Featured Image Credit: Luke Longden/YouTube
Turns out that running 5k every single day might not be ideal for a beginner, as one YouTuber shows the painful process despite actually producing results.
The start of a new year is the ideal time for many to focus on improving their health, and that's why gym subscriptions soar and you suddenly see legions of newbie runners take to the roads every morning.
Most start off slow, as is recommended by health experts and long-time runners alike, but what would happen if you went straight into the action with a five kilometer run every single day?
As always, you can rely on YouTube to test these theories, as Luke Longden did the exhausting task for a whole month despite being completely new to the running game.
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Starting out, Luke explains that he's barely able to run for more than two minutes at a time, completing the 5k in 32:58, which is still not too far from the average time for someone his age despite it being his first proper run.
He managed to pick up five consecutive personal best times across the first five days, taking his completion down to 27 minutes and 39 seconds, but he shortly ran into issues.
Sore legs, stabbing cramps, and the inconveniences of life that left him running in the pitch black of night meant that his times dropped significantly.
However, he kept going and in small iterations he kept improving even if his times didn't always follow suit. By two weeks he managed to run the entire distance without stopping, and by day 16 he had managed to cut his time down to a fantastic 22 minutes and 52 seconds.
While most of the last third of the month had seen his times drop, Luke managed to end the challenge with a new personal best of 21:40, which puts him in the top 30% of runners despite only starting a month ago.
He also saw a physical transformation despite only running for a month, and departs with the mantra that if he can do it, so can you.
Health experts aren't quite convinced this is the best idea though, as they instead emphasize the importance of pacing yourself when running - especially if you're starting out as a beginner.
LiveStrong spoke to exercise physiologist Biara Webster and she explains: "To decrease the risk of injuries to newbies, I would advise running every second day, alternating your program with strength training, especially for the core and legs if running is your goal."
This might have allowed Luke to avoid the painful sprains and tiredness that was at the core of most of his 'poorer' times, but he might also argue that he wouldn't have seen the results he did otherwise.
Many have shown support for Luke in the comments underneath the video though, with users saying that this feat is "so impressive," and that he's inspired them to start their own running journey.
