Relentless Forward Progress_ A Guide to Running Ultramarathons - Bryon Powell [10]
You’ve likely heard of the "10 Percent Rule" for increasing your mileage. If not, it suggests that you increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10 percent week-to-week. In general, it’s a great rule to follow. However, there are exceptions. For instance, most experienced runners amp up their mileage faster than 10 percent a week after a rest period—and that’s fine. That said, the smart ones apply the principle behind the rule, which is to increase your mileage only in considered, reasonable amounts.
You, too, should apply the 10 Percent Rule more as a guideline than as a commandment. That’s not a ticket to add 15 miles to your total mileage week after week. Instead, it’s a call to recognize the arbitrary nature of what constitutes a training week, the arbitrary nature of the rule being exactly 10 percent, and the increased irregularity of weekly mileage in ultramarathon training.
In analyzing increases in your training volume, look beyond your Monday-to-Sunday or Sunday-to-Saturday week. While there is no need to scrutinize every possible seven-day period, keep the possibility of other periods of far-too-quick mileage increase in mind.
For instance, let’s say you’ve been running 45 to 50 miles per week. After taking a few days off from Monday though Wednesday, you end up running 40 miles from Thursday through Sunday. You then kick off the following week with 30 miles from Monday through Wednesday. Regardless of what you plan for the remainder of the second week, with 70 miles in seven days, you likely ran too much in too short a period. There’s no need to panic. Simply ease back your training volume by 10 to 15 percent below your established mileage (here, 45 to 50 miles per week) for the following seven days.
More frequent and longer long runs and even the occasional set of back-to-back long runs make your weekly mileage jump around a bit more than during training for a road marathon. Consider keeping a secondary, longer-term measure of training volume, such as a three-week moving average of weekly volume. Such measures are useful not only for warning of short-term overuse and possible resultant injuries, but also as a hedge against cumulative fatigue that can lead to burnout.
The 10 Percent Rule and a regular look at a mileage moving average are useful tools. However, the broad message to remember is that, despite their utility, logging massive miles should not be done at the expense of your physical or mental health. If you need to take a few days off to heal from a minor injury or illness, do so. If the combination of your training and other obligations has you on the brink of collapse, analyze all your obligations and determine which need to be pared. If that includes cutting your weekly mileage by 10 or 20 miles for a week or two, but being better rested, less stressed, and happier, then you and your running might very well benefit in the long term from a short recovery period. Take care of yourself and make relentless forward progress.
On the Long Run
While total training volume may be the best predictor of ultra-marathon success, it is paramount that you include long runs in your ultra training. In fact, it’s often better to sacrifice a small amount of training volume in the form of pre- and post-long-run recovery to ensure that you can make the most of your long runs. Similarly, curtail speed work and other intense training as needed to make sure