{"id":129207,"date":"2025-09-03T07:49:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T07:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/129207\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T07:49:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T07:49:17","slug":"trainers-reveal-how-many-miles-you-should-run-per-day-to-reach-your-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/129207\/","title":{"rendered":"Trainers reveal how many miles you should run per day to reach your goals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nothing feels more satisfying than turning your tracker off after a run<\/a> and appreciating the miles logged on the screen. But how do you decide how many miles to run in the first place? <\/p>\n

There\u2019s actually quite a bit that goes into the calculation, beyond even your reason for lacing up your trainers (say, whether you\u2019re hitting the pavement casually for the heart benefits versus training for an endurance race). Distance is actually secondary, many experts say, to a more important factor: time. <\/p>\n

This is mostly because running is a cardio<\/a> and endurance<\/a> workout, says Laura A. Richardson, PhD, a professor of applied exercise science at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, and the perks to your heart come with time \u2013 not distance. Even if two people are running at the same level of intensity, they could totally have different paces depending on their fitness level, age, and more. Maybe I can comfortably jog three miles in 30 minutes, but what constitutes a comfortable jog for you gets you to four or five miles in that same time period. Our paces may be different, but we still worked out our lungs, muscles, and heart in the same cardio \u201czone,\u201d so to speak, for the same amount of time. And, it\u2019s through this duration that you really start to see improvements and benefits. <\/p>\n

What to Read Next<\/p>\n

Another perk? Time-based running also encourages you to focus on maintaining a consistent effort rather than worrying about how far you\u2019ve run. This is especially useful for people who are building endurance, because it helps to avoid burnout or pushing too hard to hit a specific distance.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how you can think about your daily running time and distance as it applies to your fitness goals. <\/p>\n

Meet the experts: Laura A. Richardson<\/a>, PhD, a professor of applied exercise science and movement science at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. Erica Coviello<\/a>, CPT, is a level 2 certified RRCA running coach and owner of Run Fit Stoked<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How long to run per day for overall wellbeing<\/p>\n

Beyond working your heart, running also benefits your lungs, bones, muscles, cholesterol, blood pressure, and brain, says Richardson. If you\u2019re running for general health, the ideal prescription is really about hitting that NHS-recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise per week. <\/p>\n

How you divide it is up to you, but it\u2019s best to incorporate running bouts evenly and frequently to build consistency, says Erica Coviello, a level 2 certified RRCA running coach. If you\u2019re running five days per week, that\u2019s running for 30 minutes each time, and if you\u2019re running every day, it\u2019s a quick 20-minute session. (BTW, walking breaks are welcome and totally count toward your time goals, as long as your heart rate is staying slightly elevated, says Coviello.)<\/p>\n

Since each runner has their own pace, 150 minutes will bring them an entirely different distance. When it comes to running for health, you really *don\u2019t* need to be thinking about the miles at all, says Coviello. But, if it\u2019s easier to keep track of mileage, estimate how many minutes it takes you to run one mile at a comfortable pace for you \u2013 you won\u2019t want to be huffing and puffing at this speed \u2013 and then divide 150 by that pace. If you\u2019re a 10-minute miler, that means you\u2019d be running a total of 15 miles in a week. And, say you want to run five times a week \u2013 that means you\u2019ll be running three miles, five days a week. <\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t already have an idea of what this is, enlist the help of a fitness tracker or run app. Go on a run at a speed where you can sustain a conversation or sing your favorite pump-up song. This is a sign you\u2019re running in the appropriate heart rate zone (which refers to how hard your heart is working) and, therefore, at the right pace. You can also get more technical with it, if your fitness tracker collects heart rate data. You\u2019re looking to spend most of your time running in zone 2<\/a> \u2013 or 60 to 70 percent of your heart rate max, which you can calculate by subtracting your age from 220, explains Coviello. <\/p>\n

