Increasing mileage and getting stronger

Last week I had an awesome 15-mile week, and this week I achieved my goal of a 16.5-mile week! I feel so strong!

One of the biggest rules that I read consistently in running materials is to only increase mileage by 10% per week (check out this article for more information about the golden mileage rule.) That means next week I could increase to 18 miles, but I think I probably won't. I'm going to do 4 3-mile runs and a 5-mile run, similar to this week, adding up to 17 miles. Even a 10% increase weekly now is too much for me--I'm going with the slow-and-steady plan! Even though I feel stronger, I like to feel comfortable with my mileage before I push it further. I probably won't increase until I can master the 5-miler. That's my monster.

Also, I have to get back to swimming and biking! I've been avoiding swimming recently because now that it's warmer, the pool has been much busier than it was during the winter. I know I just need to get to the gym earlier, but I like to run in the mornings, not swim. Excuses, Excuses!

I'm going to swim tomorrow. I am. My workout schedule this week looks like this:



I'm going to stick to it, too!