How Much Should I Run When Training for a 5K or 10K Race?
There are many factors involved when you attempt to try to figure out how much you should run when you’re training for the 5K or the 10k.
Age
Your age has a lot to do with it. 50 year-old men who have been running since their 20s know this firsthand. After the age of 40, you will probably want to be running more easier runs and fewer harder runs. With age, more recovery is needed after hard runs. Older runners should also run fewer miles per week even though the older runner may be at the same fitness level as a younger runner.
Experience
Experience is also a major factor. An experienced runner may not have to put in as many miles per week as a novice runner in order to achieve the same race goals. Someone who has been training for years has built up enough of a base of endurance that can support him in his present and future training. Novice runners have a lot more ground to make up.
People Who Can’t Run the Miles
Are you the person who just can’t seem to put in the miles per week that you want? There are many different types of people who fail to keep up with their weekly mileage goals. People who are overweight will tend not to meet their running goals due to the extra pounds. Constantly running hills or always running in bad weather is often discouraging, too. If your schedule forces you to run late at night or very early in the morning, you will be less likely to achieve your weekly goals. Likewise, those who don’t eat or drink right, or are sleep deprived, or injury prone will also tend not to run the desired number of miles during the week.
Some of my other articles may give you more of a detailed description of how to know exactly how many miles you should put in per week.
References
Glover, Bob, The Competitive Runner’s Handbook
This post is part of the series: Running Training for 5k and 10k Races
Training for long distance running requires understanding your body and how fast to run, how much to run, and what types of runs to do. This series of articles are designed to help you know how to progress toward race day.