Running is still one of the most effective and efficient ways to burn calories since it provides several fat-burning, cardiovascular, muscular, tendon, and bone-building advantages. It’s one of the key reasons there are so many newcomers to the sport. On the other hand, new runners might quickly get disillusioned with the sport, not only because it is much more difficult than most people expect, but also because the cumulative effects of running may take their toll if beginners don’t catch them early enough with the correct habits.

Running is a simple activity to get into—all you need is a pair of shorts, a shirt, and some shoes. However, it is a physically difficult and tiring exercise. New runners tend to generalize that they should be able to experience the runner’s high all of the time or that they would be miserable all of the time. Neither is entirely accurate.

When will it get easier for beginners to run? At what time might beginner runners expect to get the fabled “runner’s high”?

How Long It Takes for Running to Feel Good

Because each runner is different, the answer to the question “When will running begin to feel easy for me?” varies. When attempting to answer this question, keep the following considerations in mind:

• Before you started running, how fit were you?
• Are you overweight, and if so, how much overweight are you (according to your doctor)?
• What is your age?

If you’ve been relatively active your entire life—say, you played basketball in high school and went to the gym 3 or 4 times a week in your adult life—you should be able to adapt to the vigor of running more quickly than a new runner who has been completely sedentary for months or years before beginning the sport. Furthermore, if you’re young—say, in your 20s or 30s—and you merely want to lose 10 pounds or less (or none at all), you’ll likely adjust to running in 2 to 3 weeks of constant training.

By adapting, I mean that the runner should get a little better at running—they should feel less winded, and the exercise shouldn’t feel as tough while running at a slow, conversational speed. It doesn’t imply running will become easy, but you should experience less weariness, pain, and shortness of breath.

If you’re older—in your late 30s, 40s, or 50s and beyond—your body may take longer to adjust to the stress of running; it may take 4 to 6 weeks of constant training to feel comfortable running. The same timescale applies to bigger runners—they simply have more to lift, and each footstrike causes their feet, joints, bones, and tendons to absorb greater stress. This is more of a reality check for overweight beginners than a discouragement. The run will become simpler; nevertheless, it may take a bit longer.

The act of running creates 3 to 5 times your body weight in impact force every footstrike. You can’t speed the process of hardening your bones and adapting and strengthening your muscles.

Finding Your Optimal Mileage and Number of Days per Week to Run

Unfortunately, some questions do not have clear answers, as much as we wish they did. “It depends” is the ideal response to most training-related queries. What is your training history, injury history, target race, training environment, and current health status? These are only a few variables that might influence the specific response to practically any training query.

We understand that responding to a question with another question or saying “it depends” isn’t very helpful; you still want answers. So, how can someone give you advice if they don’t know your situation? Give you the knowledge you need to make the best option possible for your situation. In this article, we’ll look at two of the most commonly asked yet unanswered topics among runners: “How many miles per week should I be running” and “How many days per week is best.”

What Is the Optimal Number of Miles Per Week?

Most runners believe that increasing their weekly mileage is always beneficial. However, the solution is rarely so straightforward. Yes, running more miles will make your aerobic system stronger and quicker, but if it comes at the cost of injury or overtraining (are you on the verge?), it’s not the ideal option for you. More particular, there is no clear link between mileage and performance. As a result, instead of focusing on how many miles you can or should run, consider discovering the ideal amount of miles you can run.

If you’ve been training regularly and injury-free for a few months, consider increasing your mileage by a few miles each week and see how your body responds. Reduce the distance if you detect an increase in weariness, exercises that aren’t going as well, or the development of ailments. Consider the effects on your race timings and general enjoyment if you feel just as healthy running more miles. If you love the extra distance and your race results improve, consider increasing the distance even more and repeat the procedure.

On the other hand, reduced mileage may be the answer to running better if you’re prone to injury or have problems with overtraining and uneven outcomes. Healthy and consistent training always wins out over a few weeks of high mileage followed by injury and burnout. The objective is to avoid accumulating miles for the sake of accumulating miles. There is no such thing as a magic number. Find what works best for you — being healthy, happy, and progressing – and stick with it.

