2 runs a day?

Has anyone got any tips or experience of running twice a day - once in the early morning then doing another longer run in the evening? Is there any advantage / disadvantage to doing this to get extra miles in or will it not give your legs time to recover from each run?

And thoughts welcome - including those with the words 'mad' or 'bonkers' in them!
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Comments

  • I'm currently running twice daily, every day. It takes some time to adjust to it though, so you should probably try it once a week at first, then build up progressively.
    The main benefit is that you can up your basic mileage without feeling totally shattered... in other words: improved vascularisation, improved running efficiency, works wonders for controlling your weight...
    I tend to do a slow 7K jog in the morning (30mins, sometimes up to 40) and a normal session in the evening.
    Do not be tempted to substitute this for long runs though, or any of your standard training, as you will probably lose fitness in the face of marginal gains... A good way to look at it is perhaps as something extra you just feel like doing.
    But yeah, it does work; surprisingly it does give your legs more chance to recover than if you just added a couple of miles to your standard sessions.
    Inconvenients: just as any increase in mileage it could get you injured, you feel like you're in and out of running of running clothes all the time; your pile of washing is twice as big; others see you as a bit of a sad bastard and, unless you're of Olympic standard, they usually totally fail to see why you're doing it.
  • NickJ - 7km in 30 mins might be a slow jog to you but it's more like flat out in overdrive to me!
  • Well yeah, but that is probably 'stroll-in-the-park-with-a-pushchair' pace to a Kenyan... Or, 'stupid-white-man with short legs and no-knees thinks he's a runner' pace...
    The point is, though, there's probably not much point bothering about running twice daily until you reach a level where you're not improving any longer on one run a day. And for me, that's roughly equivalent to a level where I do my jogs at this sort of pace.
  • I occasionally get time to run twice a day. It usually ends up on a Thursday, ahard interval session in the morning, massage middle of the day and an easy recovery run at the club in the evening, I like to do it because ramps up the mileage a bit without sacrificing a day off, and I get to run with a different group at the club.
  • I've trained twice a day for at least 7 years & it's what really gave me the improvement I was looking for.
    I might feel dead in the morning & fly in the evening. I don't look upon it as twice a day more like 14 times to run in a week!
    I don't train twice a day every day & a rest day is a rest.
    I've also tried 3 a day but that's just crazy!!
  • Agree with Big Tim - my running showed it biggest improvement when I started twice a day. The morning run is anything from 3 to 6 miles at slow (7-30 to 8 min mile) pace but the beauty of it is I never time it. I have a variety of routes measured out and see the seasons change. I also get daylight even in December and can run off road.

    Apart from the aesthetic benefits, the main training improvement for me is that it flushes out the lactic acid from the previous nights' speedwork / hard club run / long run.

    It's nice to run without looking at your times - the time does not matter at all, just run at what feels comfortable and enjoy the world unfolding, then you get both the benefits of running - moral and spiritual uplift a.m. and faster times p.m.

    Good luck!
  • I have been thinking about doing this for a while but i would have to get up at about 6 am to get it done before work. Does anybody know what time its get light in the morning as wouldnt want to go on my own in the dark.
  • They reckon sunrise is about 7:25 - hmm.

    Have a look at

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/

    which is a handy guide for what time the sun is supposed to appear!
  • I trained twice a day, every other day, for FLM last year but that was to fit normal weekly mileage in due to work commitments.

    I would love to be able to do it now to increase my mileage up to the 70-80 miles a week mark but I need to sleep at some part of the mad days that I currently have!
  • Groovy Chick,
    I get up at 5:30am to train at 6am & it's still dark! I think all the thuggs have gone to bed by then as it's very quite.
  • Ok thanks Big Tim, will maybe start trying it soon
  • If you do 2 sessions in one day would you have to do them really far apart (i mean time wise). Being a teenager i can not get up in the mornings and do my running around my college time. I usually run about 11 o clock, how long shall i rest before doing another run, is 5 hours to short?
  • L8n,

