what is an "appropriate" amount of running (treadmill) per d

mauryr

Hi, all.

Yesterday, to my surprise, I did a 5k (on the treadmill). I had to push, but not to the point of exhaustion (still able to do 15 mins of elliptical and easy r-ball afterward). I guess I'm in better shape than I thought I was.

My question is: What is a reasonable amount of running per day? If I could, should I do 5k every day - or is this too much? Would it be better to work up to 10k, but every other day? Or do fewer days, but go for better time? Or some other approach?

I'm (nearly) 50, so I want to keep my joints in good shape, too. They're fine, at the moment.

Any insight would be appreciated.

its_betty

Try the community over at www.coolrunning.com. There are forums for every level and age group, so you should be able to get some good answers.

ArchyJill

Take a glucosamine supplement and run what feels good...just don't ramp up too much too fast. For some of us a mile a day is a lot, for others 10 miles is just right...

utes09

I say if you're not feeling tired or worn running a 5k distance a few days in a row with a day of rest mid week would be good. When I go running (outside, so hats off for making it 3.1 miles on the treadmill. I would not last! I get too bored. haha) I try to go every day at least 4 miles. That's when the weather is nice. Spring storms is putting a damper on that currently. I like to run at least 4 days a week. It all depends on how your body feels. That's how I base what days I run and how many in a row.

Bubs05

You should not run every day, your body needs to recover.
Run every other day and do 'alternate' exercise on your non-running days.

ad_deutsch

There is nothing wrong with a 5k distance. The only issue to be weary of is that your body needs time to recover from workouts. This is especially true if you are relatively new to getting regular exercise. You may find that after two weeks of daily runs your legs are very tired. By not resting you increase the chance of injury due to fatigue or simply compounding a small injury and making it worse. Particularly with running this is an issue because there is high impact on your knees, as well as hips and ankles.

Consider rotating days and changing your cardio workout to include a combination of running, eliptical, bike, stairs. You can do set a schedule that will keep you from getting board and get quality cardio without the impact of running. This will also increase the efficiency of your workouts because your body will not get used to running. Mixing up the type of workout helps to improve metabolism and muscle response.

Good luck

mauryr

Thank-you all for your input. I think that I will try to do the 5k 2 or 3 times per week, with other cardio on the off days. (though no gym this weekend, traveling!)

Again THANK-YOU!!!

-Maury