running question

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golddogs
golddogs Posts: 42 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
After many months of trying to become a runner...I am finally addicted! Is it bad to run 5-6 days a week if you alternate a long run then a short run the next day? I have been doing a long run 3 times a week (right now long for me is 3.8-4.5 mi. - trying to improve that) and then doing low impact cardio the othe 2 or 3 days (bike or stairclimber). I would like to do a alternate long runs with short runs (2.0-2.5 Mi.).
I have never had an injury but you hear about runners getting them all the time. I am probably not running enough to worry about this, I just want to prevent injury or knee problems. Any running advice would be so appreciated since I am new to this and want to keep doing it!
Thanks!!!

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  • evilras
    evilras Posts: 42
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    When i was training for my first 10km, i did interval training first. 1 min jog, 1 min walk for about 20 mins. built this up to 4 mins jog, 1 min walk. Then 5 mins jog, 3 min walk. Then onto 20 min jog, followed by a walk at the end of the week. always leaving 1 day's rest between each.

    Ideally if you're exercising daily you should do running 1 day, and weights the next. give your legs chance to recover!

    My best mate caught the bug and is an elite runner now. he does marathons, including the GRUELLY marathon des sables desert run!

    Good luck! invest in good trainers, and remember to listen to your body!
  • hapharrington
    hapharrington Posts: 2
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    Listen to your body and make sure to invest in new shoes every three months. I usually run 25-35 miles a week (when it is above 27 degrees outside) and these are the best ways to keep yourself healthy. If your knees hurt after a run, ice them. If a part of your body continues to hurt--cut back. I was training for a marathon and doing Insanity. I was fine for the first month but my knees started hurting me in the second month of Insanity so I had to cut it out of my workout. I continued to train for the marathon and hit a PR. Again, listen to your body.
  • leggi002
    leggi002 Posts: 28 Member
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    While I think it's okay to run 5-6 days a week, alternating long and short like you plan, what you are doing now is also fine, and with the crosstraining you would be less likely to become injured.

    It depends on what your goal is. If you want to train for a distance race like a marathon, you have to run. But you take the risk of overtraining injuries.
    If you want to have cardiovascular fitness but be able to run a 10K comfortably, your current workout would certainly do it, just by gradually increasing the length of your runs, and, on some days, the intensity of the runs - ie, do some intervals.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    The more frequently you run, the higher the risk of an overtraining injury. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, but it does mean that you should be aware of the odds and do some conscious things to offset them.

    You are already alternating distances, so that is good.

    Ultimately, you would be better off running 4 x per week and doing a complimentary modality such as a bike or stair climber the other two days. Running leads to a strength imbalance between hamstrings and quads.

    If that is not possible or desireable, then some strength training becomes extremely important. Squats, lunges, step ups, some balance exercises, deadlifts--all of these will help keep you injury free.

    That and rotating two pairs of shoes, along with replacing them regularly.

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