Today I ran my first double and I felt a lot better and less sore than usual. I just got up to 60 mpw and was wondering which is better to run doubles or singles?
Today I ran my first double and I felt a lot better and less sore than usual. I just got up to 60 mpw and was wondering which is better to run doubles or singles?
magness has a 3-part blog about this very issue:
http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2009/10/is-9mi-once-better-than-45mi-twice.html
my personal feeling is to do what you have time for based on the event you're trying to run. as a mid-D guy in college, i ran doubles. post-collegiate i gravitated toward singles (and half/full marathons) because that's what my schedule allowed for. now that i'm in grad school, i'm back running doubles.
another point of consideration is the event you're training for. if you're looking to run longer, say 10k+, then the workout days will probably be lengthy enough that you could hit your daily mileage goal without having to run doubles. if you're aiming for 800/1500, it will be difficult to accumulate mileage on workout days as those workouts are less volume, comparatively.
also, listen to your body. if you usually feel better on your second run of the day, consider doubling on workout days if you feel that it will increase the quality of your workout. if you have to sacrifice sleep to get your doubles in, running singles might be better for you.
There are many good threads on this subject so I would suggest using the search function. When I have more time I will provide links to some of the better ones that I have saved.
Recovery and your overall schedule is likely the main determinant. But if you are intent on doing doubles then I recommend them on your main workout days, such as an easy morning shakeout run.
See "Titan"s setup for a general idea:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2163811&page=2
Outside of that, I agree, time to use the search function
wrong question. it's not versus thing. you double to supplement singles, not to replace them. if you can do doubles, do them, the extra mileage is invaluable and i can guarantee, that if you do them consistently, 2-5 times a week, you'll see a marked improvement in your running ability in as little as 2-3 months.
people also tend worry too much about mileage. it's a lot more about the time spent on your feet running. run as much as you can, but not necessarily as far as you can. just go out there, do what you normally do for your regular runs and then do an easy double at the other end of the day, at an easy pace.
Good runners do doubles
Lazy runners do singles