How much???

Question
Hi there,
I was wondering if you could tell me how many miles I can run within a week and how many days I should train maximum. I have been running for five years and I used to run six miles six days a week till I joined a running club two years ago where I got informed I was running too often. Lately I have been running three to four times a week , usually six miles per session,  and have been going to the gym to improve my arms and abs. I have recently done a 10Km/6.2mile race and had a good time but I wish to improve further as I hope to join back to my old running club within a few months and enter more races. Trouble is I need to know how many miles per week and how many days is safe for me to run without over doing myself. I am 17 and read somewhere a 17 year old should only run upto 40miles per week. Is this true??? And how many days should I run max??? What do you recommend???
I would appreciate it if you would let me know,
Thanks,
Jade.


Answer
Jade,

To be the best you can be,  you can run 7 days a week. You are at an age, where you can handle a good amount of training, as you are close to college. I would say you can run 40-50 miles per week. I have lived and trained with Olympic medallists and World Record holders, and they all train 7 days a week, and 6 of those days, twice a day. The body is an amazing machine and can adapt and handle large workloads if done properly. You should just run once a day, but can run 6-7 days a week.

Ryan