4 miles is an excellent choice of distance. It’s manageable, schedule-friendly, and offers the same health benefits of long-distance running. In this article, you will learn why and how to run 4 miles.
Benefits of Running 4 Miles a Day
If you’re still asking yourself, “is running 4 miles a day good for me?” The answer is a profound yes. Let’s find out why.
Weight Loss
The most well-known weight loss principle is to burn more calories than you consume. Jogging, in turn, is one of the best calorie-fighting exercises as it makes many different muscles work hard.
Running 4 miles a day allows you to burn about 400 calories (based on the generally accepted rule of 100 calories burned per mile). And the more you weigh, the more calories you lose as the workload and effort to cover the same 4-mile distance increases.
Improved Sleep
Just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise leads to better sleep quality. So even after your first attempt to run 4 miles a day, you will sleep sounder and longer.
Meanwhile, if you stick to your running training plan for a month or more, you have every chance of reducing the time it takes to fall asleep, alleviating insomnia-associated symptoms, and getting rid of disturbing thoughts that interfere with sleep.
Mental Health Boost
Many studies show a significant difference in anxiety levels before and after a single workout! What’s more, in most of the experiments, just 10 minutes of running time was enough to improve mood and decrease anxiety.
Sure, the consistency of training still matters and leads to even more impressive results. For example, a 12-week training program in one study resulted in positive mental transformations in people with clinically diagnosed mood disorders.
In particular, they noted a significant reduction in stress, depression, and anxiety. All this became possible even at a range of distances from 1km (0.621 miles) to 5km (3.1 miles). Needless to say, running four miles a day will definitely take your mental health to the next level.
Longevity-Friendly Distance
A major review of studies highlighted two interesting findings. First, the risk of cardiovascular disease and death from it is much lower among runners than non-runners.
But what’s really striking is the second finding: the longevity effect of running works best for athletes who run less than 20 miles a week. Beyond the 20-mile/week milestone, the health benefits of exercise may decrease and even backfire.
So if your running schedule includes 3-5 four-mile runs per week with 2 obligatory rest days, you will get the most out of running!
Investment for the Future
Short-distance running can be a big help if you want to switch to long runs in the future. Low-mileage workouts put your fast-twitch muscle fibers to work, increasing your muscles’ strength and resilience. Thus, after this 4-mile practice, you can improve your results at any chosen distance.
How to Prepare for Running 4 Miles a Day
You’re probably so excited about the above benefits that you’ve already put on your running shoes for a 4-mile run. But wait a minute! Find out some tips on how to make your runs efficient and safe.
Start With Less Mileage If Needed
If you set a goal to run 4 miles a day, you likely will not be able to overcome this distance on the very first workout. The good news is that you don’t have to! Most of all, for your own safety.
A study shows that the initial distance for zero runners (especially those who are overweight) should be 3 kilometers (or about 1.9 miles) per week. This helps to avoid injuries and unpleasant symptoms associated with overload.
So if you’re new to running, start small and don’t push yourself too hard. Remember that overwork and the associated injuries will definitely not bring you closer to your running goals.
Don’t Chase Speed Records
The same goes for your speed goals. Make sure they match your current abilities.
For example, you can google “how long to run 4 miles” and see good run times like 29:22 and 34:02 (men and women). But, as a beginner, hitting these times on the first day (or even the first month of training) will lead to disappointment and possibly injuries.
In fact, about half of running injuries are due to high-intensity training and the desire to maintain too fast of a pace. Therefore, you should not focus on a good time; start with an average time.
The average time to run 4 miles may range from 40 minutes (non-competitive runners in good shape) to 60 minutes (beginner runners with no experience). Regardless of your time, don’t try to change it quickly.
Start running at a comfortable pace where you can carry on a conversation without losing your breath and speed up gradually as you complete your training plan. Remember, the big question is not how long it takes to run 4 miles but how to do it safely and turn 4 miles into a habit.
Practice Run/Walk Method
Running at a comfortable pace can include a combination of running with walking. This method has been proven to result in reduced levels of muscle pain and fatigue. At the same time, the overall time does not change significantly.
It’s no surprise that muscle pain leads to injury. But what about fatigue?
Research has shown that fatigue reduces our motivation. If fatigue accumulates, then the desire to do something may disappear altogether.
So by focusing only on running from your very first 4-mile workouts, you can be so exhausted that you just give up running. You are more likely to stay motivated by alternating between running and walking.
Be Sure to Rest
If you think resting keeps you from reaching your running goal, the opposite is true. As discussed in our separate article, rest days have many benefits for your health and results.
That’s why some sources recommend starting with 2-3 days of rest per week and reducing this amount as you progress if necessary.
Do Strength Exercises
If you don’t want 2-3 rest days, try some strength training. First, according to Arthur Conan Doyle, “change of work is the best rest.” Second, strength training has many benefits for you as a runner, from injury prevention to increased endurance.
So feel free to do strength exercises on your rest days.
Increase Mileage Gradually
You’ve probably heard of the 10 percent rule, which recommends that runners increase their mileage by no more than 10 percent each week. In one 1-year experiment among athletes, this progress proved to be the least traumatic.
This rule really works but is not a panacea. For example, an Aarhus University study has shown no increased risk of injury when increasing weekly mileage by 20% – 25%.
What does it mean? You shouldn’t increase the distance drastically. However, safe weekly mileage increases are individual and largely dependent on factors such as experience and health.
The Runzy Individual Coaching Program takes the above factors and your goals, needs, and abilities into account. That’s why it’s a proven path to the coveted finish line.
