to be, and then sticking to the plan, not chopping and changing from week to week.
Training Principle #2 - Increase total distance by no more than 10% per week.
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When you want to build up your weekly training distance, the 10% rule is important. Yes, it means that for the first few weeks there will be smaller increases than you would like. The BIG mistake is seeing that someone else is doing twice the distance you are, and trying to emulate them straight away. Be patient!
While building up, a good idea is to plan to drop back in distance every third or fourth week. This might be the week you race.
So for example, a weekly buildup from 40k per week to 60k per week might be patterned - 40k, 45k, 50k, 45k, 50k, 55k, 50k, 55k, 60k.
A couple more tips - when in such a build-up phase, it is important not to try and increase speed from week to week. Focus on one thing at a time! You can work on your speed later when you are regularly running the 60k week.
Also, how do you increase your weekly distance? Do you do a little more each day, or do you add in a new session each week, or do you pick one session and make it longer? My advice is to pick one session and make it longer, and I would pick the longest session first. For example, if the longest day you want to end up with is 20k, and you are currently running 10k on that day, that is the day to increase first. Establish your longest days early in the phase; add in shorter /recovery days last (so they start off being rest days).
I really do hope you have the long term view - deciding on what your goals and training patterns are going to be, and then sticking to the plan, not chopping and changing from week to week.
Training Principle #2 - Increase total distance by no more than 10% per week.
.
