Running Doubles for Non Elites
Why and How-to Run Twice Daily For Master Runners
It’s time to bring down Running Doubles from their pedestal. They don’t have to be limited for the elite runners. Experienced Master Runners can also take advantage of running twice in a day to keep progressing by boosting running volume, improving recovery and lowering injury risks.
One way of running more volume weekly is to stretch further most runs, especially the longer ones. With Doubles, it’s quite the opposite as you are splitting long runs and running short sessions more frequently.
Inspired by Nordic Doubles
I picked-up running late, in my thirties, without having any ideas about training for endurance. I quickly became stuck around 1h35 on the half marathon distance. I was living in the Netherlands at that time, and cycling to commute was helping with my low intensity cardio and active recovery, but something was missing in my running practice.
After a few races in the Netherlands, I ventured to Denmark to run in 1h32 the Broloppet, the Half Marathon race on the Øresund bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö in Sweden. With the runner’s bag, I received the summer edition of a Danish Running Magazine. As I was trying to decrypt its content, looking mostly at pictures and diagrams, some tables attracted my curiosity. I discovered the innovative training approach of Peder Troldborg. This Danish runner had impressive results on Marathon (2h23) and Half Marathon (1h04) as a veteran while training “only 90 km per week” (most elite runners run above 100 miles / 150 km weekly). His approach was to run twice daily for 7 or 8 km (5 miles) per session with 3 to 4 km at race pace. More about Peder Troldborg on Wikipedia and on World Athletics.
I applied his approach to my situation. Within 10 weeks, I managed to run in 1h26 the St Eriksloppet, Stockholm city’s half marathon. I ended-up running my first marathon in Berlin two weeks later. From there, I ran most of my half marathons in Europe around 1h25 with a personal best in 1h24 at the Amsterdam Half Marathon. I never became an elite runner, yet I had a lot of fun while keeping my weekly mileage pretty low. It was silly but fun to prepare for my first marathon without doing any long runs. During my ten years in The Netherlands, I kept cycling daily to commute and running a low mileage while racing half marathons and multi-day trail races. I really enjoyed this minimalist approach to running.
Time to get back to the Roots?
I stopped racing after an accident on volcanic trails during which I exploded my right shoulder and arm. Then came working abroad in Thailand, the COVID-19 series of lockdowns, a volcano eruption in my backyards and 10 years passed without racing other than a few local races on the island of La Palma.
For my 50’s birthday, I was looking for a challenge. Why not get back to distance racing as I was entering the Master 50 age category? Only to realise that I lost most of my pace and stamina during the ten years of interruption post-accident.
I failed miserably at first as my brain was still stuck in my thirties and my body was dealing with aging. I had to change my approach, especially learning to become more consistent, to prioritise recovery and sleep, to become way more careful to not get injured. Any weeklong interruption feels like I have to start over from scratch.
My first season was painfully uneventful. My second one was more interesting with about four road half marathons and four 10K trail races in Colorado. I was lucky enough to win most of them in my age category. Which made me realise that being with the first 5% of my age category in terms of fitness was a good target to aim for. I progressed slowly to run six days a week with four weekday morning runs in local parks in south Denver and two days of trail running in the Front Range. I also bumped-up my walking game with about 14K steps daily. While I have been making good progress in my recovery and acclimatisation to the altitude, I ended-up stuck on a “1h35 half marathon plateau”. Early summer, I managed to run 1h31 the Run the Rockies Half Marathon from Evergreen to Morrison.
I am certainly lacking patience. It will at best take me years of consistent training to get back to the shape of my thirties. Even if I can get back in good shape, it is likely that I won’t be able to run at the same pace of the half marathons in my thirties. But as I overcame a similar running stagnation back then, why not try to run doubles during the build-up phase of the upcoming season? I will do it as an experiment to see if that can give me the little edge I need to overcome my current running plateau.