Keep in mind that starting slower and for less time is totally okay. Running for just five to 10 minutes per day can still give you some of the same benefits, according to an older study in the Journal of American College of Cardiology<\/a>. <\/p>\n

How many miles to run per day if you’re training for a race<\/p>\n

While those running to stay on top of their health and fitness want to run a consistent distance every day, anyone who has trained for a race knows that distance varies every time you head out the door. To get the best, most detailed idea of how that shakes out, work with a run coach or follow a training plan, says Coviello. (WH has expert-backed half-marathon and marathon training plans FYI.) <\/p>\n

The reason why distance changes is because a good running programme incorporates a few different kinds of runs \u2013 easy runs, speed runs, and long runs \u2013 that will help you reach your ultimate goal. They are also looking to build up distance, so from one week to the next, you\u2019ll be upping your mileage. Then, if you\u2019re running a half or full marathon, as the race gets closer, you\u2019re going to want to taper down your distance to let your body fully recover before the big day.<\/p>\n

How many miles to run per day for weight loss<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re running with weight loss goals at the top of your mind, time is going to be more important than distance in this scenario too (as will making sure you\u2019re getting the proper fuel for your body and strength training two times per week, says Richardson). <\/p>\n

For weight loss, Richardson recommends running for 30 to 45 minutes at least three times per week. So, if you run at a 10-minute pace, that means you\u2019d be running anywhere from three to four and a half miles per day. Plus, playing with intensity by either incorporating hills or playing with speed can also help increase the burn of a run. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re still curious about distance, though, one 2023 study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology<\/a> found that, compared to people who didn\u2019t hit 150 minutes of activity per week, people who ran at least 10 kilometers per week (a little more than six miles) saw changes in their body composition, resulting in less body fat. It\u2019s worth mentioning that six miles is the low end, though. The average distance for runners in the study was between 13 and 21 miles. <\/p>\n

How many miles a week is safe for my body?<\/p>\n

Running is a high-impact sport, which means that overuse injuries can arise. The best way to avoid them is to pay close attention to how you\u2019re feeling. ‘Your body is gonna speak to you,’ says Richardson. <\/p>\n

Listen to the achiness, fatigue, or those moments when you sense your body is telling you that you shouldn\u2019t put on your sneakers. Whether it\u2019s IT band pain, shin splints, or aches in your feet or hips \u2013 these are all signs that you\u2019re doing too much too soon, says Coviello. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s no one distance that is too much and automatically puts you in a danger zone, since so much of running comes down to the individual. The key to avoiding injuries is variety, says Richardson. Add in resistance training to help build strength and resilience in your muscles, reduce the length of your runs when necessary, and try cross training to keep working your heart without putting the same demand on your bod. (Some of the best cross-training workouts for runners are swimming<\/a>, the elliptical, rowing<\/a>, and cycling<\/a>, says Coviello.) You\u2019ll also want to get in some yoga<\/a> and mobility exercises<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tips for building up your mileage<\/p>\n

Not quite comfortable with running for 20 to 30 minutes straight yet? There are two main ways you can work on upping your mileage. <\/p>\n

First, vary the intensity of the run that you\u2019re already capable of doing. Increasing your speed for intervals of time or incorporating inclines or hills will help push your endurance to the next level, says Richardson. You can also stick with the distance you already have and focus on increasing just one of your runs per week. Focusing on extending that long run will eventually have you feeling more comfortable running that distance, says Coviello. <\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Olivia Luppino is an editorial assistant at Women\u2019s Health. She spends most of her time interviewing expert sources about the latest fitness trends, nutrition tips, and practical advice for living a healthier life. Olivia previously wrote for New York Magazine\u2019s The Cut, PS (formerly POPSUGAR), and Salon, where she also did on-camera interviews with celebrity guests. She\u2019s currently training for the New York City marathon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nothing feels more satisfying than turning your tracker off after a run and appreciating the miles logged on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":129208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[4059,337,97],"class_list":{"0":"post-129207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-core","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}