Why not make it a double? (10k to marathon training advice)

Martin Lewis

Is twice a day better?

If the previous article has left you with the urge to read more on the fundamentals of endurance running, then how about considering the pro’s and con’s of doubling up on your daily number of sessions. ‘Doubling up’ or running ‘twice a day’ will float through the pondering mind of many a distance athlete. The mistake for many is to assume in this game that doing more, means faster race times. I too must bow my head in shame having once thought this myself. This is not strictly true and most runners will find single sessions each day sufficient in pursuit of road running personal bests. To put an arbitrary time cap on when ‘doubling up’ in some form is required to take performance from one level to the next, I would propose sub 2:50 marathons or sub 75 minute Half Marathons.

In the absence of a firm training history (consistent injury free running) and a well established nutrition, hydration and stretching program (eating and drinking more than you use and stretching farther than you try to reach) many athletes will find double sessions a short cut to injury and misery.

Did I also forget illness?

I avoid sexism where possible, but would observe that there exists some fundamental differences between men and women, and hence to the demands placed on the diet. On a number of occasions I have seen elite athletes and in particular elite female athletes reluctant to gain weight and through fear more so than reality they attempt to get by on eating mushrooms or lettuce alone. If you want to be fast and robust, you must be prepared to gain muscle and provide sufficient nutrients for its repair. There may be a period of slight heaviness before any period of streamlining. If you are struggling to relax about your body weight and are one of these athletes who throw around the term ‘racing weight’, then here is my relaxed approach to endurance nutrition. Eat at least what your body requests (do not ignore the signals) and monitor your body weight with moderation (I can usually lose a third of a kilo in a visit to the men’s room), however essentially if your training and racing improves your body will improve efficiency by making appropriate requests for food and fluid, ditching fat where necessary and accumulating muscle where required. Pause for thought! The wife of arguably the greatest fell runner Britain has known, Joss Naylor, claimed the secret to his success was copious amounts of cake and tea. Now you won’t read that in any sports nutrition book.

So what is the downfall of single session days?

It is not simply mileage. The traditional British runner’s format takes the form of that below:

Sun – Long Run

Sat - Rest

This format allows for three quality sessions in every week; Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Most runners will go their entire career, without feeling the need to stray from this format, however arguably they may prematurely plateau in their performances. The true strength in double session days, is not in the quantity as such, but more the quality that can be introduced by opening up each day to a focussed session, breaking free from the need to split up quality days with easy days.

The format below is one such example of doubling up:

Sun – Long Run

Sat – Rest, watch Soccer AM.

Now as opposed to the original format, two additional quality sessions are introduced where the athlete is encouraged to run at Lactate threshold pace (tempo runs), as is necessary in any distance program (this corresponds to approximately 15km or Half Marathon Pace and is the best guide to marathon performance). Whilst lactate threshold sessions are difficult in nature the following easy recovery run will act as sufficient recovery both physically and psychologically to enable near optimal training in the following evening session. The secret to successful doubling up is to place sessions at suitable times of the week giving sufficient time between sessions appropriate to their differing demands. Note the time left between the Tuesday and Thursday quality sessions, which require 48 hours recovery time and whilst the Monday and Tuesday sessions will fatigue you, the Wednesday offers suitable recovery before Thursday and Friday's sessions. The athlete is encouraged to repeat the same pace on Friday’s tempo run as on Monday. When this is achieved the athlete can look to progress, increasing their target pace and the distances covered in sessions

When doubles aren’t wise!

Remember that for many athletes this approach is not necessary. Doubling up is a case for tinkering with a program and should not be introduced until you have both a firm training base; consistently completing weekly speed sessions and totalling mileage of 45miles per week or more. If you haven’t identified all the smaller areas of your program which need to be optimised first such as recovery runs, consistent speedwork, regular stretching routine, pre and post training nutrition/hydration and weekly long runs, then doubling up will unduly fatigue you both physically and psychologically and will be detrimental to your performance and possibly health. Lifestyle burdens are another issue which may prevent doubling up and a level of common sense is required. If you are commuting to work and home then morning runs will require very early starts. Lack of sleep will inhibit your recovery as will external psychological demands such as deadlines and exams. When the time available for relaxation is low, the likelihood of injury, illness and over training is high. Top junior coaches will reduce their athletes workloads by 25% during exam periods and a similar approach should be taken by the seasoned adult runner. If your workloads fluctuate regularly then why not try to periodise your training and races such that they work in harmony. Your running should always be part of your life and not an extra, since this will almost certainly stunt your running career. If you decide to increase and double up, then why not try the program above for 2 weeks, followed by an easy week and then repeat. If you are able to repeat the second block without excessive soreness, free from illness and stress, then you can expect the double format to be an achievable improvement to your training. Happy running!

About the Author

Martin Lewis is a gifted athlete and has a huge brain. Not only did he graduate from loughborough university with a 1st class degree in sports and exercise sciences, but he can run very fast for a long time. He currently spends his time studying for a PHD in Simulation Modelling (we don't know what it is either) as well as continuing to train hard. He is an expert in endurance training and has experience of training with elite skinny dudes. He will though, completely ignore you if you go to support him in the London Marathon so I wouldn't bother if I were you.