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One of the classic lessons many street runners have learned from the beginning is that more mileage is always better when it comes to improving aerobic fitness. We cannot deny this because there is scientific evidence to prove it. However, these studies have also shown how this gain is reduced as training volume increases, even decreasing above a specific weekly mileage.
As Glover (1999) cites, studies from the University of Miami conducted by Michael Pollock showed that an increase in weekly mileage up to 40 kilometers increased the aerobic capacity of a sample of beginning runners by more than 30% after several months of training.
This gain decreased to 13% when the volume increased to 80 kilometers. Other studies by David Costell at Ball State University, also cited by Glover, showed how increasing weekly mileage to 120 kilometers barely increased aerobic fitness by 3% and even decreased it when weekly mileage was above 160 kilometers.
These results show us that an increase in weekly mileage does allow for improved fitness, but that after a certain point this gain is reversed, worsening fitness and, even worse, significantly increasing the risk of injury.
However, this ideal weekly mileage point that every runner seeks and that ultimately allows them to obtain the “maximum gain with the minimum possible effort” is not determined by a formula or general rule but rather depends on factors that are very specific to the person, such as their age, how ambitious their goal is, their propensity to get injured, their experience in this sport, and even the time available for training.
The quality of those miles is also essential, and that’s why plans like FIRST, while based on relatively low mileage, are very demanding in the “key work” suggested.
Below is a reference that Glover gives us regarding weekly mileage for beginner runners:
| Target distance | Beginner Runners (Kilometers/week) | Beginner Runners (miles/week) |
| 5K | 16-32 | 10-20 |
| 10K | 24-40 | 15-25 |
| Half Marathon | 32-48 | 20-30 |
| Marathon | 48-64 | 30-40 |
Fuente: Glover, Bob. The Competitive Runner´s Handbook
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