Weekly Running Distance: How Many Kilometres to Run for Your Goal
The right weekly running distance is one of the most common questions runners ask, and the answer depends on your goal, your pace and how many days you train. You do not need to run as much as you think to finish a race well, and increasing volume too quickly is one of the easiest ways to get injured. This guide gives you guideline ranges for each distance and explains what research says about how to increase them.
Weekly running distance in kilometres or minutes
Before the numbers, a caveat: 30 km a week is not the same for someone running at 4:30 per kilometre as for someone at 6:30. The first covers it in just over two hours; the second, in more than three. That is why our training plans measure almost everything in minutes. If you prefer to think in kilometres, the ranges below are for recreational runners training three to five days a week.
Weekly running distance by goal
These ranges come from the training plans we have published, counting the biggest weeks. The lower figure in each range is for slower runners or those running fewer days.
| Goal | Kilometres per week in the biggest weeks | Running days |
|---|---|---|
| 5K | 15 to 30 km | 3 |
| 10K | 20 to 40 km | 3 or 4 |
| Half marathon | 30 to 55 km | 4 |
| Marathon | 45 to 70 km | 4 or 5 |
For a 5K, three days and a 40 to 45 minute long run are enough; it is all in the 5K training plan. For a half or a marathon, the long run matters most and can account for a third or more of the week’s kilometres. The full tables are in the half marathon plan and the marathon plan.
More weekly running distance is not always better
Running more helps up to a point, especially for longer distances. But the useful volume is the one you can sustain week after week without ending up tired or injured. If you arrive at every quality session drained, your legs ache when you get up or your resting heart rate shoots up, you are probably running more than you can absorb. The warning signs are in the guide to overtraining in runners.
Most of your weekly running distance should be easy. The number of days counts too: it is better to spread 30 km over four days than to cram it into two. I explain it in the guide on how many days a week to run.
The 10% rule for weekly running distance: what research says
The most repeated advice is not to increase your weekly distance by more than 10% from one week to the next. It sounds sensible, but there is little evidence behind it.
In a trial with 532 novice runners preparing for a 6.7 km race, Buist and colleagues compared a standard 8-week programme with a 13-week one that followed the 10% rule. Injury rates were 20.3% in the first and 20.8% in the second: the slower progression did not protect them.
Another study with novices, by Nielsen and colleagues, found no difference in total injuries, but did find more overuse injuries, such as knee pain or iliotibial band syndrome, in those who increased their distance by more than 30% over two weeks, compared with those who increased it by less than 10%. The authors note that the study is exploratory, but suggest staying below that 30%.
How to increase your weekly running distance without getting injured
Based on what we know, a sensible way to increase volume is this:
- Build up gradually and avoid big jumps, above 30% over two weeks.
- Every three or four weeks, have a recovery week with 20 to 30% less volume.
- Do not increase distance and intensity at the same time; if you add intervals, keep volume steady that week.
- Lengthen easy runs and the long run first, not the hard sessions.
- Listen to niggles: pain that gets worse while running is a reason to stop for a few days.
If you are coming back after a break, do not jump straight back to your old weekly running distance. The guide to getting back into running after a break explains how, and the one on runner injury prevention covers the most common injuries.
Conclusion
The weekly running distance you need depends on your goal: 15 to 30 km for a 5K and 45 to 70 km for a marathon are reasonable ranges for a recreational runner. More important than the figure is increasing it gradually, with recovery weeks, and keeping most of those kilometres easy. The 10% rule has not been shown to reduce injuries, but big jumps in volume do seem to increase overuse injuries.
FAQ
How many kilometres a week should you run for a marathon?
45 to 70 km in the biggest weeks is a common range for recreational runners training four or five days. The long run can account for a third or more of that figure.
How many kilometres a week for a half marathon?
30 to 55 km in the biggest weeks, spread over about four days, with a long run of up to two hours.
How many kilometres a week for a 10K?
20 to 40 km, with three or four running days.
Does the 10% rule work?
A trial with 532 novices found no fewer injuries following the 10% rule than with a standard programme. Even so, it is wise to avoid big jumps in volume.
How much can you increase your weekly running distance?
There is no exact figure. A study with novices found more overuse injuries when distance rose by more than 30% over two weeks, so the sensible approach is to build gradually with recovery weeks.
