Running Frequency Progression

I will assume that runners reading this and doing trackworkouts are competitive. That is, you are training to race and improve your performances. If you are running to simply maintain fitness, then this post may not be appropriate for your goals.

Building base includes not only mileage but frequency as well. If you are training competitively, you should probably be running 5, 6, or 7 days a week. However, you need to balance your training load against the likelihood of getting injured. I've found that 6 days/week is right for me. I'd love to run 7, but injuries are an issue, so I keep 1 day of rest on my schedule each week.

You can't just jump from running 3 days a week to 7. It takes time and thoughtfulness in your training. Summer base training is a great time to bump your training schedule to add 1 day per week. Also, by adding another day while you are adding mileage, you are effectively decreasing your daily mileage.

Start by adding 1 day of running this week, next week go back to your current mileage. The complete schedule is below. For someone currently at 4 days per week, the progression would be (days/week): 5, 4, 5, 4, 5, 5, 4, 5.

Week 1: current + 1 day
Week 2: no change
Week 3: current + 1 day
Week 4: no change
Week 5: current + 1 day
Week 6: current + 1 day
Week 7: no change
Week 8: current + 1 day

Notes:

• Maintain new frequency for at least 8 weeks before adding another day.
• On recovery weeks, you can drop one day per week for some added rest and still be at your previous level

Jack Daniels in his Daniels Running Formula 2nd Edition, presents the following recommendations:

• If training three days a week, train on any three days, but no two days in a row
• If training four days a week, train on days 1, 3, 5, 7 or days 1, 2, 4, 6
• If training five days a week, train on days 1, 3, 4, 6, 7.