I’m a certified running coach with over fifteen years of running experience, so I must say that I don’t think you should run every day. For most of this blog post, I’m going to be referring to a consistent running routine. That might mean running three to six times per week.
Why I Don’t Recommend Running Every Day
You can still pursue your weight loss, performance, and fitness goals effectively without running every single day.
Running every day does not give your body adequate time to rest and recover, though there are exceptions to this rule. There are people who have a running streak that has been going for years and years. Such a run streak is more doable if you only run an easy mile on the days you would otherwise use to rest. It’s difficult to manage if you run higher mileage.
Additionally, if you are running low mileage—say, less than fifteen miles per week—and you are generally fit, you can probably run every day without issue.
What is more important than running every single day is having a consistent running routine. I competed in college cross country and track. I qualified and ran the 2025 Boston Marathon while only running a maximum of five days per week.
I’ll admit that many runners of my caliber or better run six days a week. Some are even resting only one day out of every two weeks. However, if you are resting less than that, you are probably putting yourself at unnecessary risk of injury. It’s 100% possible to be a more competitive runner and only run four or five days per week.
If you run every day without rest, especially if you run for more than thirty minutes per day, you may not actually see many of the benefits we are about to discuss.
But if you are having a hard time sticking to a running schedule, maybe it’s a good idea to give yourself the opportunity to run every day. That means that sometimes you may not be able to convince yourself, but the next day is always an opportunity.
Some of you may have better success with that, but if you’ve been following that method without making any progress, try scheduling three to five runs per week on set days so that you already have your off days planned. Knowing you have a fixed schedule may help you commit to your running program.
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So, what happens if you run regularly?
I’ve been running for over 15 years, and it’s changed and shaped my body in ways that aren’t necessarily visible.
Well, you reap massive benefits in terms of improving your aerobic fitness. This means you improve your body’s ability to use oxygen during exercise. You improve your heart health and circulation.
Running is very taxing, and it demands a lot from your muscles. When you run for thirty minutes, you take around 5,000 steps. That’s a lot of work for your muscles to do. Your heart has to be able to bring your blood, with enough oxygen, to those muscles, as it’s an essential part of the energy production and utilization process. Your heart and lungs have to grow stronger and more efficient to meet this need.
This process improves a measurement called VO2max. Your VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use (in liters) per minute per kilogram of body weight. VO2max is a measure of cardiovascular fitness. It has also become an important measure of longevity, as low cardiovascular fitness is associated with an increased risk of disease and mortality.
How Running Affects Your Muscles
Running improves your muscular endurance. You have two main types of skeletal muscle fibers in your body: type I and type II. Type I is the type used the most during endurance running.
Type I muscle fibers are used for endurance and need oxygen to create energy. They have a high number of mitochondria (the powerhouses of the cell), allowing them to produce energy to sustain prolonged exercise.
The more you run, the more efficient these muscle fibers can become at energy production. This will improve your endurance, which increases the time it takes you to reach a fatigued state.
Weight Loss
Of course, regular exercise can also help with weight loss. A daily run can increase your caloric burn, helping you stay in a caloric deficit. A caloric deficit means you burn more calories than you consume. Exercise is a part of this equation, though nutrition is the most important aspect.
Hard runs can suppress your appetite, though, reducing the likelihood of overeating. This doesn’t work for every runner, as some runners find that their appetite increases with a higher training volume, so be aware of your particular needs.
How It Feels to Run
There are a lot of physiological benefits to running that you can’t see but assume are happening. What you might be able to feel is that your runs get easier. Running may feel miserable at first. Every step may be hard and challenging, but as your heart, lungs, and muscles adapt to your training habit, your runs will feel easier. These adaptations will allow you to run faster and farther to continue challenging yourself.
What to Do With Your New Fitness
If you’ve been running for a while, you can start making your running routine more complex and targeted. It’s time to put some of those helpful adaptations to use.
Racing
If you run regularly, you will be able to set goals, like racing a certain distance or hitting a certain time. Your treadmill runs may need to be planned out more carefully to hit certain goals, but even a simple daily run will help you make some progress.
Workouts
As a running coach, I recommend trying to incorporate different types of runs into your weekly routine to keep your running streak feeling fresh. A typical week of running should have a long run, an easy run, and a fast run (also called a workout). Your long run doesn’t have to be a certain distance to qualify as a long run. It just needs to challenge and improve your endurance. It should test your limits or, at least, maintain them.
