Adding a mile a week

[Deleted User]

My long run is currently 6 miles. Doing only one of these a week, is it reasonable to add a mile a week for the next 8 weeks? (I do 2 other runs - speedwork and easy).

[Deleted User]

I think the theory is to add 10% to your weekly total per week so it would depend on how far you are doing.
My ladies group are adding 0.5 miles on to the weekly mileage for the next 3 weeks, then going up to 1 mile per week increase for 4 weeks, then dropping the mileage for an easy week before increasing again.
Depneds on how fit you are to start, but you don't want to add too much too soon. Try doing as you plan, bit if you start to feel any twinges, especially in your shins or knees or hips drop the mileage down again for annother week or so.

[Deleted User]

i totally agree about the shins and knees, don't get an injury, it's a double whammy against you, not only are you loosing time you could spend improving due to recovery, but you are also loosing fitness and motivation due to the nature of some recoverys.

you could do the two steps one step back system. ie, on one long run do eight miles, then next week do only seven. then the week after do nine and then after that, do eight. you can add a mile to another shorter run durnig the rest of the week to keepo you intended weekly mileage the same, but the "easier" week, allows your body time to recover. even if you look at the RW marathon schedules you'll see that they don't increast the mileage in a straight line, it's up, down a little, up some more, down a little bit, and so on.

listen to your body, if you feel pain which you think couyld be injury, and it's persistent, GET IT CHECKED OUT, or ask someone who know about injury(a running coach etc.) to have a look. most of the stress and straing running injuries are caused by too sharp an increase in mileage.