Is running 5 miles in 30 minutes good?

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Running is a thrilling and pleasurable activity that can improve your overall lifestyle, especially when it becomes an everyday habit. While some runners run a mile or two every other day, others like to dedicate themselves to a five-mile run daily. However, does running five miles every day really work wonders as many people boast?

Let’s find out.

The short answer is: yes.

Running five miles a day improves your cardio fitness, oxygen intake, and muscle development. More so, it aids in weight loss, better sleep and releases endorphins and serotonin that boosts your mood. However, if you’re prone to injuries, overweight, or an old runner, you are at risk of injuries.

While regularly running is without a doubt excellent for your body and mind, is a tedious five-mile run good for you, or are there health risks involved? We’ll be discussing the pros and cons of running five miles per day. So, continue reading to determine if the magic behind a daily five-mile run is true.

Is Running 5 Miles A Day Good For You?

Bagging a five-mile run every day will surely improve your running and overall cardio fitness. By spending the best portion of an hour running every day, your running form will naturally adapt, speed up, and become more efficient. 

Your body will gradually adapt and become used to fuelling a five-mile run, improving your cardiovascular system, oxygen intake, and muscle development. Running five miles a day is a superb way to tone your body, stay healthy, and prepare for races.

The American Heart Association only recommends getting around 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity or vigorous activity per week. Additionally, running five miles a day checks these boxes and exceeds them dramatically. 

Running every day is an excellent way to burn calories and improve physical fitness. So, pounding the pavements for five miles will not only enhance your internal physical health, it will boost your endorphins and mood while putting you in the best shape of your life!

The Benefits Of Running Five Miles Every Day

While some people may perceive that sticking to a window of running five miles every day can lead to burnout, we can convince you otherwise with a list of the benefits of running five miles per day.

Here are the top six reasons for running five miles a day to convince haters to lace up their shoes and join the club.

Running Five Miles A Day Encourages Weight Loss

Running five miles a day will undoubtedly help you shed those unwanted pounds and belly fat.

Running requires the constant movement of many muscle groups in your body, providing a thorough full-body workout and, in turn, almost guaranteed weight loss if you ditch the unhealthy junk food and control your dietary intake.

Running Five Miles A Day Boosts Your Metabolism

Running can help promote weight loss by boosting your metabolism – the process where the body converts foods and drinks into energy. 

Running burns more calories than low-aerobic activities like walking, aiding in creating and maintaining a calorie deficit. Similarly, running will help suppress your appetite, and if you combine it with a healthy diet, you can lead a healthier lifestyle in no time!

Running Five Miles A Day Encourages Optimal Health

Running is effective in reducing high blood pressure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a risky health condition that can cause your arteries to harden and thicken; it can trigger heart attacks, strokes, or heart failure.

More so, running five miles per day is an excellent way to keep fit and reduce the horrible risks of chronic illnesses like heart disease, cancer, and neurological diseases.

Running Five Miles A Day Improves Your Mood

Running five miles a day is sure to improve your mood; there is nothing like a long run to eliminate the challenges you face during the day. 

Running releases two chemicals in the brain known as endorphins and serotonin; these chemicals boost your energy levels and make you happier by reducing anxiety and mild depression.

So, you’ll find yourself waking up with a more enthusiastic and upbeat attitude toward daily tasks and chores. More so, you’ll find yourself more in-tune with your feelings by calming your wild monkey mind. 

Therefore, we recommend setting one hour or so aside and going on a long run to allow your mind to wander freely. Take this time to listen to your favorite music or podcast, soak up the scenery, and improve your breathing.

Running Five Miles A Day Allows “Me Time”

Running five miles a day provides an excellent opportunity to focus on yourself and work on that “me time” that we often neglect due to our busy schedules. Fortunately, it only takes around thirty to fifty minutes to finish a five-mile run, making it ideal for individuals looking for a quick workout.

You can take the best part of an hour to clear your head and meditate while you run; it is an enriching experience. Then, you can catch up on a podcast or get to the bottom of interpreting your emotions, leaving you calm and filled with satisfaction. 

Running Five Miles A Day Improves Your Sleep Quality 

Your sleep quality will improve from running five miles a day as you will fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.

You will find that you can hop out of bed more effortlessly in the mornings, and you’ll have an extra boost of energy throughout the day, thanks to the killer sleeping session.

The Cons Of Running Five Miles A Day

Although we are firm believers that running offers a wide range of benefits that make us feel better from head to toe and inside-out, running five miles a day can have its cons.

Running Five Miles A Day Is Taxing On Your Body

A five-mile run is taxing on a new runner, especially if the person does not have an already developed running form. If you are a newbie to running, the chances are pretty high that you will experience a degree of discomfort and fatigue.

So, if you are following an intense routine of running five miles every day without any previous experience, you may overwork your muscles and increase the risk of injuries. 

More so, if you are prone to shin splints and knee sprains, running five miles a day may not provide enough time for your body to recuperate.