Beating a Dark Winter
As a trail aficionado, I would have never imagined running on a treadmill. When the winter came in Colorado with freezing temperatures in the mornings, I was left without other choices than running on a treadmill. It felt boring at first. Yet quickly an early shake-out run made me feel great afterward. I run at 06:30 am for about 30 minutes before having my breakfast. If the weather allows it, I go for a midday run in the local parks. Or I go back on the treadmill later in the day. During the weekends, my midday runs preferably take place on trails.
The Volcanoes and the Ocean
The environment is strikingly different in La Palma, a tiny volcanic island of Spain with spring weather year round. In order to run doubles overthere, I have to adjust plans slightly. Around sunrise, I run a short out and back on vertical trails before a swim in the ocean and a well deserved coffee. Around 1pm, I will run the same route. So that I will run twice for 40 minutes on hilly trails during the weekdays. Over the weekend, I plan to hit the trails for about 1h20, Saturday and Sunday.
Keeping it Simple
A good training plan for Master Runners is one that is easy to follow, that you are not getting injured from, that you recover well from, that you can keep doing consistently.
Performance plays no role in a Master Runner training plan. You can’t have it all, so prioritise good recovery and consistency. Progression will hopefully be a byproduct of your consistent injury-free training.
Start to think about running doubles as an experienced runner used to running 4 to 5 times weekly. Take your “longer” runs, 60 minutes or more, and simply split them into two sessions. Balance your week with days of running doubles, rest days and “normal” running days. When starting to run doubles, run all sessions at a moderate pace. You can also start with a second workout of cross-training in lieu of running.
Keep one / two weeks to adapt and adjust your schedule into something that works for you. Try for four weeks to see how you feel and how your recovery improves. Make adjustments every four weeks while reflecting on what’s easy to schedule and what works best for you.
Time based running instead of mileage tracking
It is easy to schedule 20 to 40 minutes running breaks in a busy week. You can start your day with a shake-out 30-minute run and later in the day go for another short run. Try to run daily with no more than two days off in a row. Run mostly at a moderate pace. Free your mind from tracking miles and weekly mileage to attain, instead commit to run for a given duration. It is especially important for trail running where mileage is just not a good measure of effort compared to accumulated elevation and weather conditions. You become a better runner simply by running often at a moderate pace.
Why Running Twice Daily for Master Runners?
Doubles aren’t just for elite runners. Athletes are genetically gifted for performance and recovery, but most importantly they are also highly committed and smart about their training. While it’s too late to win at the genetic lottery, you can still “Train like an Athlete”. Not in Intensity. Not in Volume. But by adopting a similar Frequency. Using a higher frequency to train more, boost recovery and maintain consistency. And avoiding long runs or interval sessions to lower your injury risks.
Boosting Recovery, Lowering Injury Risk and Fatigue
Splitting the distance reduces the strain on the body during a single long session and allows for two cycles of recovery instead of one. It also helps to lower risks of injuries. You may wear compression socks to increase your blood flow while resting or sleeping to further boost your recovery.
Improved Recovery Through Active Movement
An easy second run can serve as an active recovery session, promoting blood flow and reducing muscle soreness. You can also start by doing cross training like cycling, hiking, swimming or resistance training for your second workout. Even a simple afternoon walk will get your legs moving at a gentle pace, activate blood flow and boost your recovery.
Increased Training Volume with Manageable Intensity
Doubling allows you to maintain or increase your training volume while keeping each session less taxing. This is especially helpful to build a solid aerobic base and endurance at the beginning of the season.
Enhanced Habit Formation and Energy Management
Running twice a day helps to build consistency. It helps make running into a daily habit, a second nature and the essential part of an active lifestyle. Morning shake-out runs can energise your day, while afternoon runs help to relax, manage stress and maintain inner-peace.
Warning: Two of the major trade-offs of running doubles are having to take more showers and having to do more laundry. It also helps to hydrate, eat well and rest post-workouts to recover better.
