It doesn’t matter which point you are at in your running program, you might end up asking yourself How many miles should I run a day for the best results? The beginners need clarity on this all the more and even the athletes are at risk of overdoing many times. Many of you must also be seeking to know how many miles should I run a week.
In this article, we endeavor to help you set the right foot into the running world by answering this very basic query. Read on to get useful insights on running and the right way to do it.
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How is running different from jogging?
It is very common to see people equating running with jogging. Let us tell you that both are greatly different and to mention this distinction is very important. Jogging is like an entry into the vaster running world.
If you want to run consistently, you will need to start with jogging in the form of a warm-up. There are different reasons for jogging depending upon the need of the jogger. It can be aiming for making muscles flexible, recovering injured muscles, or just making the toes active again.
The top speed for jogging is less than a slow running speed and you can hold a conversation while jogging. If you are not an ardent lover of running, then jogging is made for you. Weekly jogging of around 5-6 miles in a week can make up to be enough for giving you good results.
What are the different categories of running?
We have classified them into four categories:
The beginner’s run
If you are a full novice in the running world, you don’t have much to worry about if your fitness or training goals are clear with you. At the same time, if you lack experience in any of the running sports like baseball or soccer too, then let us help you to know how many miles should I run a day.
Your initial attempts need to be gradual. The first run shouldn’t be more than miles at max and keep 1 mile to be the minimum. You must hold the pace steady and easy.
You should run at a comfortable pace and stop when you think it is getting really tiring. Do not overdo anything to get sore. Your goal at this stage is not to target speed or fitness; rather you need to see the limit of your body and the risk factor.
Increase the distance gradually and do good warm-ups. Even the athletes need to do comfortable runs for more miles.
Run for endurance and speed building
If you are aiming to improve your endurance, the key is increasing the time spent on feet. Gradually increase the running time by adding 5-10 minutes every time. This adjustment period is important and you have to make consistent and progressive efforts into building the mileage.
Aerobic workouts when combined with running yield significant results like boosting oxygen circulation. You should train the muscles to get accustomed by trying different speed runs.
You can also consider incorporating multiple runs in a single day for improving endurance if possible. Early morning and post-work can be the apt time to try them and you must keep a gap of 6 hours between the runs as a thumb rule. Do not forget to keep comfort at topmost priority and set a limit at 5 miles for these runs.
Speed improvement requires specific running but adding secondary workouts can enhance the gains along with reducing the injury potential. You must also vary the footwork and speed by combining jogging, walking, and running to keep the muscles complacence free. Try different types of runs like thematic runs, long runs, or the Fartleks (watch this video).
Run for marathon training
The marathon trainers need to remember the primary concept which is cumulative fatigue. This means that you are getting more tired with every run and that physical exertion stays with you throughout the training. You must add the extra miles to the run at a gradual pace.
For the first marathons, the rule is to keep the long under the thirty percent of the weekly run mileage. This is to ensure an injury-free run and prevent overexertion. Remember that the quality of the running session is more important than covering as many miles.
You must devise a specific plan for yourself when training for marathons.
Run for general health benefits
Many of you must be thinking about how many miles should I run a day just to avail certain health benefits. Undoubtedly running can benefit you in many ways and it calls for making the running specifically designed for particular health targets.
If you are targeting weight loss, then running alone cannot be the best bet. Instead, try combining it with different exercises like weight training and other strength boosting workouts like lunges, squats, and rows. All such workouts put many muscles at work together at the same, leading to amplified calorie burn. Watch this video.
It has been proved that running helps in alleviating stress, fighting depression, and boosts the overall mood of the person. Running is one of the best ways for de-stressing which is related to excessive sweating. You can try doing just 15 minutes of running every day and this is going to work wonders.
How much is the average running for a week?
If you are wondering as to how many miles should I run a week, then lets us help you with the basics of this calculation.
If you are a beginner, then you should keep the number of runs limited to 2-4 times in a week and give up to 30 minutes max to every running session. Following the ten percent rule yields good results, but increasing the running distance every alternate week is a better formula for increasing the mileage. This makes the body adapted and prevents injuries.
For improving endurance, practice long runs after a few initial weeks where you keep adding 5-10 min to the run every week. It’s not wise to keep running the same and you can do experiments like:
A weekly plan may prove to be more efficient. Take cognizance of your fitness level and goals primarily. We suggest you keep the morning time for running as the body is not busy yet.
You can try short runs for the weekdays and the weekends can have the long runs to calculate how many miles should I run a day. The experienced runners can do experiments with variety and weekly training plans. You can mix and match long runs, speed work, recovery runs, hill workouts, pool runs, and many more to keep the plan exciting and high yielding.
What are the benefits of running every day?
There are so many of them and when you do supplemental workouts too, the results are maximized. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits running gives to our body:
What can be the running basics to remember?
Running is not as easy as it might look and there are complex details that pertain to the different goals runners have. However, in any kind of workout, certain basics are common in addition to knowing how many miles should I run a day.
Conclusion
So we did our best to help you know how many miles should I run a day and then calculate how many miles should I run a week. We went into detailing the complexities involved to make you devise a more careful running plan that will cater to the specific fitness goals that you have. All you need to now do is get into the right gears and go for a run!
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