An easy run helps you build your aerobic base. It builds your tolerance for running, your VO2max, and general fitness without being too taxing. Running may be too difficult, at first, for any run to be considered “easy,” but with time and consistency, you will get there.
Running workouts are a key ingredient in making the most of your treadmill runs. These runs, typically done one to three times per week, build your VO2 max, lactate threshold, speed, and more. Different types of workouts target different adaptations within your body.
An Example: Lactate Threshold Runs
Lactate is a byproduct of your body’s energy production during aerobic exercise, that’s exercise with plenty of oxygen available. Lactate is also a further source of energy. As your body produces lactate, it continues to use it as fuel, but at a certain point, your body can no longer keep up with the rate at which you are producing lactate. You end up producing more of it than you can use. This point is called your lactate threshold.
Training at your lactate threshold helps you to make your body more efficient at clearing lactate. It can also increase the speed at which it starts to accumulate. For instance, when you start training, you may hit your lactate threshold at 5.5 miles per hour, but as you train, it could increase to 7 miles per hour or even faster!
You want your lactate threshold to improve so that you can run at a faster pace without needing to slow down due to fatigue.
How Running on the Treadmill Differs from Training Outside
This blog post is specifically targeted at running on the treadmill every day, so let’s take a look at how that is different from running outside.
For one, having a treadmill at home that you can run on regularly makes getting consistent exercise even easier. Whether it’s blazing hot or hailing, you don’t have to worry because you can run indoors. Having a treadmill at home means you don’t have to leave the house to get your workout done. You just have to get dressed and put on your running shoes.
If you are looking for your perfect home treadmill, check out some of the best treadmills we have reviewed. Subscribe to our channel if you want more help building your fitness routine and finding the top equipment.
Cushioning
A treadmill provides a soft and smooth surface to land on, which is quite different from running on the pavement or on a rugged trail.
So, running on the treadmill is also different from running outside because you usually get better cushioning. Treadmills have shock absorbers that cushion your steps compared to running on concrete or asphalt. The cushioning can make running more comfortable, especially for beginners.
However, if you want to train for an outdoor race, I recommend adding a few outdoor workouts into your routine to let your body get used to the lack of cushioning out on the road.
Speed and Incline Control
Running on the treadmill allows you to control your speed and incline. Since you can control your speed, you can practice running at a consistent pace and progress the difficulty of your workouts over time. It eliminates other variables, like wind and temperature, that could slow you down (or even speed you up).
The incline feature on a treadmill allows you to take control of your incline grade. Those of you who live in a hilly area will appreciate the opportunity to run fast on a flat course. While those of you who live in flat areas can add hills to your training for the increased calorie burn and a harder challenge, without having to drive to find a suitable route.
Air Resistance
When you run on a treadmill every day, you are not exposed to air resistance. Some running coaches will advise you to increase your treadmill incline to 1% to make your run harder, similar to what you would experience with more air resistance. As a treadmill expert, I find that most treadmills are already inclined to about 1% when flat, so you don’t have to add incline.
The Dangers of Never Taking a Rest Day
You should supplement your running routine with mobility, strength, and rest for the best performance results.
While consistent running with rest days can improve your health and fitness, running without rest days can lead to a higher risk of injury, a compromised immune system, and decreased performance. When you exercise, the majority of the benefits you gain are created during your recovery from that exercise. You need adequate sleep and nutrition, too.
The trick to running consistently and reaping the most benefits is striking a balance between the amount of running and rest. If you are unsure what the right balance is, a fitness tracker, a free training plan, or a running coach can all help you find the right balance.
If you find it hard to run consistently, you probably aren’t in danger of overdoing it. This advice is for those of you who are already running every day and may need more rest. Not wanting to run isn’t necessarily a sign that you are doing too much. It could just be a sign that you are lacking the motivation to exercise. Be honest with yourself about the true underlying reason you want to skip your run.
Conclusion
When you run on the treadmill every day, or nearly every day, you are making a considerable investment in your health and well-being. You’ve joined a global community of runners who have a variety of goals, from losing weight to racing a marathon. It doesn’t matter how fast you run or the total mileage. You can call yourself a runner!
Running on the treadmill is not something limited to a specific age group, but something you can do for decades. Whether you are about to start your first run or your thousandth, here’s to continuing to pursue greater fitness and faster PRs!
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