Running 5k can either be a goal to work towards, a daily part of your fitness routine, or something in between. Running 5k is an excellent marker of fitness and can be a perfect tool for achieving better cardiovascular and muscle health as well as weight loss.
If you’re looking to achieve these goals, how often should you run a 5k? I explain everything you need to know about running 5k and provide the latest data to back this up.
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How Often Should I Run 5k
It’s recommend that beginners should run 5k to 3-4 times a week with running days on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sundays. For more advanced runners a 5k can be ran 5 or 6 times a week or increase the distance daily over the 4 days.
Running is a great way to improve your stamina, endurance and lose unwanted pounds. The more you run, the easier it will be to run 5km. It usually takes the average person around 30 minutes to run 5k. However, it takes a lot of patience and time to develop your strength, power and cardiovascular system.
However, there is nothing wrong with running 5k every day if that’s your goal. The average marathon runner runs between 8-16km every day for 12-15 weeks and continues to improve and develop their running skills and distances. But it is essential that you listen to your body and if you feel overtrained you need to take a couple of days rest.
Start Your 5k Journey Slow
If you can’t run 5km initially, don’t try running 5km every day. First, build your strength and stamina by using a combination of walking and running and use a treadmill (find out exactly how long it takes to run 5km on a treadmill).
Once you have developed your muscles, add 10% of the distance you have conquered into your next running length. This will allow your body to adjust to the difference in distance while still being achievable.
You may also try increasing the number of kilometres per week rather than daily. If you’re currently running 3km a week, add 1 kilometre or 5 minutes next week or until you can run 5km in around 30 minutes (Want to know if 30 minutes of running is enough? read this)
Gradually increase by adding 1 kilometre every few weeks until you find it easier to complete longer distances.
How Many Times a Week Does the Average Person Run?
According to several experts in the field, most non-elite runners tend to run four to five days per week. The frequency of running can vary based on a number of factors, including fitness level, goals, and personal preferences.
It’s worth noting that beginners may want to start with two to three days of running per week and the best distance to run is 5k. Once you get fitter gradually increase their frequency as they become more comfortable and experienced.
Professional runners typically run six to seven days a week, with one scheduled day for rest and recovery. Elite runners often aim to run 100 miles or more per week, while non-elite competitive runners usually run five days a week.
Therefore, the number of days people run is between 3 and 6 days depending on the goals and fitness levels. But 5k is the most popular running distance.
The Most Popular Running Distance for Beginners
According to research I’ve found, the most popular running distance for beginners is typically around 3k-5k or 20-30 minutes of running per session. Some experts recommend aiming for a total weekly mileage of around 10-12 miles as a beginner, while others suggest setting a goal of running a 5K (3.1 miles) within a few months of starting your training.
How Many People Run 5k Each Week?
About 9.1 million people in the United States ran at least one 5K race in 2020. However, it’s difficult to determine how many people run 5K each week as not everyone participates in races. But it’s a good estimate to say that more than 50 million people are run at least a 5k 3 times a week across the world as it’s the most popular running distance.
Other Running Distances You Might Find Interesting To Know
Is Running 5km 3 Times a Week Enough?
If you want to lose weight, tone up muscle, and improve overall wellness and fitness level, running 5km 3 times a week is an excellent target. You can run 5km Monday, Wednesday and Friday, giving yourself plenty of time to recover and heal in between.
If you want to improve your 5k time, then running just 3 times a week can boost your performance. Timing your runs and making sure you are balancing your nutrition and rest time between running days can all help you to shave off those precious few minutes.
Working on other elements of your fitness, such as strength training and endurance, on non-running weekdays can also help improve your performance.
Exercise experts recommend that most people should limit their running to between 3 and 5 days per week if they are beginners, overweight or getting back into a fitness routine after years of not doing regular exercise. This ensures your joints and muscles have time to recover in between workouts and reduces the likelihood of injury.
Is Running 5km 3 Times a Week Enough To Lose Weight?
