Running 5 Miles A Day. Is It A Good Idea? - Love Life Be Fit

Here’s What Happened When I Started Running 5 Miles Every Day

I’d never been a fan of daily running, but I set myself a target of running 5 miles a day for a month. I wanted to know what it would do to my body.

I didn’t have any strong views against running every day – I just find I run better when I add rest days to my training schedule. Yet even on rest days I normally go for a walk or do some yoga.

At the time I’d lost my mojo for running: it had become a bit of a chore. It can happen when the weather’s bad or I’m distracted by other things in my life. Sometimes I just need a wake-up call to remember how much I LOVE to run. I reckoned knowing I had to go for a run every day – NO MATTER WHAT – would help.

So here’s what happened when I started running 5 miles every day for a month:

1. I improved my motivation for running:

My legs felt dead for the first week so I alternated easy runs on the flat with my normal hilly run. It really helped to know I had to go out for a run whatever the weather. I couldn’t talk myself out of running!

My running pace was very slow to begin with but by the second and third week my body adjusted to the extra miles.

I was ravenous at first and found it very hard not to eat everything in sight! Eventually, my appetite went back to normal but I didn’t lose any weight in the first two weeks.

In week three, I lost 1 pound, and in week four, I lost 2 pounds. It could have been more, but I was still eating a few extra treats.

2. Running Niggles Seemed To Clear Up Running Every Day

At the start of running every day, my knees were a bit sore from a steep indoor climbing session. I could feel a few niggles running but they eased off once I warmed up. Normally I’d take a day or two off training.

I realized after a few days that my left knee had recovered without taking a rest, and by the second week, both knees were sound. Maybe sometimes I’m too quick to take time off when my body doesn’t really need it.

By week four I got bored of running 5 miles every day and started mixing things up. I had a couple of longer 8-mile runs interspaced with short easy 1-2 mile days.

3. I Only Took One Day Off Running In A Month

In one month of running, I only took one day off. I felt terrific, lost a little weight, and felt I was running faster. It’s certainly worth trying if you’re a reasonably experienced runner. If you’re new to running, start by running a mile a day and build up the distance gradually.

6 months later I’m feeling good about my running. I’m running a lot more frequently than usual – not always every day but if I don’t manage a run I normally fit in a 5-mile walk. Apart from a few small niggles – less than usual, I’ve stayed injury-free.

4. I Lost Some Weight

Did I lose weight running every day? Yes but not a huge amount. I’ve been running for so many years my body adapted quickly to running more frequently. Unless I’m training hard for an event and really increasing my mileage, I don’t lose a lot of weight just from running. Watching my diet, and avoiding too many treats, has the biggest impact on my weight.

That doesn’t mean running frequently won’t help with weight loss. It’s just you can’t expect to eat carrot cake after a run and lose the pounds! I’m still a healthy BMI, and that’s all that matters to me.