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==Introduction==
There is a natural human belief that if some is good, more is better. This idea is all too often false, and can very destructive with training. It is important to realize that running does not make you a better runner - it is the rest that follows running that makes you a better runner (See [[Supercompensation and Why exercise does not make you fit|Supercompensation]]). So the key to effective training is to balance the training with the rest.
==How Often I Run==
I have tried many different patterns of training and rest. I have found the most effective pattern for me is to run four days a week. These four days are all 'quality days'; I run for three hours Monday, Wednesday and Friday, then run four hours on Saturday. This gives me lots of long running, with enough rest to support that mileage. If I were training for the marathon distance or shorter, I would train three days per week. The key to running three or four days a week is that every run is a quality run that requires rest to recover. I don't take extra days off to make things easier, but to make things harder. Running four days a week enables me to train on those four days much harder than I could if I trained more frequently.