Will running everyday hurt me?

Chances are, you know someone or, you are someone who runs on a daily basis. I used to be one of those people. In fact, when I was running daily, is when I saw most of my fitness improvements. But, I also saw a lot of injuries. When I started to feel pain, that’s when people started to tell me, you’ll get hurt if you run everyday.

According to a website that I found, daily running (15-30 minutes a day) could have great health benefits. But it also increases the likelihood of injury, such as damage to the knees and a variety of strains. That is why some experts say that beginners should limit their runs to 2 to 3 times per week. More advanced runners can run more, but know that for the average person, according to Healthline.com, running loses its benefits after 4.5 hours per week.

Personally, I like to add weight training days in between my run days. I am a self proclaimed runaholic, as my wife has termed it. Which simply means that If i was given a choice, running would be my go to exercise. I didn’t always like to run, though. In fact, I hated it. But that was because when I ran I tried to measure up to the expectations of others. Once I figured how to run for my own benefit, I learned to enjoy it, and didn’t want to stop.

It wasn’t until I got hurt that I started slowing down. It happened while I was training for my first half marathon. I’d reached a new milestone, 9 miles, and was working towards the next milestone, 10 miles. That is when I started feeling pains in my legs. I would start to walk and stretch it out as I felt the pain. But, as time went on, the pain began to get stronger and more frequent. Eventually, I could not run a mile without feeling pain in my legs. Doctors could not tell me what was wrong. Physical therapist could not fix it. The only advice that I received from either was don’t run so much (Incidentally, the same story is true for my shoulders, but we’ll hold that for another day). With the military as my full time career, not running was not an option.

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That was when I reached out to a running community. I connected with Black Men Run Kansas City and asked my questions to the guys in the group. Here is some of the advice that they gave me:

If you are running daily, change your shoes often. Chances are your shoes will give out before you do. So change them every 200-300 miles. Also, use your running shoes for running only. My running shoes were also the shoes I’d wear frequently. That added to the wear and tare, which means they broke down quicker. The group helped me to see that I needed to have a pair of sneakers that I used only for running.

Next and probably the most important advice they gave me, stretch often. Stretching is probably more important than the run. While I was running every day, I was not stretching at all. Not stretching basically will cause your muscles to tighten up, which will cause pain. Stretching allows your muscles to remain loose and limber, and keep you pain free.

Finally, warm up before every run. No, I don’t mean do a slower paced run before you open it up on the road. I mean do a 5 minute warm up to loosen up your muscles and get them ready to work. If you need a warmup, this one is my favorite.

FitnessBlender 5 minute warmup

Will running every day lead to injury? The short answer is yes it could. Running every day does have the potential to cause serious injuries. If you must run every day , remember to warm up first, cool down, stretch after each run, and change your shoes often. If you don’t have to run daily try the run schedule below. Staying injury free, is the best way to stay motivated about running and fitness in general.