    I think once a day is enough for you at the moment. I know your keen but we don't want you getting injured. You will get faster over the next couple of months without too much difficulty, with the training your doing already.
    If you start posting on the training thread including any cycling, swimming that you do. We can all try to help you train properley.
    You have the time on your side [being 16] we/I have the experiance [being 35 & 20 years running in my legs]. None of us mind sharing our ideas with you!

    happy running
    Tim
  • twice a day
    i think hed divorce me
  • L8n,

    'sound advice from Big Tim here... Try to get as fast as you can on as little as possible. Only increase your mileage when you have reached a plateau, and nothing you try seems to allow you to improve any more. Anyway, how many days a week do you train on at the moment?
  • Er nick, not improving on 4-5 times a week


    But im assuming its me
  • nah, I suspect it's what you do the rest of the time which prevents you from improving (did you mention gin?)
  • Hi

    If your goal is fast times, then yes doubling up makes a big difference as long as you aren't compromising sleep to get up early. Just make sure you increase the number of morning runs slowly. I have 3-4 double days a week depending on my weekly mileage at the time. I actually find that when I do a morning run on my session days I feel much better in my evening session.
    It is also only worth it if you are doing 18k+ in a day. ie. if you are only doing 10k for the day , it is better to do one 10k run than two 5k runs.
  • you have to wait at least 6 hours...........and 10 is optimal. to build up to two a day take it like week oine, you train with two sessions two days a week, evenly and maximumly spaced, then move it to three and then up. you could try one running session and the other cross training session. that woiuld be good.....

    things to consider:
    1. too many miles will stunt your growth, (cos ure still teenage)
    2. it makes you tired for college.
    3. you need a social life
    4. you have other things to do as well as run.
    just on thing i might have picked upo wrongly from the nature of your recent posts, but you are getting very into this running lark, very wuickly. key thing at your age is not to get obsessed. you can improve very quickly at teenage years and the effect of these massive gains can be intoxicating. train smart. to much will see you a shortarsed injury case, (if you do do too much). but i'm not being your keeper, this is only one possible viewpoint.

    have fun....phil
  • Hi all

    I've recently started training twice a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This normally consists of a steady 6 and speed session in the evening.

    So far it is seems to be working and it allows me to have the 2 rest days I need (I now fly to Aberdeen every week and this surprisingly takes it out of me).
  • Nick, is gin bad for you then?

    I might THINK about the odd double run when i move to the midlands

    Hubby wont be around for the first 4 months , so i can do wot i like
  • HillyHilly ✭✭✭
    I don't think it's necessary to train twice a day if you aren't a competitive runner. There is much improvement to be made, especailly in the first ten years of taking up running, by training wisely and including speed workouts and strength training/x-training.

    When all variables have been exhausted and improvements stop completely then it might be worth introducing extra work load in the form of twice a day running. However, I still feel if the runner isn't a competitive runner interested in racing often on the local, county, national scene then why make themselves more tired!
  • Hippo,

    I'm with Hilly on that one... no point bothering until you're not improving anymore, having tried everything else. Speedwork & tempo runs will reap greater benefits.

    I'm proud to report that my twice-a-day, everyday schedule is failing miserably at the moment... I feel like I'm going backwards!!
    In the past, injuries have usually prevented me from overtraining, but right now, I'm still running, yet I feel like I've hit the bottom. 'Didn't even manage a 10K at marathon pace this morning (and that's having taken a day off this week!).
  • Yeah, you are all right
    Dont feel like im improving though
    Shall go back and read my training logs to convince myself i am
  • Nick - sorry to hear the training's getting on top of you.

    I had something very similar for about two weeks about four weeks ago when I felt like I'd totally run myself into the ground, with all the symptoms of OTS. then I did an easier week, after which I completely surprised myself with a 1/2M PB.

    I don't know whether or not it's true, but I often find that my "break-throughs" (if there are such things) come after periods when I've "done too much". that's my theory anyway.

  • so next week will be fab?????
    (not with 3 on calls it wont)


    Sorry to whinge people, im REALLY fed up
  • Achilles,

    yep I know... 'taking it easy for a couple of days.... It's always somewhat distressing when it happens though... trying bloody hard, and feeling you're going backwards...
    Still plenty of time left 'till London....
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