How many miles should i run in a week?
Most people who have recently added running to their workout routine are always curious about how many miles they are expected to run in a week.
When you know the daily recommended miles you ought to run in a week, it makes it easier for you to set your running goals in order to reach or exceed the daily recommended task.
Running is a sport that requires endurance & persistence, the more you run the greater your resistance level is built.
When you run more miles in a week you build up your running skills, but how do you know how long you are expected to long, how many miles is one expected to run in a week?
It is important to recognize that every individual is not the same, there are certain distinct factors in every individual including their work life, gender, health, training history, eating habit, their sleep pattern and duration.
There’s a famous saying that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step” It takes constant practice to build up your running abilities, you can begin with 10 miles in a week and slowly increase the miles as you build strength and endurance.
Don’t rush into performing 30 miles in a week when you cannot keep up the pace, build your mileage slowly by beginning with a comfortable range then slowly increase your miles. This is a very great way to help one become a faster and more efficient runner.
How many miles should I run in a week to boost my health?
Studies have shown that running for 5 to 6 miles a week has enormous benefits to the overall body’s health.
That’s right! All you need to meet this benchmark is to run a mile per day and you will reach the targets within 5 or 6 days. You can also decide to run 2 miles a day and reach the daily recommended task within 3 days.
It takes an hour or less to reach one mile by running, this is so little when compared with the amazing benefits it offers to the body.
Running is a cardio exercise, cardio exercises are very important exercises. They play a vital role in improving the health of the heart, It protects the body from the risks of certain diseases including stroke, high blood pressure, arthritis, obesity, diabetes, and other heart related problems.
The recommended mileage for a week is 5 to 6 miles, exceeding this target by engaging in a high intensity strenuous and continuous running without taking any rest can increase an individual’s risk for the occurrence of heart related problems.
Factors to consider to determine how many miles to run in a week.
Individuals are different, the amount of strength a person possesses can be traced to their lifestyle, their workout routine and the kind of job they do. A person might complete 2 miles in the shortest time possible while another person keeps struggling with completely a mile in an hour.
There are certain factors that affect how many miles a person can cover in a week.
1.Intensity: During your running routine, If your pace is always at a moderate level it could be quite difficult for you to attain a higher mileage. It is advised to keep your intensity at an easy pace where it is possible to attain a higher mileage while running.
If the intensity is kept at an easy pace, aerobic development is gradually improved and it also fosters the attainment of a faster recovery time. If the heart rate is at 70 -80 this shows that one is running at an easy pace, one can easily keep up a conversation without stress or strain.
Keep your pace easy at every mileage, don’t exert too much effort as it could negatively impact your ability to attain a higher mileage.
An easy pace helps one to build different stages of intensity, when you alternate your pace your body slowly adapts to the process making it easier for you to attain a higher mileage.
As you alternate your pace (from any easy pace – moderate level – higher pace) you are building your resistance, strength and endurance. When your body fully adapts to this process, achieving a mileage becomes easier and attainable.
As the easy pace is the key to attaining higher mileage, during your runs ensure that you keep an easy pace if you want to go beyond 5 to 6 miles. Keeping your pace easy helps you to easily recover however if your pace is extremely high, you might not be able to recover hence the mileage you should have covered with an easy pace will be greatly reduced
The higher your intensity level during a run, the lesser the miles you will be able to cover, your intensity greatly determines how many miles you will be able to run in a week.
If you begin with high intensity, how long will you be able to maintain this pace? Ensure that your pace is easy and comfortable, don’t forget to alternate your pace and at this rate, you will be able to complete the recommended miles and even exceed it.
- Do you enjoy the process?
This is a question you should ask yourself, most people run because of the benefits it offers while others run because they love it. Most athletes who were asked these questions said that “they feel great when they run while running they feel like they are flying”
If you love something you defend it, improve in it and stick with it even when it yields no benefits. When you love running you can easily complete an hour of mileage without feeling pressured or forced, you enjoy doing it so you just need to be coerced to do it.
Athletes who love running are not scared of higher mileage, they love every new advancement in the sport and they strive to attain greater heights hence they succeed. Of course, not every athlete loves running however if you hate a part of running you might come to hate the entire sport. How can you exceptional in something when you hate it?
Your ability to successfully attain the recommended miles for running in a week is dependent on your feeling with regard to the subject.
3.Recovery time?
Rest days are really important with regards to running, someone can easily run 30 miles in a week while you still struggle with 6 miles and you might be wondering why this is happening.
Before comparing the mileage, individual A is able to cover, ensure that you answer the following questions.
- How many hours of sleep do I have?
- What’s my lifestyle like?
- Is my job stressful?
- Are my kids grown or do I still need to chase them around all day long?
Carefully answer the following questions and if they are the same with individual A then you are free to continue the comparison.
If you fail to give your body the time to rest or recover, your body won’t be able to function effectively during training. While trying to attain mileage don’t subject your body to a lesser amount of sleep as this yields less positive results.
Don’t try to compete with anyone’s mileage achievements, we are all different. Ensure that you sleep properly, take rest days after hiit, alternate your pace while you run as this will help you attain your set mileage.
4.Consistency
You might attain a very high mileage in a short period of time but how long can you keep up this achievement? Will you go back to the point where you can barely complete 5 miles in a week?
Higher mileage is not the most important thing, what is more important is how consistent you are.
For instance, you might decide to attain 6 miles every week and work towards achieving this while another individual might attain 30 miles in a week thrice in a year. The individual who completely attained 6 miles weekly has more effective long term results than the occasional high achieving 30 miles runner.
Most runners that aim for higher mileage might not be able to sustain it for a long period this is because their body hasn’t adapted to this kind of routine. It becomes really strenuous for the body to maintain especially when the recovery time is very low.
Don’t chase after high mileage, begin with a mileage you can maintain for a year before advancing to higher mileage by the next year. If you can consistently stick with 6 miles in a week for a year with series of alternate paces, your body fully adapts to this process and you can easily advance to 9- 10 miles in a week by the next year.
5.Trainings
While engaging in cardio workouts (running) do not neglect the other forms of exercise including core exercises, strength training and mobility work. When you engage in high mileage without any form of exercise to build up your body, your body is at risk of the occurrence of injury.
Add strength training, core exercises and mobility work to your workout schedule, there is more benefits when there is a combination of different exercises.
Frequently asked questions
- How far should my first run be?
If you are a newbie to cardio workout like running, there is no need to seek after a high mileage you could hurt yourself if you try this. Stick with 1 mile in a day for 5 – 6 days in a week.
Ensure that you stick with an easy pace but constantly alternate your pace. Always remember that your body needs to adapt so it doesn’t matter how fast you run or how many mileage you have covered, what matters is how consistent you can be in maintaining your goal hence helping your body adapt.
- How fast should beginners run?
Ensure that your pace is kept easy, during the course of running you can alternate your pace. Don’t be too hard on yourself as you run, you need a pace that facilitates aerobic activity and also fosters recovery.
Getting tired easily is associated with a fast pace, if you engage strictly in a fast pace you are likely to easily get tired.
- How many miles should I run in a week?
If you are new to running, you can begin with as little as 5 to 6 miles in a week before advancing to higher mileage.
Conclusion
Running is a cardio exercise that offers lots of benefits to the body, it protects the body from the risks of heart related diseases this is great! because heart disease is one of the top causatives of death in the world.
If you haven’t seen a reason to add running to your routine, this should persuade you. You do not need to run 30 miles weekly, you can begin with as little as 6 miles in a week.
Choose an easy pace over a high mileage and you will attend a high mileage through consistent training.