How soon should I start running every day?

February 14th, 2009 | by DistanceRunner |
Justin C asked:


I recently started running for the first time in a few years on this past saturday the 23rd, ran a few laps then walked a few, next time 2 days later i ran 3 and walked a few, tonight i ran a mile straight and walked a few. Should i just jump right into running a mile every day or to avoid injury should I wait a while, and just keep running every other day?

The Measles

  1. 2 Responses to “How soon should I start running every day?”

  2. By Thomas H on Feb 17, 2009 | Reply

    If you can run a full mile with out any problems with shin splints and the like than go for it.

  3. By John R on Feb 19, 2009 | Reply

    I am an advocate of a gradual build in workload. Ask yourself the following question: “How do I feel after I run a mile?”

    If you’re running a mile easy and it is hurting, you’re not ready to run every day. If you feel good, you’re ready to expand the mileage gradually.

    I would start off by running on consecutive days only once per week. Take this example:

    Monday: off
    Tuesday: 1 mile
    Wednesday: off
    Thursday: 1 mile
    Friday: off
    Saturday: 1 mile
    Sunday: 1 mile

    If that week works well for you (no pain), you could add a mile to say, Wednesday. Now at this point, I’d ask myself if I simply want to run a mile everyday, or do I want to expand the length of certain runs? Maybe you could try to go for 1.5 miles or 2 miles on Sunday for example. If that’s the case, I’d keep a couple rest days in the schedule. If you are content with simply running a mile a day, then you could add a sixth day during week and then a seventh day.

    Whatever you do, keep the increases gradual! Good luck to you.

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