Increasing frequency of runs

[Seafront]

Hi everyone,

Love reading all your posts, though I don't post often.

I finished C25K in November last year. I have been repeating the final run 9 since then , usually 3-4 times a week and really enjoying it. Running at a slow pace, no worries re distance or timings. I feel so much better, sleep and mood have much improved. What are your thoughts re running every day??

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Well done to Seafront on running run 3 of week 9 /3 or 4 times a week and graduating from C25K, it is not advisable to run every day for at least 6 to 9 months after you have graduated, so I would advise you not to run every day until at least the summer.

[Seafront in reply to AlMorr]

Thank you . I will stick with what I am doing for several more months.

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate]

🍏 It’s so lovely to have you pop in! Your consolidation sounds really relaxed and enjoyable 🤩 I see you don’t have your Graduate badge yet. You can be the first one this month to claim one from me here!

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate]

Congratulations on getting so well established in your running habit. You’re doing brilliantly and you’ve clearly got the bug!

On running every day, it’s easy to think that more running is automatically better but when I’ve done it, I’ve found I pretty quickly get burnt out and more prone to injury. As Al say, it’s recommended to get six months of regular runs in your legs before starting to run on consecutive days. I often do that now, but one of the runs will be shorter and/or less intense.

Running every day really works for some people and if you want to give it a go, there’s no reason not to try it when the time is right. Just make sure if you do, you build up slowly and mix up the duration and intensity of your runs, as well as being really disciplined about recognising when running isn’t a good idea, to avoid the injury couch.

A route you could go down (that would also benefit your running!) is to do cross training instead. That’s basically anything which isn’t running. I love swimming, Zumba, weights, yoga, Pilates, walking etc etc etc! Or if you fancy a new challenge, you could try extending your run time, perhaps using the time based Magic Plan. That’s absolutely not compulsory though. It’s all about running in a way you enjoy and you’ve found that!

[Seafront in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you. I will stick to what I am doing and will probably go for a walk on days I don't run.

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

Generally, speaking, not a great idea if you're a relatively new graduate.

The risk is injury of course.

Running is tough on the body - it's one of the best forms of exercise to bring out weaknesses that exist in your muscular-skeletal system, due to the constant pounding and the fact that you subject your body to about twice it's bodyweight with each step.

It therefore takes about 1 to 2 years of regular running for the body to become fully adapted to the stresses and strains of it.

There is a oft-used phrase that is applied to many sports injuries, especially for beginners ... "too much, too soon" ... Beginners start to feel comfortable; they're excited, enjoying their new skill, , they're enthusiastic and feel strong and somewhat invincible ... and then they get injured.

So... what's the rush?

I mean, you COULD get away it ..., a lot depends on your age, other exercise that you do/have done etc ... but why take the risk? The irony is that in trying to do more, you risk doing nothing (by being injured).

My suggestion would be to build your volume (frequency) very gradually . Think about, not runs per week, but runs per 2 weeks ... so by running every other day, you're running 7 times per fortnight,, alternating between 3 and 4 runs per week. Then after a few months of that add in 1 extra run per fortnight, so that you're doing 4 runs a week. Spend a month or so doing that ... Then alternate between 4 and 5 runs per week ... consolidate and then increase to 5 runs per week ... yes?

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to John_W]

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. I've settled in at every other day, it suites me very well.

[Seafront in reply to John_W]

Thank you. I definitely want to avoid the injury couch.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate]

I agree with John, above, but how about instead of increasing the number of runs, you mix things up a bit? A longer run, a shorter faster one, some intervals or fartlek? There are lots of different things to do, how about another plan, to get to 10K for instance?

[Seafront in reply to Curlygurly2]

Thank you.