Some general guidelines about Miles per Week

• As a general rule, the longer the race you’re preparing for, the more miles you’ll need as a minimum. A marathoner should run at least 25-30 miles per week, whereas a 5k runner should do at least 10-15 miles each week.
• Not all miles are made equal. Workouts like tempo runs and track workouts can exhaust you more than simple miles. Keep track of how many miles are challenging sessions and long runs against how many miles are easy.
• The 10% rule has been thoroughly refuted. Take a comprehensive, intelligent approach to increase your distance, as outlined in the linked article.

How Many Days Per Week Should I Run?

Similarly, the amount of days you should run is an entirely personal decision. Here’s how it works: There is no correct or incorrect response. However, you may make the greatest selection for your training by understanding your unique preferences and training experience.

Pros of adding days per week

You may spread out your miles by running a higher number of days each week. Because each day is less mileage, it may be simpler to build your weekly distance. This can occasionally help with recovery since you exhaust your muscles less on easy days while increasing the number of times you transport oxygen-rich blood to functioning muscles.

Cons of running more days per week

Adding extra days to your weekly running routine, on the other hand, might make it feel like you’re running all the time. Training might become a chore and lead to burnout if you have a busy schedule or like hobbies other than running. Furthermore, if you’re an injury-prone runner, running more times during the week gives your muscles and ligaments less time to properly recover, thereby increasing your injury risk.

Most importantly, just because you’ve added additional days to your “running training” doesn’t mean you have to run. Running-specific strength training, as well as active stretching and foam rolling, will help you become a stronger, more injury-resistant runner. Cross-training allows you to include different types of exercise.

So, what’s the bottom line here? The easiest way to figure out the ideal for you is to look at your current training, objectives, and personal preferences. Slowly add or eliminate running days and analyze the effects on your performance and pleasure of the activity, just as you did while determining the best distance.

How Can Running get Easier for a Beginner Runner?

However, beginning runners may do things to make the transition from the difficult first day of running to the day when running becomes less taxing weeks later. Establish the following behaviors immediately to guarantee that running becomes a regular part of your routine, and you’ll be less likely to be sidelined by injury or burnout than those who don’t.

Keep Your Expectations Realistic

Running is a strenuous, high-impact sport, and your body will need time to adjust to the additional stress. It will be easier as you acclimatize, but it will take your body as long as it needs to adapt. It’s the same with progression—just because you and your friend started exercising with your charity fundraising group at the same time doesn’t imply you’ll develop at the same pace. They may adjust faster than you and be prepared for greater challenges before you, and vice versa. Be patient, persevere, and follow the remainder of the steps below, and your body will improve when it’s ready.

There might be various reasons why running doesn’t feel great for a day or a period. I generally ask them a litany of questions when they have a very horrible run,” Did you get a good night’s sleep last night? Do you have a lot of stress at work right now? Are things at home or in your relationship going well? ‘Are there any other sources of stress?’ These things aren’t to be overlooked; they make running more difficult.

Don’t Run Too Fast Or Too Far

Cardiovascular cross-training, such as cycling, walking, pool running, elliptical machines, and other gym machines, improves aerobic fitness without the strain of running. Weight lifting, Pilates, resistance training, and strength interval courses (be sure to make required adaptations based on your ability in these sorts of sessions) are all examples of strength-based cross-training that may help you gain strength and enhance your aerobic fitness. Cross-training can help you get stronger and more fit, making running simpler. It will also provide a physical respite from the hammering while still providing calorie-burning advantages, as well as a mental respite from the monotony of running.

For beginners, combining cross-training and rest days with running days is a good idea since it allows the body to adjust to the stress of running and protects rookies from running too many miles before their bodies are ready. You don’t need to run 10k or run at 5min per mile pace in your first week of training. You need to trust the process. Running is like walking, just quicker. Put on a watch and go for a one-minute run followed by a one-minute stroll. Increase the run interval to two minutes with a one-minute walk break when that becomes doable, then three minutes, and so on.

Check Your Breathing

Making sure you’re not out of breath is another approach to ensure you’re not running too quickly. Slow down if you see yourself huffing and puffing throughout your run, and make sure you’re breathing deeply from your diaphragm rather than your chest.

Follow A Schedule

You may not be challenging yourself as much as you may be if you only run based on how you feel. Following a beginning running program like this 30-Day Beginner Running Schedule can help you improve your endurance safely while also providing you confidence as you advance through the sessions. Although the first week or two may be difficult, you’ll discover that each run makes you feel stronger and more at ease if you adhere to the plan.

