KAt what point in the future can you drop the rest days?

[Mrswobbly]

Ok, I'm only starting Week 6 this week, but running is part of an overall weight loss programme for me. My question is, will I always have to take a rest day between runs or is that just for beginners? I always thought runners went out for a run daily? Obviously I don't want to injure myself but at what point are we resilient enough to do a daily jog? Cheers all!

[sparky66 Graduate]

I think it's roughly 6 months to a year until you can run on consecutive days, and even then some non run days are advised...You can and it's very helpful to your weight loss and to help your running if you do some strength training on your non run days 😊

Well done so far, and keep up your amazing progress 🏃‍♀️💪👏

[Instructor57 Graduate]

As a new runner it would be advised not to run on consecutive days for at least 6 months , some would say 12 months !It takes a surprisingly long time for your body to get used to the stresses of running and doing too much at this stage can very easily lead to injury .

As we run we produce micro tears in our muscles, these need time to repair .

Don't think of them as 'Rest days' , they are more like preparation days for your next run , and why wouldn't you want to prepare .

You can of course use your non running days for other non impact excercises

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

" I always thought runners went out for a run daily?"

And do you think 'runners' started off like that? How did they become 'runners'? Most runners who run daily have probably built up to that over a number of years.

Yes - it takes 1-2 years (years!) of *regular* running for your body to become fully adapted to the stresses and strains of it - it's tough on the body.

With that in mind, don't even think of increasing your running from 3 days a week for another 6 months. Then maybe add in an extra day. That's still 3 non-running days a week.

Bear in mind, that weight-loss will come overwhelmingly from changes to how you eat and drink.

Running burns 1 calorie, per 1 kilogram of bodyweight, per 1 kilometre ran.

So if you're 70kg and run 5k, you're burning 350 calories - which really isn't very much at all when you look at what you consume on a daily basis.

More generally (bit less accurate), running 1 mile (1.6km) burns 100 calories. So 5k (3.1 miles) is about 300 cals.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to John_W]

I just looked back on how many calories I used recently, I am 67 Kilograms in weight, I burned 371 calories last Saturday on my latest 5K run, time was 33.01, I 🚴 cycled 40km two weeks ago and burned one thousand calories, for my longest run ever which is 10 miles, ran last year I burned 1.2k calories, I think the heavier a person is, the more calories will be burned.

[John_W Graduate Ambassador in reply to AlMorr]

Indeed, as per my post above > >>>

"Running burns 1 calorie, per 1 kilogram of bodyweight, per 1 kilometre ran."

Entirely dependent on your weight 😎

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to John_W]

👍

[Rennur Graduate]

Also, as you progress, you will probably run longer distances. After 9 months since I started I do a 5k, 4K and a 8-12k each week. Though I tend to spread them over 8 or 9 days as I really need those rest days. Plus age is relevant. I am 58 plus I am overweight too, so I can't risk injury. Maybe one day next year I might run consecutive days but not after a long run and only occasionally.

[Whydothis Graduate]

As well as the strength training recommended by others, you can also go for long brisk walks on the in-between days, and this will help your fitness and so help the weight loss along.

[Mrswobbly]

Thanks everyone. All common sense and I will adhere to the programme. I do play tennis weekly and golf x 2 per week as well as walk the dog about 3.5k daily so I reckon that's plenty for an old bird like me 😀!

[Sandraj39 Graduate]

Hope this helps…commandment no 6! 😉😀