Pros and Cons of running twice a day

I am not a "runner" (although I do like to run intervals on the treadmill once and a while, I've never actually ran outside :blushing: ) so this is purely my opinion, but I would think that running twice a day would be AMAZING for your metabolism. Best of luck to you as you train!!

It depends Mark, If you're running hard in the morning, and exhausting your body, it might not be a good idea to do it again (diminishing returns).

Generally, if you're going to exercise multiple times, the idea is to do different muscle groups so you can work smarter. Not saying it won't work, just that you may not have the results you'd expect.

Plus, running is weird, you run too much and you really can hit a wall, where you can't advance either your oxygen efficiency or your leg speed/stamina. I've had that happen to me before, if that happens, you need to stop running for a few weeks, and try some other stuff that involves different muscle groups or at least different ways to work the muscles.

It depends Mark, If you're running hard in the morning, and exhausting your body, it might not be a good idea to do it again (diminishing returns).

Generally, if you're going to exercise multiple times, the idea is to do different muscle groups so you can work smarter. Not saying it won't work, just that you may not have the results you'd expect.

Plus, running is weird, you run too much and you really can hit a wall, where you can't advance either your oxygen efficiency or your leg speed/stamina. I've had that happen to me before, if that happens, you need to stop running for a few weeks, and try some other stuff that involves different muscle groups or at least different ways to work the muscles.

Yeah, its the wall I'm worried about. I just have to start upping my speedwork. I'll have about 12 hours of rest in between runs, so its not like i'll be running and then doing it again 2 hours later. I'm already pretty much on a 6 day running schedule... I'll play with it and see how it goes I guess.

On the upside, if I can push my milage over 50 miles a week, I get free running shoes from the local running store

From some of the other reading I've been doing, it suggest doing distance work in the morning to deplete glycogen/carb stores, and then medium easy distance in the evenings so your muscles get more used to working without glycogen available to them (purely off of fat). However i'm not sure how well that will work given that I'd be eating while I'm at work through the day.
Source: http://www.pfitzinger.com/labreports/twoadays.shtml

Hmmm, I'm certainly not as experienced as you two. But I had trouble with running everyday, much less twice a day. I always felt my legs were "ripped up" and were never any good the next day. I started taking a one day break between runs to either rest or XT and found myself finally improving. I guess it's all what your body tells you you can handle. Give it a try and see? You've done so well already, I'm sure you'll do well with your new routine as well! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Yeah but I was really overweight from having my first baby. I gain like 65 lbs during pregnancy, so it's was extra weight. I ate Special K Cereal for breakfast and a banana or yogurt. For Lunch I would eat turkey sandwiches, salads, soups. For Dinner, I would have either special K Cereal or whatever we cook for dinner but I would not eat past 630. I also stop drinking sodas, and only would only drink water and Lipton green tea.

yeah a lot of running is about how adapted your body is to it. Running is a natural state for us, but as with any exercise, eventually our muscles become adapted to it and efficiency goes up. When that happens, you reach a point of diminishing returns where the amount of time you put in, equals less and less improvement. when this becomes significant, you need to start doing different things to keep climbing the ladder. In many cases that means switching from straight running distance and time to interval runs, and long distance runs, and even hills. These work the muscles in different ways, and can help train all parts of a muscle and all types of contractions.

The problem with overworking muscles is 2 fold, 1st is that you'll end up using energy that would be otherwise set aside for repair/growth from the first session, and 2nd that the muscles, which are already tired, respond slower and with less force than when they are fresh.

This is why it's advised, even for experienced and professional runners, to not run for training (as opposed to just running for cardiovascular health)more than 3 or 4 times a week, and to not do the same training 2 days in a row.

It depends Mark, If you're running hard in the morning, and exhausting your body, it might not be a good idea to do it again (diminishing returns).

Generally, if you're going to exercise multiple times, the idea is to do different muscle groups so you can work smarter. Not saying it won't work, just that you may not have the results you'd expect.

Plus, running is weird, you run too much and you really can hit a wall, where you can't advance either your oxygen efficiency or your leg speed/stamina. I've had that happen to me before, if that happens, you need to stop running for a few weeks, and try some other stuff that involves different muscle groups or at least different ways to work the muscles.

Yeah, its the wall I'm worried about. I just have to start upping my speedwork. I'll have about 12 hours of rest in between runs, so its not like i'll be running and then doing it again 2 hours later. I'm already pretty much on a 6 day running schedule... I'll play with it and see how it goes I guess.

On the upside, if I can push my milage over 50 miles a week, I get free running shoes from the local running store

From some of the other reading I've been doing, it suggest doing distance work in the morning to deplete glycogen/carb stores, and then medium easy distance in the evenings so your muscles get more used to working without glycogen available to them (purely off of fat). However i'm not sure how well that will work given that I'd be eating while I'm at work through the day.
Source: http://www.pfitzinger.com/labreports/twoadays.shtml

Just a couple of thoughts. First of all, the article referred to someone who was used to a volume of 90 to 120 miles per week. In other words, he had already been identified as belonging to that group of people that can tolerate that volume of training. Not everyone can (which is why elite performers sometimes make poor coaches)--in fact some speculate that the genetic ability to tolerate high training volumes is as important a factor in achieving elite status as inherent aerobic ability.

Two a day runs need to be approached with caution. I am not saying you can't, or you shouldn't, just pointing out that running has one of the highest injury rates of any recreational exercise because of the excessive pounding, and sometimes non-elite athletes can do better incorporating alternate activities.

Sometimes when a work schedule interferes with running, another alternative is to reduce training frequency and increase training quality. In other words, cut out the shorter runs and replace them with other related activities. You can train effectively with 4 runs per week--1 LSD, 1 medium-length tempo, 1 medium-length over varied terrain (hills), 1 interval. You can work out more often, but do complementary exercises that emaphasize more quad work or are non weight-bearing.

Trying to do intervals in the AM has its own set of caveats. The body is normally not as "pliable" as later in the day. Again, you can probably train yourself to handle it, and that may be all your schedule allows, just be cautious and do a thorough warm up.

The Pfiizinger article you cite is a good one for those who can tolerate consistently high volumes of running. However, I think you are misreading his remarks about increasing fat utilization. You cannot "deplete glycogen stores" to make the body use more fat. The body utilizes all available fuel substrates according to the demands of the activity--primarily intensity and secondarily duration. The endurance training effects that Pfitzinger describes are adaptations to allow one to perform better during endurance events, but are not necessarily going to help with fat loss. A common misperception is that you can do a workout to deplete stored glycogen, then do another one at a similar intensity, only now you will permanently burn up stored body fat. It just doesn't happen.