This is not really news but it is news to me. Well not news exactly as
I have read a lot, listened a lot and seen many training plans where
two runs a day are referenced and used. I have been running twice a
day on most days for a couple of months now and wanted to capture and
share what i think are the benefits of it.
I am in a fortunate position where I can travel to work under my own
steam. At least 4 days a week i run to/from work. The
shortest/quickest way is around 2.5miles and it can be as long as I
want it to be. What tends to happen is that I run 4-5.5 miles each
way.
The advantages are great for run training.
Running twice daily is a way to increase mileage without over
burdening your body. To run 8 miles is, or feels, like it is more
damaging than running 2x4miles with 7'ish hours rest in between. Makes
perfect sense and works. If I run those distances the times for
morning and afternoon are consistent. I'm not running particularly
fast as its not about that, plus I'm carrying a pack but I can cruise
at 7:20-30 mile pace with no problem.
It's also a way to get recovery. At the end of a week I sometimes run
6-7 miles in and then maybe 2.5 miles home. The run home is great for
recovery and, again, it's not a race. My legs feel a bit stiff at the
start but once moving start to free up and that gentle run home just
works to gets the legs moving and free up any residual stiffness or
tensions.
With a sedentary job desk time is dead time as far as my body is
concerned. make that recovery time and it makes complete sense.
I'm going to continue to run this way for the foreseeable future as
the benefits to my running have been huge. I have gone from not
running for 18 months to avg. around 40 miles within 3 months of
resuming training. I rarely, currently, run over 6 miles in a single
run yet the mileage increases. You also, in my experience, get to a
point where walking feels weird and stiff and running feels natural.
Runners talk about flow, that feeling that everything is in the right
place, that the rhythm is perfect, you feel focused and running is
easy. I experience that so regularly now that it really does feel like
the most natural mode of movement I could do. It really does feel like
it is something I was made to do.
The next phase is to start to increase mileage a little and introduce
a long run on Sunday mornings. I've run 14.4miles as a max so far on
this comeback, that was last week. What was interesting was that I t
was mentally harder than physically. I take that as a good sign. I
will start to do a longer morning runs of around 10miles in the next
couple of weeks with the run home as a recovery effort. Then into
ember the ultra training starts as I get ready for the Born to Run
ultra in March.
What is absolutely certain is that I will be running twice a day as I
progress towards this goal.
