How many days a week should I be running?

How Many Days a Week Should You Be Running?

Let’s be honest, this question gets thrown around a lot in running circles. And if you’ve ever felt like there’s a “right” number floating around that everyone’s supposed to hit… there isn’t. The truth is, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, and that’s completely normal.

Running is amazing, I am sure we can all agree on that. It builds confidence, resilience, strength and rhythm in our lives. But because it’s high impact and really depends on how your body responds, the “right” number of days feels different for everyone.

So let’s unpack it in a way that actually makes sense.

First up: how long you’ve been running matters. If you’re pretty new to this (say, within your first year), 2–3 days per week can actually be seriously effective. At this stage, your cardiovascular fitness tends to adapt quickly, but your tissues, tendons, bones, soft tissue, take a bit longer to build strength and tolerance. This means keeping the number of runs moderate helps you make progress and stay injury-free.

Contrast that with someone who’s been running for a few years, 3-4 days a week might feel right. You’ve probably built up a solid base, understand your body a bit better, and can tolerate a bit more stress without overdoing it.

And for those training for longer distances like half-marathons or marathons? Sure, you might find yourself running 4-7 days per week. But it’s not about being on the road every day - it’s about how you structure those runs, how you listen to your body, and how well you recover between them.

Quality Over Quantity

Here’s something that actually matters: running more days doesn’t automatically make you faster or stronger. What does matter is:

• How well your sessions are structured
• Whether you’re recovering properly
• Whether you’ve built up your base gradually
• How your life stress, sleep and nutrition are tracking

Running every day without regard for those things is the perfect recipe for plateaus, niggles, and burnout. Training load isn’t just frequency, it’s frequency × intensity × duration. That’s why sometimes 3 intentional sessions are far more powerful than 5 rushed runs you’re half-asleep during.

Your Life Outside Running Counts Too

Here’s where the real Femmi honesty comes in: your running frequency should fit your life. Work, uni, relationships, sleep, stress, menstrual cycles - these all alter how much your body can actually absorb on any given week.

So if 3 runs feels easy and you’re sleeping well, eating well, recovering - that might be your sweet spot. If you thrive on 5, awesome! If 4 suits you better because it sits alongside strength sessions, physio work, and life stuff - that’s just as valid.

There’s no bonus point for checking your watch every single day of the week.

Signs You Might Be Overdoing It

Your body talks. Are you listening?

Signs you might be pushing too hard include:

• Persistent tightness or niggles that don’t settle
• Feeling flat or exhausted in easy workouts
• Sleep disruption
• Feeling like running is a chore instead of something you enjoy

If this sounds familiar, it might be time to rethink frequency.

So… What’s the Right Number?

There’s no exact prescription, but here’s a guide that’s helped a lot of runners find balance:

• Beginner: 2-3 days
• Intermediate: 3-4 days
• Experienced / Marathon Training: 5-7 days (with rest and easy days strategically placed)

But the most important number isn’t how many days you run. It’s how sustainably you can run - week after week, cycle after cycle, without burning out.

The Bottom Line

Run as many days as your body and life allow. Pay attention to how you feel. Structure your runs with purpose, hint hint, follow your Femmi focus. Prioritise recovery like it’s part of your training plan because it is. And don’t measure yourself against someone else’s schedule.

You don’t have to run every day to be “a real runner.” You just have to show up in a way that helps you keep running - stronger, healthier, and in it for the long run.

Because at the end of the day, running isn’t about the number of days you do it - it’s about the joy, confidence and resilience you build along the way.