Running more miles means running more miles. Long distance running requires increased running volume to build bodily and mental endurance. It is the practice of discipline and awareness. Having the discipline to continue to push the body and the awareness of the body’s perceptions and responses.

My legs are starting to feel more comfortable with a higher volume of running. Being in the post-injury period, I pay close attention to how my legs react to each run. Is there any pain? If so, what type? Tightness? Throbbing? Bruised? All of these signals could mean different potential issues or non-issues.

One thing to be aware of as a long-distance runner is pain sensations and their severity. Injuries are common amongst runners, most often caused by overuse. Running a lot of miles is hard on the legs, and, occasionally, it causes muscles and tendons to become inflamed, resulting in major discomfort while running. The pain can be so great that it causes a runner to stop running for several weeks.

I have been injured several times as a runner, usually related to pain around my left knee/hip or my right ankle. Sometimes a particular pace causes a tendon to hurt. I have learned to be aware of these pains and to track their progression. If my knee starts hurting after a run, I will pay attention to the type of pain – dull or sharp? Has the pain persisted for multiple days in a row? Is it getting worse?

Some pain is normal and probably a good sign that the muscles are strained but will recover and return stronger than before. But some pain can be a signal from the body that it is overworked and close to breaking. This a balance that the runner must maintain when attempting to increase running volume.

I like to think of my running volume in terms of phases. There are building phases, sustaining phases, and cooldown phases. The phases usually flow in that order. Underneath all these phases is a “base.” I think of my “base” volume as the amount of running I can sustainably maintain for an extended period of time without overexerting myself. Last year, before my glute injury, my base level of weekly running mileage was about 45-50 miles with 8,000 – 10,000 feet of vertical gain. I could sustain this volume somewhat comfortably without feeling exhausted or overworked. From this base, I could build more volume slowly and then sustain about 3 weeks 65-75 miles with about 14,000 – 17,000 feet of vertical gain, before cooling back down towards my base. I could get through this phase cycle and come out feeling stronger. With the right timing, I could use this strength to go into a race scenario or some other running goal.

By completing these phases of buildup, sustaining, and cooling down, I can use the strength gains to actually increase my “base” level. Therefore, the spectrum of base to peak is relative. For example, my base weekly volume was around 20-25 miles 3 years ago. In general, I try to increase my weekly “base” about 10 miles each year.

However, the whole base and phase cycle structure gets interrupted with injury. In my experience, an injuries force me to stop running or drastically decrease my volume for weeks or months in duration. This has the effect of lowering my base level. An injury is a “setback” in the ultimate goal of increasing base running volume.

After experiencing multiple injuries, I have learned some lessons that can be applied to future phase cycles. I have developed a better understanding of the sensations in my body and what they might be trying to communicate. It is very important to be able to listen to the body when in a building or sustaining phase. The higher volume puts stress on the body. I want to balance the stress in such a way that allows growth, not one that causes destruction.

I am currently in the post-injury period where I am re-establishing my base. This has been an experiment as I have used the bike to maintain a base level of cardio fitness. I have realized that my heart strength to endure longer efforts has been aided by long days on the bike. I am glad for this discovery. I will likely incorporate the bike into my training more often as it allows my leg tendons and joints a break from the earthpounding of running.

Some music selections for this past week of training:

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard albums: Quarters!, Paper Mache Dream Balloon, and Nonagon Infinity. Working my way through this group’s catalog. Large volume of interesting music.

My Morning Jacket’s album The Tennessee Fire. Starting to work through this band’s catalog as well. Z is a cool album too.

Railroad Earth 3/21/2025 Brooklyn, NY. Thanks to taper: Evan Franks. Good Like A Buddha jam.

Sierra Ferrell’s album Trail of Flowers

Lindsay Lou’s album Queen of Time. Really like her songwriting style. Pretty sweet jams, will have to listen more.