Lastly, overweight or old runners are more prone to injuries. Therefore, they need to be more cautious. We recommend trying a low-impact workout or running shorter distances instead.

You Can Burn Out From Running Five Miles A Day

Running five miles a day can be a fun challenge; however, it can become quite tedious or monotonous. 

So, in time, your body can lose its ability to adapt and adjust to the exercise as it becomes accustomed to the same routine activity each day. Our bodies need to experience a healthy form of stress to improve, and five miles won’t be as taxing on your body as it used to be if you strictly run five miles each day.

It’s better to skip the predictable routine and change your workouts through the week to keep your body stimulated and active. For example, consider trying cross-training every second or third day, such as interval running or weight lifting.

You Can Hit A Plateau From Running Five Miles A Day

If your goal is to lose weight by running five miles a day, we would like to warn you – as easy as the pounds may drop off your body initially, your body becomes accustomed to your running distance, route, and style. In turn, it stops showing the dramatic results that you experienced initially. 

In turn, after shedding a couple of pounds, your lighter frame will cause you to burn fewer calories. 

So, to prevent you from experiencing a plateau, try running a little further a couple of times a week and ensure that you add intervals and several hard-core hills to keep hitting your targets.

Can Anyone Run Five Miles A Day?

While most people can walk five miles a day, it depends on your age, body type, fitness level, and what your body can cope with if you’re capable of running five miles every day. If you haven’t run or exercised for several years, we guarantee you’ll be in for a real shocker!

Launching into a five-mile run without a healthy build-up period is only asking for trouble. There are risks of burnout and injuries. Additionally, it’s improbable that you’ll have the leg strength to undergo and withstand the daily impact on your body when you run five miles a day.

So, this brings us to our next question – when shouldn’t you run five miles a day?

If you are prone to injuries, new to running, rich in age, or a heavy (overweight) runner, running five miles every day may be a bit excessive. However, the higher risk of injuries does mean you should stop running altogether, but you need to be a bit more cautious.

Instead, consider running shorter distances at first until you’re mentally and physically comfortable with longer runs. Also, give your body a rest from running by looking into other less-strenuous but equally beneficial activities such as swimming or cycling.  

Lastly, consider running on soft trails instead of the hard impact tarmac if you are prone to injuries.

How Do I Start Running Five Miles A Day?

Although it is normal to experience a tough couple of weeks when you start running, you will begin to enjoy the journey if you manage to push through. Consistency will allow you to feel fitter and stronger while improving your mental health.

As the typical “benchmark distance” for runners, five miles is challenging enough to experience progress but easy enough to prevent you from quitting prematurely. 

To form the habit of running five miles a day requires you to tie up your laces and start. It may seem challenging to push through, but you’ll become a natural in no time!

As a new runner, you’ll want to consider starting with about one to two miles per day while gradually increasing the distance each week. 

Pro tip: follow the “10% rule” by increasing your mileage by no more than 10% each week to prevent burnout.

Then, ease into running the five miles by allowing yourself to switch between running and walking the distance. First, however, ensure you plan the intervals to keep the running session strategic with the goal to shorten your walking periods as you improve over time.

Finally, it’s essential to take extra time to warm up before going running to prevent injuries; it can be as quick as a short five-minute stretching session.

A few extra tips to consider when aiming to run five miles per day:

Take It Slow

Take it easy on your first couple of runs. 

Follow a comfortable pace and feel free to walk in between running intervals. Nobody wants to wake up so sore that they can barely move the following morning.

Listen To Your Body

Always listen to your body. 

If you are exhausted or experiencing pain, don’t ignore it and push through. Instead, acknowledge what your body tells you and allow yourself a day or two off to recover.

Change Your Routes

Change up your running routes.

Consider finding new routes or trails to run your five miles. Try to find courses with different terrain and inclinations like hills to ensure that you target other muscle groups and do not reach a plateau.

Do Additional Strength Workouts

Consider switching a day or two or running for strength workouts.

A lack of muscle strength drastically contributes to the difficulty of completing a five-mile run. So, instead of running each day, consider working on building your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core. Strength workouts will give that extra boost you need to complete your run.

Bottom Line on Running 5 Miles Per Day

Running five miles a day is a superb way to take a little time off for yourself while improving your overall health and well-being. Running aids in shedding off the excess pounds while giving you a healthy heart, a good night’s sleep, and a chirpy mood.

However, it’s a bad idea to jump into running five miles every day without any previous experience or old injuries. Instead, take it slow and gradually work your way up to five miles. 

Enjoy pounding the tar as a daily getaway. 

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Author Profile

Alex Randall

Alex is the editor at Revel Sports. It was his idea to take our post-club-run chats and build a website out of them. He is responsible for dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s when any of us have something to post. (Basically: it’s all his fault). A ferocious 5K powerhouse on his day, Alex is known for not understanding the meaning of the term ‘negative split‘.

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