Running twice a day…should you do it?
Let’s cover pros and cons of “doubles” or “two a days” so you know what you’re getting into!
Pros of running twice a day
- Running two times a day is useful in helping the body become more efficient at running without having the stress or time investment of a single long run.
- Doubles also help the body (and mind) learn how to run when already fatigued, which is especially helpful for long-distance runners.
- Two-a-days can also be used to aid in recovery by increasing blood flow which clears away exercise-induced toxins.
- Running twice is also really useful for people who are short on time in which they can split up their runs in order to get the total mileage in for the day.
Cons of doubles
- The cons of running twice a day arise if you’re overtraining or if you’re splitting up a long run.
- You should not run twice a day if you exhausted or feel a potential injury coming on. It is better to rest and recover.
- Don’t split up a weekly long run into two shorter runs more than twice per 16 week cycle.
- Long runs are crucial for mental and physical adaptations, for example, mitochondrial function and capillary production.
Survey says?
I wrote a whole post on long run rules for marathons and maintain my stance that you can do doubles as part of an appropriate training plan up to twice per training cycle.
Shorter race? Once (instead of a double digit long effort) would be your max).
This is blanket advice, though so I’d love to hear what your circumstances were and if doubles worked for you!
Spill the tea and connect with me!
Have you done two-a-days? How did it go? I’d love to hear what’s working for you. Drop me an audio note to tell me!
When I’m not recording the podcast, hanging on the beach with my Husband and four kids, I’m over here:
