Once versus twice a day... (Read 1110 times)

I have a quick question...what is the benefit to running twice a day versus once a day? Why do runners do this? Just a newbie wondering why... Thanks! CC

I have a quick question...what is the benefit to running twice a day versus once a day? Why do runners do this? Just a newbie wondering why... Thanks! CC

For me, it's more about time than anything else. I ran a total of 10.5 miles yesterday, broken up into 6.5 and 4. At no point in the day did I have time to run that many miles continuously, but by breaking the run up, I was able to do more.

Marcus and Jeff or anyone else doing doubles. At what base mileage per week do you start? Do I need to run 40 mpw continously prior to trying this?

I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I mean, I've only averaged 13.6mpw for the last 4 weeks, but I doubled yesterday and am already over 20 for this week, hopefully en route to 35 or more. (10% rule, my ass). If you plan on running the same total mileage but simply splitting some runs to get there, then I think it's no big deal at all. If you're trying to increase miles, you really just have to listen to your body, and I'd say don't do doubles on consecutive days. It's really the rapid mileage increase that will cause injury more than whether or not it's two runs per day. (Do as I say, not as I do). If anything, I think you may have less stress doing 5 miles twice per day as compared to 10 miles once.

Well I’m no expert, so take any advice I might give with a grain of salt, but here’s my 2 cents! I as well run twice daily to get more miles in. I also started running twice daily because Blaine said it is a good thing to do and he seems to be a good source of info . As I want to be running 60+ mile weeks, I don’t find it feasible to be averaging 10+ mile runs per day. I like breaking things up so I can actually have time in the evening to spend with my wife. While its not bad, I don’t want to come home every day, go out for a 1.5-2 hour run, make dinner, eat, hang out for an hour, and go to bed (we’re “young-fogeys” and go to bed around 9:30PM). I also don’t want to give up my one solid day off a week (usually Sunday for me), just because I think it does do me good to have one day totally off to recover. I started the 2x daily runs when I wanted to break 50 miles/week for the reasons stated above. My plan is to only do them 2-3 days a week depending on how I feel, and I try to space them as far apart during the day as I can.. thus the 4:30AM wakeups this week. Although I haven’t been doing it (I get too eager and excited!) I really should be running at the new higher mileage for at least 2-3 weeks before increasing it again. Like Marcus I don’t run identical distances. My first run is generally the longer higher intensity workout, and I like to think of the second one as a recovery workout (even if the paces might not be at recovery pace). Also like Marcus, I run depending on how I’m feeling at the moment so I don’t get too blinded by the numbers and push myself too hard. That’s just my recent experiences as an experienced-beginner. Or maybe I can move up to the novice-intermediate category now… I don’t know. What we need is to wait for an ultra-marathoner to come along and preach words of wisdom... or wait for Blaine. He seems to know his stuff pretty good

This thread (fair warning, it's from the 2000 mile swamp) might be helpful.

This thread (fair warning, it's from the 2000 mile swamp) might be helpful.

I learned a great deal on the subject in that thread (and in the LetsRun.com thread that inspired my question). But take Jeff's warning seriously. The Swamp is not for the thin-skinned or faint of heart.

Yeah. Thin-skinned individuals just can not handle the swamp. Better don the tinfoil hat before entry.

Ok, so here is what I think I'm getting from all of this.. When I start training for my marathon, on the longer mileage days, its ok to split that mileage up into two runs...but I should also try to leave one day for a longer run to get my body used to recover from it. I'm also gathering this is a purely personal decision...no real evidence of benefits either way? (and yes I braved the other thread). What about getting your mileage in, then adding on just for fun? Did I get all of this summed up correctly? CC

The purpose of doubles is to run more at a lower cost risk of injury, not to split up runs that you would otherwise run as singles. As for the "real evidence," it depends on what counts as real evidence. Many people have been successful incorporating doubles into their training. All elite runners double. Since they make their money maximizing their training, that's probably a good indication that doubles work. I think, also, that the best way to see through the fuzzy question of singles vs. doubles is by realizing that every run is a single. The real question is how many singles per week it's best for you to run. If the answer is more than 7, then you'll probably be doubling. Even if the answer is less than 7 times per week, there may be reason to double--since you may want more time than one day to recover between runs. The main reason why people run singles is because they only have time or energy for one run a day. This is a very good reason to run singles.