UKC

Hi, is it counterproductive for a beginner to run on consecutive days, or is it beneficial? I did a run today after running yesterday and ran better but don't know whether it's a bad plan, thanks.

In reply to outtathaway:

What do you feel like? Listening to your body can be a good answer to this, IMO. I find 2 consecutive days OK, 3 grinds me down too much, and 4 just hurts and takes a long time to recover.

Neil

In reply to Neil Williams:

Thanks, feel fine to be honest, was just wondering if it was counterproductive in terms of gains.

In reply to outtathaway:

Don't really know, as I'm not really aiming for a particular target as such. I'm sure IainRUK will have a view though as he's an expert on such things.

A friend's Dad who does a lot of running reckons 3 times a week is about right, though.

Neil

In reply to outtathaway:


Running better today probably won't have been because you ran yesterday - it takes longer for your fitness to improve and to show any gains. But it won't hurt to run on consecutive days, and as you get fitter, you'll be able to run more often. My usual training week will have 5 days running, a day on the bike and a rest day. For a beginner, the most important thing is to carry on when you're enjoying it - if you run one day and feel okay the next day, go for it.

The only times it starts getting counterproductive is when you have injuries which don't have a proper chance to recover, or when you're training so hard you don't get to rest properly between runs. Of course, hard training and rest mean different things to different people.

In reply to outtathaway:

Everyone is different. Go by feel. It's definitely ok to run every day or even twice a day, provided you are not sore, overly tired or pushing it on every run.
There is point were it does not help your training though. This point is different for everybody.
Running every day is unlikely to be sustainable for a beginner, but not unheard of. Only you can know. If in doubt, take a break, or even better do something else, like strength training or swimming on the "rest" day.

In reply to outtathaway:

As a beginner, you don't know properly what your body can take, so best to be show a little caution, but if you feel good run.

In reply to outtathaway:

So many factors involved. Age, injuries and intensity are big ones. I used to be able to run most days in my 20-30s but tend to need a good day or 2 rest now from a good session now i'm in my 40s.

In reply to outtathaway:

As said listen to your body and don't ignore the niggles!!
Depends what you want out of it aswell