Last week I wrote about back-to-back. (Actually it wasn't last week, it was 5 minutes ago; these are "advance posts"). This week the subject is "doubling up", splitting your long run day into two (or more?) parts.
When I was young and training for the marathon I could fit all my training in by doubling or tripling up on two of my three long days. Tuesday was a run to work and a run home again; Thursday was a triple: a run to work, a lunchtime run, and a run home again. And the Sunday morning was a single long run. For marathon training there must be a single long run one day each week, but on other long days a split is a good idea because the total weekly distance is just as important.
My recommendation now would be to do the one long run each week, and either double up or go back to back once in the same week, probably not both.
Watch out for leg fatigue though. Now that I am doing leg work in the gym, I am more aware than ever of the dangers of intense training when the legs are crying out for a rest/recovery day.
My leg work in the gym includes easy repeated lunges one side at a time; easy seated leg presses, and work on the hill climber/stepper. It does not include squats deep or otherwise; seated knee extensions, hamstring curls, even calf raises, because this old man knows he needs to get stronger before he can do these exercises without breaking. By the way, I do some upper body work as well.
A hard session in the gym, plus a run the same day, counts as "doubling up".
Cycling to work and cycling home the same day might count too; unless it's only a ten minute trip!
And I don't care what your Garmin says: this does not count at all!
When I was young and training for the marathon I could fit all my training in by doubling or tripling up on two of my three long days. Tuesday was a run to work and a run home again; Thursday was a triple: a run to work, a lunchtime run, and a run home again. And the Sunday morning was a single long run. For marathon training there must be a single long run one day each week, but on other long days a split is a good idea because the total weekly distance is just as important.
My recommendation now would be to do the one long run each week, and either double up or go back to back once in the same week, probably not both.
Watch out for leg fatigue though. Now that I am doing leg work in the gym, I am more aware than ever of the dangers of intense training when the legs are crying out for a rest/recovery day.
My leg work in the gym includes easy repeated lunges one side at a time; easy seated leg presses, and work on the hill climber/stepper. It does not include squats deep or otherwise; seated knee extensions, hamstring curls, even calf raises, because this old man knows he needs to get stronger before he can do these exercises without breaking. By the way, I do some upper body work as well.
A hard session in the gym, plus a run the same day, counts as "doubling up".
Cycling to work and cycling home the same day might count too; unless it's only a ten minute trip!
