It all depends on how you feel. I usually run only 3x a week, but I do anywhere from 5-8 miles at a time, and I don't want my body to suffer. If you are doing short 2-3 mi runs, you can run every day if you feel good. I also have pain in my lower legs if I over do it, so I tend to let them rest by doing other things.

Mix it up if you are going to do a run every day. Start the week with a run at your normal pace, then the day after do a slow pace. Mix up the distances too. My currently run schedule is this: 4/2/0/4/0/6/0, with Monday being considered the beginning of the week. My 4 mile runs are at my current 5K pace, the 2 mile is a very slow recovery about a minute below 5K pace (it is after weight lifting after all) and the 6 mile is 30 sec below 5K pace.

Darn, Girl!!! You are a machine! Awesome!

But seriously...this is a question I have been pondering. I have been working up to running 10 miles per week. My longest run ever was a recent 4 mile run, and I had my best times ever. An average 11:30min per mile. I still weigh 192, but I feel great when I run and after. 4 miles was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I am having some plantar fasciitis in my left foot. But that's pretty much it. No excessive muscular soreness or stiffness. I can "feel" my knees the next morning after a run, but it usually passes once I get into my day. My "ordinary" runs are 2mi and usually I run a 12:30ish pace. I run every other day, and make Sat or Sun (however it falls that week) my long run day. Currently my long run is 4 miles.

Is it too soon to consider running a back to back day occasionally? Will I be sorry if I do? I know that a 10% mileage increase a week should be my goal. I keep thinking it wouldt hurt to be a little lighter first, maybe under 170. But considering how low my miles are and how I feel, I'm wondering if it might be OK to try upping my run schedule to 1/0/2/0/2/0/4. Then once I feel comfortable, follow that with a 1/0/3/0/2/0/4 schedule to meet my 10 mile goal, and then 2/0/3/0/2/0/4, and so forth.

Mix it up if you are going to do a run every day. Start the week with a run at your normal pace, then the day after do a slow pace. Mix up the distances too. My currently run schedule is this: 4/2/0/4/0/6/0, with Monday being considered the beginning of the week. My 4 mile runs are at my current 5K pace, the 2 mile is a very slow recovery about a minute below 5K pace (it is after weight lifting after all) and the 6 mile is 30 sec below 5K pace.

Darn, Girl!!! You are a machine! Awesome!

But seriously...this is a question I have been pondering. I have been working up to running 10 miles per week. My longest run ever was a recent 4 mile run, and I had my best times ever. An average 11:30min per mile. I still weigh 192, but I feel great when I run and after. 4 miles was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I am having some plantar fasciitis in my left foot. But that's pretty much it. No excessive muscular soreness or stiffness. I can "feel" my knees the next morning after a run, but it usually passes once I get into my day. My "ordinary" runs are 2mi and usually I run a 12:30ish pace. I run every other day, and make Sat or Sun (however it falls that week) my long run day. Currently my long run is 4 miles.

Is it too soon to consider running a back to back day occasionally? Will I be sorry if I do? I know that a 10% mileage increase a week should be my goal. I keep thinking it wouldt hurt to be a little lighter first, maybe under 170. But considering how low my miles are and how I feel, I'm wondering if it might be OK to try upping my run schedule to 1/0/2/0/2/0/4. Then once I feel comfortable, follow that with a 1/0/3/0/2/0/4 schedule to meet my 10 mile goal, and then 2/0/3/0/2/0/4, and so forth.

If you are feeling good then do it. Just keep using your tennis ball to massage your foot, and do ice baths, etc... Make sure you focusing on that injury.

The schedule looks good. But since you have an injury, I would probably shift the days so that you have a rest day before and after your long run.

I've run three days in a row. When I'm in the mood (and I've been indulging) I just do it. Usually I'm a M-W-F-Sun girl.

Sounds like runner's knee.

I understand that rest days are important- I usually give myself one to two days off between runs. I'm only a beginner, trying to get back into shape, but I was wondering, what about those people you drive past at the same time everyday? How is it okay for some people to be daily runners but not everyone? Is it just a matter of working yourself up to that point or is it plain and simple a bad idea to run everyday?

No, it is not a bad idea to run everyday, but it definitely depends on how much training you have behind you and how long you have been running for etc.

I have been running since I was 13 years old (albeit I have had some time off in the past for various reasons), I am now 52. I train every other day. I did up my weekly training to five times per week, but after one infection, one cold and another illness, I dropped back to just 3 x per week and it seems to suit me down to the ground.

The biggest risk a beginner runner may get is overtraining, suddenly running everyday from virtually nothing to six or seven times per week without building up to that point gradually over the months can lead to unfortunate injuries that could put the runner back to square one.