RunPackGuides · 5 min read
How many miles (or km) a week should I run?
How much to run each week for health, a 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon, how to increase your mileage safely, and signs you’re doing too much.
There’s no single right number. The best weekly distance is the one you can keep up, week after week, without getting hurt or burnt out. Here are typical ranges by goal, and how to build towards them.
Typical weekly distance by goal
| Goal | Per week | Runs per week |
|---|---|---|
| General fitness | 8–15 miles (13–25 km) | 2–4 |
| First 5K | 6–12 miles (10–20 km) | 3 |
| Faster 5K or 10K | 15–25 miles (25–40 km) | 3–5 |
| Half marathon | 15–30 miles (25–50 km) | 3–5 |
| Marathon | 25–45+ miles (40–70+ km) | 4–6 |
The lower end is plenty to finish; the higher end is for runners chasing times. Our 5K, 10K, half and marathon plans sit near the lower end.
How to increase it
- Go up gradually. A common guideline is about 10% more per week, less if you’re new. It’s a rough guide, not a law.
- Cut back every third or fourth week by about a quarter, so your body can catch up.
- Add runs before making runs longer. Four 5 km runs are easier on your body than two 10 km runs.
- Keep most of it easy. Extra distance should be zone 2, not extra hard sessions.
- Keep the long run to about a quarter to a third of the week. More on long runs.
Signs you’re doing too much
- Easy runs feel hard for days in a row.
- Your resting heart rate is higher than usual in the morning, or your sleep gets worse.
- A niggle that gets worse as you run, rather than easing off.
- You start dreading runs you used to enjoy.
Any of these: take an easy week. A watch or ring can help you spot it; RunPack reads resting heart rate, heart rate variability and sleep each morning and suggests whether to push or keep it easy. See should I run today?
Count it with friends
Weekly distance is a lot more fun to build with other people. RunPack’s free weekly challenge rotates through weekly distance, longest run, number of runs and pace, and sets each person a target from their own last four weeks, so it nudges everyone up gradually rather than all at once.
General guidance, not medical advice.