Get Over The Mental Barriers

Your thinking may become an impediment to your development as you increase your endurance. You may find it challenging to persuade yourself that you can push your body a little further and harder. Something as basic as repeating a positive statement like “You got this!” might help you overcome any negative thoughts or worries during a run. To help you keep going, try some of these helpful mental tactics. You may also use these suggestions to improve your mood while running. Running with a smile on your face will make it easier and keep you looking forward to the next one.

A Proper Warm-Up

Many runners claim that they don’t feel well until they’ve been running for 30 minutes or 3 miles. Is it true, though, that if your aim is 3 miles or 30 minutes, you’ll be miserable until you progress to greater miles or longer time on your feet? Not in the least. To prepare your body for running, add a warm-up to your routine. Doing 5 to 10 minutes of walking followed by the dynamic range of motion workouts. A 15- to 20-minute warm-up may seem excessive, but getting your heart rate up and warming up the muscles you’ll use for running can make the actual run less painful.

Cool Down and Proper Recovery

After finishing training or long-distance runs, cooldowns should not be reserved for intermediate or advanced runners. Beginners should get into the habit of walking, stretching, and foam rolling after each run to lower their heart rate. Drink chocolate milk, which has a 4:1 carb to protein ratio. Be careful to drink enough water before, during, and after your runs. It will aid in the removal of lactic acid, toxins, and other waste from your legs. The bodies of beginning runners are straining to adjust to the new exercise. Therefore these small details are crucial. It’s also about recuperating from your last run so you can run better the following time.

Find Groups of Runners

It’s quite difficult for someone completely new to the sport to get started on his own. However, running in a group will provide you with a sense of informal accountability, a sense of belonging to a team, and the knowledge that you are not alone.

Join a charity fundraising organization, hire a coach who organizes a local running team, or encourage friends and family members to start running with you during group runs held by your local running shoe store. You’ll not only have someone to sympathize with who understands what you’re going through, but you’ll also have somebody to answer to when your drive wanes.

Accept that it’ll always be hard, to some degree

The more you run, the more your concept of “hard” changes. It depends on the pace, length, and personal objectives. Also, every time you start a run, your body requires a brief period of transition. To carry more oxygen into your blood and ultimately to your muscles, your heart beats quicker, and your blood vessels widen. I half-jokingly claim that running never gets easier—you simply go faster or go longer. An 11:00 pace may feel reasonably easy to a beginner runner, but a 9:00 pace may seem just as relatively easy two years later.

It’s also likely that the first mile of every run may seem slow, frustrated, or even unpleasant, but this is completely normal while your body warms up. Allow your body to transition into aerobic condition before gradually increasing your speed while maintaining steady attention on your breathing. A pre-run warm-up can greatly aid this. While exercising on the side to boost running speed, you’ll eventually find your ideal training tempo. Above all, keep in mind that running is a workout, with some days being more difficult than others. Long distances will wear you out. You’ll lack motivation before your first race. You’ll develop side stitches, and/or you’ll want to puke during sprints. However, there will be runs that make you feel wonderful and ready to take on the world.

Trust that running will get a little easier, over time

Like everything else, the more you do something, the more adapted your body becomes to it. Running regularly implies that you’ll eventually get a feeling of what to expect, at least in terms of bodily discomfort. You’ll establish a comfortable pace that you can maintain for miles on a treadmill or outside, and you’ll experiment with different times of day to determine what works best for you in terms of energy and performance. You may find that certain runs are therapeutic after a long, challenging day, while others are challenging from start to finish. Regardless, you’ll know that as long as you keep going, you’ll be able to get through any run. The mental ups and downs of running will almost certainly become more manageable. Running boosts your self-esteem, which helps you achieve your objectives.

According to 2015 research, mental weariness is one of the most significant barriers to running performance. This is because negative thoughts make you believe your rate of perceived effort (RPE) is higher than it should be. But you’ll soon learn to focus on what you can accomplish rather than what you think you can’t.

A Word from Long Distance Running

Hopefully, this article has provided you with the information and insight you require to make the best decision possible about mileage and training days. Above all, remember to listen to your body, consider your unique circumstances, and disregard any advice that claims there is just one method to exercise.