Base Mileage
One of my favorite times to train is during the summer. Its hotter than hell, but there is a ton of potential to build fitness. When I ran at UT (ages ago), we would finish up the outdoor season in late June and then take the next 8 weeks to just run. It was time to focus solely on running comfortably (that didn’t always mean easy though) and increasing mileage. Typically this would be when I would hit my highest mileage weeks of the year. No workouts means faster recovery. Perhaps on one run each week I would get an itch to pick up the pace. I’d turn the run into a progression or steady run. I didn’t have it scheduled, but it just came fairly naturally. Just by running a high mileage summer, I was able to gain massive fitness. Then when I started workouts I was on top of my game and ready to go.
What is the purpose of base mileage? Building your foundation.
1) I look at base mileage as a foundation. With any building you need a strong base/foundation to support the structure. You can’t jump ahead either. If you start building the roof before you have the walls, you’re gonna run into issues. The closer you get to your race the more specific your workouts can get. Having a solid foundation will help you build significant fitness.
2) Periodize your training: you can only maintain peak fitness for a short amount of time -2-4 weeks before you risk injury or burn out. Your base phase is no stress. All you need to do is run. This helps your mind and body recover from the previous race, and get back to place where you can start building again. Jumping from race to race without a strategy you can easily stagnate. So pick 1-2 peak races/year that you are going to focus on. The rest is just prep.
3) Base mileage can lead to less burnout. Get out on the trail a bit more. Diversify your routes. It’s hot here in Austin,Texas for 6 months, so take advantage of shaded trails, swimming holes, and springs where you can take a quick dip mid run to cool off. I’m telling you, it makes all the difference. Check out our trail routes page for a list of trails around the Austin area. Finishing the run with a dip is a great way to cool off and avoid another shower!
4) Keep the increase moderate. I follow a pretty traditional 10-15% weekly increase depending on the runner. If you have 8-10 weeks of summer base mileage then you will want to peak towards the end of the summer. This helps as you line up for a fall/winter peak. Then post race you will recover for a week or two before you do another mini base phase.
Avoid becoming obsessed with your mileage. Once you hit your peak goal, its easy to want to push more. You want to stick to the numbers. Jumping ahead to hit 5 or 10 more miles on a given week can lead to injury or burn out as well. I did this my junior year of college. I got really fit over the summer, but was running all day. I’d throw in extra runs and about 20% of my runs were garbage. I’d run to practice to get extra mileage and run home. I felt great until I burnt out late season. It’s addicting. So make sure to stick to the plan.
You can plug in a base phase anytime of the year depending on your race. Summer is my favorite though just because there are less Texas trail races (besides Captain Karl’s night races) during the heat of the summer. Its also hot. Summer training (not racing) leads to PR’s! So try it out. Holler our way if you’d like to join us for a run or have questions about coaching!