My new running challenge is running 5 miles a day for 30 days. Having just completed my 3 miles a day for 30 days challenge, I am ready to up the ante! Here are some concerns I have as I embark on my fitness journey.
Is it OK to run 5 miles a day?
In general, if you’re just beginning a running plan it’s best to build your mileage gradually. Take one or two rest days of light to moderate exercise such as walking.
For an experienced runner, it’s OK to run 5 miles a day. If you’re injury-prone, new to running, a heavier or older runner, running every day may be too much.
I have running sporadically over the years. Some years I have been all-in, while other years I use running as supplemental training.
With a solid month of running, I feel good and think I can safely increase my distance.
Will I lose weight running 5 miles a day?
Calculating weight loss is based on basic math. Weight loss depends on a calorie deficit. Running 5 miles a day will burn 3500 calories a week. This is equal to 1 pound of fat.
When I started my 3 miles a day running challenge, my appetite increased dramatically. It took a lot of discipline to make sure I did not ruin all the hard work on the road with a few moments of weakness in the kitchen.
It honestly took a couple of weeks to get my diet and nutrition in balance with my fitness workouts. By planning my post-run snacks and meals ahead of time, I was able to stay focused on ensuring I didn’t eat away all the good things I did earlier in the day.
How many calories do you burn running 5 miles?
The general estimation is 100 calories per mile. There are several factors that can move this number higher or lower, based on gender, height, weight, and running pace, just to name a few.
During my 6 mile runs, I burn about 840 calories which comes out to 140 calories per mile. So for me, I will burn approximately 700 calories for my 5-mile runs, assuming everything stayed the same.
The recommended daily calorie intake is generally 2000 calories a day for women and 2500 calories a day for men. If you can stay within those daily limits, plus with your running, you will lose weight.
If you’re running 5 miles a day and not losing weight, definitely check your diet.
I would like to lose a little weight with this running challenge and will be using My Fitness Pal to track my diet. This is a free application (there is a premium version for more features), and is very easy to use.