On average, you will burn around 400 calories running 5km in a time of 30 minutes. Meaning you could burn an extra 1200 calories running 5km 3 times a week. It takes 3500 calories to burn 1 pound of fat, so you should lose around 0.5 pounds of weight running 5km 3 times a week.
Running for weight loss can be achieved by running a 5k 3 times a week if you ensure you maintain adequate daily activity apart from running. If you aren’t running every day but still want to lose a few pounds, pay attention to your nutrition.
Combining nutrition and 3 5k runs per week will help you see some good weight loss results.
If you don’t ready to run the entire 5km have you considered if walking on an incline treadmill burns more calories than running on a flat? Read this article to see the benefits of incline treadmill for weight loss and increasing fitness levels which is low-impact and easier on your muscles and joints.
Is it OK to Run 5km Every Day?
Although there are plenty of online challenges that encourage you to run a daily 5k – is it really a good idea? This all depends on your starting fitness levels, your age, weight, and any injuries. As we get older, our joints are less able to withstand daily runs and injury becomes more likely.
The same is true for significantly overweight people, but this can be fixed with running workouts spread out over more days.
People who run every day risk developing stress fractures and shin splints. Although not serious complaints, these injuries can worsen over time if they aren’t rested and can become incredibly painful. If you think you may be developing shin splints, or are suffering a stress fracture, then give the running and rest and only return to it with adequate rest periods in between sessions.
Another potential risk of running every day is that you may end up overtraining. Although not as apparent as a direct injury, overtraining can have knock-on effects in the rest of your life.
People who overtrain are more likely to experience exhaustion and muscle fatigue. The only way to avoid this is to either reduce the distance you are running or opt for fewer days spent pounding the pavement.
If you want to run 5k every day – then you certainly can. Make sure you work your way gradually up to that point and listen to your body. If you need a break, then take one!
How Often Should I Run 5km to Lose Weight?
If you want to lose 1 pound of body fat each week, you need to run 6 5km runs per week. This will provide you a calorie deficit of 3400 calories without dieting. However, you can reduce the number of 5km runs by eating 500 calories below your basal metabolic rate.
When it comes to weight loss, the best fitness program for you is the one you can stick with – consistency is key. When teamed with good nutrition, running 5k 3 times a week is an ideal way to kickstart your weight loss journey.
The main thing that will stop you from losing weight while running a regular 5km is your diet. It’s far too easy to overeat following a run as our body is depleted from quick-energy carbohydrates, so we are sent to the snack cupboard. Plan your nutrition to fit with your running program, and you will start to notice some serious weight loss.
Remember – if you want to lose weight, but haven’t run a 5km before, just getting started can be tricky. Although experts recommend 3 times a week as a good 5k baseline for weight loss, you may find that 1 or 2 runs per week is more accessible to you at first. Aim to increase the number of runs you do over the week and stick to your training program.
What Is a Good 5k Time For a Beginner?
A good 5k time is as individual as the people running it. Optimal 5k times change with age, height, weight, sex, and fitness levels. Most casual runners will aim for a 5k time of 40 minutes or less. Lots of research has been conducted into runners of all ages and abilities to determine the ideal 5k running time.
Below is a summary of the average 5k running times of 30-year-old women of different running abilities:
| Ability | Time (minutes) |
| Beginner | 35:27 |
| Novice | 30:08 |
| Intermediate | 26:04 |
| Advanced | 23:04 |
Men typically have a faster average running time. In the table below you can see a summary of the average 5k times in 30-year-old men of different abilities:
| Ability | Time (minutes) |
| Beginner | 31:29 |
| Novice | 26:19 |
| Intermediate | 22:32 |
| Advanced | 19:44 |
If 30 minutes is the average time for someone to run 5km how far is that in distance? Read this post to find out.
Final Thoughts on How Often Should I Run 5km
Running a 5k can either be a regular part of your wellness routine or part of a weight-loss journey or training program. The frequency of your runs depends on your goals and existing levels of fitness. If you are particularly prone to injury, then be careful not to overdo it. If you enjoy daily runs, then support your 5k with good nutrition and rest to see the most benefits.