The question of how much should I run is one of the most common questions I get asked. The answer really depends on a number of things. I will try to cover what I have learned over time,  through my own coaching experience, that comes into play when determining the right volume. This includes the number of years an athlete has been training, the distance of the event training for, and goals of the athlete.

It is very easy to get caught up in the kilometer / mileage game. My own opinion is that social media has encouraged runners to brag about how much they run, and to compare themselves to and / or emulate elite athletes. My days of running started before social media existed. As such, most of what I learned came from my coaches and exposure to other elite athletes I trained with. I learned that there was a process to training, building volume, and adapting to quality and quantity. I learned that there was no hidden secrets to training and that the process required commitment, patience and dedication. More importantly, I learned that every training session was a building block. My confidence came from my training, and I learned to let go and trust my coaches. Even the words, commitment, patience and dedication, had a different meaning in my day compared to today. I will touch on this a bit as well. 

When I started the process of improving my marathon times, when I was an elite runner, it took 10 full years. The quantity I ran per week went from 100 km to 130 km to 160 km to periods of sometimes hitting 210 km. What we fail to read on social media, when we cling onto seeing or comparing ourselves to others, is the journey. It is the journey that tells the story of how great athletes are made. Random workouts do not make great athletes. Structured, purposeful training does. 

Here is story that helps to bring home my point around structured, purposeful training. A number of my athletes have been training with me for years. Recently, I had an athlete who specifically asked for certain workouts near the end of his training toward a marathon. Why? He felt that those specific workouts were an indicator of his readiness for the marathon. The workouts are not what I give every athlete. The workouts were based on his years of adaptation. Five years ago, he did not perform the same type of workouts. He simply did not have the training adaptation required to handle the stress of the volume or intensity of such workouts. However, in his training toward the last two marathons he has. These specific workouts provide him confidence that the training process works. I am certain we will modify and change things up as more adaptation occurs.

How much to run per week is to some degree a trial and error process. What? Where is the science? How about that 10% rule or add a kilometer / mile per day of running? These are guidelines. It takes an experienced coach, one who has been exposed to coaching thousands of athletes to know when it is the right time to be increasing the volume an athlete should run. Different athletes respond to different training stresses. It takes time to determine what type of training volume and intensity is right and when to shift it. Further, what has worked in the past may not work in the future with the same athlete. 

Let me provide an example of an athlete where performances decreased instead of increased. In the first two years of coaching this athlete, he made huge improvements. This athlete went from running a 3:45 marathon to a 3:11 marathon in an 18 month period. Pretty impressive! After this huge gain in performance, this athlete stopped improving. In fact, racing and time trial results started to deteriorate. So what happened? Was the process broken some how? Absolutely!

Let's dive into this a bit. The words commitment, patience and dedication can help explain. An athlete can exclaim that they work hard, harder than anyone else, but so what. Indicators that the process of training is not being adhered by an athlete include: training outside of current fitness level, executing training runs too hard, adding quantity to the week, and / or doing hard workouts back to back. This indicates that the athlete is not committed to the process, has become impatient (or believes they are invincible or has low confidence) and lacks dedication to the longer term process. The end result is burnout and / or injury. In some cases, a break-up of the coach and athlete. Coaches do fire athletes! If I find I can no longer help an athlete, it is time for them to move on.

Let's shift back to answering how much should I run? I have learned so much by being exposed to so many different athletes with different ability levels and years of training. It has enhanced my understanding of the science behind training. Each year I add more tools to my toolbox of coaching. It is a constant learning process. Detailed below are things I feel should be considered in answering the question of how much should I run. 

1. Don't just keep adding distance to your week because you read about the 10% rule. Training needs to be progressively layered. Every session should be a building block.
2. Training years should determine the increase in quantity and quality of runs over time. Running too much and / or too hard are common reasons why athletes get sidelined. My view is that an athlete who trains over their head lacks the understanding of the training process. 
3. Increasing quantity and quality at the same time is dangerous. Adaptation is fundamental to the training process. This requires a great deal of discipline.
4. Practice training at the pace you will be racing at. This is the golden rule of specificity. Why is it the golden rule? It is the golden rule because I believe it is the one most incorrectly interpreted. The closer you get to your race, the more your training should simulate running paces specific to that race distance. For example, hammering out 5km race intervals in the final weeks leading up to a marathon will only take away from the marathon not improve your fitness. Another example is running 30 km long runs when your event is a 5 km or 10 km.
5. Understanding goals. Is the goal to race or to finish? The approach to training is very different depending on the answer. Building a strong rapport with your coach is key to ensuring that goals are well understood. I have a lot of athletes who have come to me injured and  / or frustrated with their performance over time. Building a trusting relationship takes time. It requires taking small steps to build the confidence of an athlete which in turn results in trust.
6. Longer distance events require higher volume weeks than do shorter distance events. This is the rule of specificity and is tied to number four.

Success and longevity in running or any endurance sport requires commitment and dedication to the process, and patience. One good result never tells the full story. Further, as an athlete, if your goal is to improve, hire a coach. Regardless of how talented or knowledgeable one becomes, a coach provides perspective and a voice of reason. It is the coaches job to be constantly looking at the bigger picture and the longer term. Confidence should come from the training process and not social media posts.