With its long days and warm weather, summer is the perfect time to lace up your trainers and head out for a run. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or have just started getting into the sport, there’s nothing quite like plodding along on a warm, hazy evening to make you fall in love with running.

Unlike during winter, when the cold, rainy days make sticking to a running routine a real challenge, in summer, the prospect of running every day can seem like an attractive prospect – especially if you’re training for a race in the autumn. 

After all, the idea of spending hours in the gym becomes much less appealing when the outside world is full of people enjoying the sun.

But weather conditions aside, is running every day actually a good idea? Are there any benefits to running so regularly? And if not, how often should you run to improve your running ability? 

We asked Emma Obayuvana, a fitness expert and Strong Women Training Club trainer to share her advice.

Even if you’re a regular gym goer, swapping your daily workout for a plod around the park might not be as simple a swap as you think.

“You might be strong from the gym, but running is a totally different load on your body,” Emma says. “If you’re an experienced runner, then you can continue running as much as you usually would. But if you’re a beginner, it’s wise to introduce it gradually.” 

While running has amazing benefits for our body and mind, including improving cardiovascular health and supporting our mental wellbeing, it is a high-impact workout. That means it can put joints and muscles under a lot of stress. 

“Your body does need time to recover, especially when it’s something that you don’t typically do,” says Emma. “Something that I’d recommend, especially for beginners, is alternating days you run so that you have better recovery in between sessions. Especially if your goal is to just get out of the house and get moving, rather than train for a specific race.”

Many of the benefits associated with running actually come from the act of getting your heartrate up. Running isn’t the only way to do that. To ease joint strain, Emma recommends keeping in your accessory work, be it yoga, bodyweight circuits or free weight based home workouts to keep you healthy, and running three of four times a week maximum. “Those other workouts will also help you get the most out of your run because you’ll be strengthening your muscles.”

You might want to mix up the length and style of running, such as longer runs, shorter runs and sprint practice, but Emma suggests beginners simply stick with nailing one distance: “Then you are able to track your performance and your development,” she says. “You might notice that you’re not out of breath as much or you reduce the number of seconds it takes to complete a lap. That’s how you know your body is getting more used to the pattern of running and you can start to push yourself a bit more.” 

Images: Getty