Shortest Doubles

Sure. But that doesn't mean that a second run of 15-20 minutes isn't also of benefit.

not sub 4 yet wrote:

Sub 6:00 wrote:

Defining what’s “worth it” really depends on your values and other time commitments.

I’ve long used an “at least 30 minutes” rule, and usually apply that to mean at least 5 miles (even though 4 usually takes about 30 minutes). I know 1 or 2 miles is better than zero, but I’m not usually going to bother with changing, showering, etc., to just jog 2.

Overall I think this rule has helped. I don’t think it has cut down on the frequency of doubles much, but has gotten me to 5 on days where I only feel like doing 2 or 3.

Well there is a reason why your username is, "Sub 6:00" and not "Sub 4:00".

No one is sub 4:00 in the beer mile.

HRE wrote:

Sure. But that doesn't mean that a second run of 15-20 minutes isn't also of benefit.

And a THIRD or FOURTH 15-20 minute run too!?!

FROM HRE:

"The guy who had our school record in the mile at the college where I ran almost never ran more than 12-15 minutes at a time. But he'd do that 4-5 times a day. Gordon Pirie once coached a guy I knew to his best mile time and had him doing four 20 minute runs a day."

School Record Holder did 5 X 15 minutes throughout the day = 75 minutes a day.

Pirie Coached Athlete did 4 X 20 minutes throughout the day = 80 minutes a day.

Both of those athletes were doing some really healthy mileage.

But, again, I ask if it those multiple short runs would create true & real endurance?

I really can't say. The guy that Pirie coached also ran under 2:30 for the marathon but I'm pretty sure it happened at a different time of his career. He probably had pretty decent endurance when he started with Pirie. The guy from my school was really a soccer player, did not run cross country or anything beyond a mile so there's no way to measure his endurance. And he only did this routine from about a month before the start of track season.

Perhaps it was better geared towards his sport (soccer) at the time? If you think about it, the endurance they'd need for each session before switching in and out with other players might only be 20 minutes or so? But this comes with my minimal amount of soccer too.

I've noticed since just adding a 2-3 mile double everyday for the last two weeks that I can really gauge what my easy pace is much better, I've also gotten to figure out that I can run without eating before hand, have a strong spring in my step and actually feel more in routine or at peace everyday. I went from about 60 miles to 75 the last two weeks and don't have any nagging signs of overuse yet. Every run is just easy pace (the doubles are) and i follow my normal 60 mpw routine as though i never did the doubles. A tempo run or Repeats for one workout and a specific long run workout for the other. 80% easy 20% hard, I'm not a collegiate athlete or anything just a guy who is passionate about running and has nothing else to do. Maybe some day break 1:30 for the half, my fastest 5k 3 months ago was finally sub 20 and I'm proud of that. I've found running an hour a day is just good for overall health and longevity, and so I figure this is just filling up boredom with something productive besides being a trashy millennial and watching Netflix or instagram feeds til its time for bed.

When I trained for Cbus I had quite a few 55-60 mpw in July and August, 250+ miles both months. I doubled 3x a week, but even on those days, I'd do 2-3 at lunch and then my normal 6-8 after 5pm and it worked wonders! Then I could go do my 15-18 on Sat. and 6 on Sun. with no problems :)

That would be Terrance Mahon. He ran 9:13 for two miles his junior year high school. Did not improve his senior year. Walked on at Oregon and did nothing. The Summer before his sophomore year he added doubles. Became All America his sophomore year XC and ran a 28:57 10k, becoming the 10th faster US Jr of all-time.

Back in the 80's I had one semester that had a very busy schedule. I just did not have the time to do 10 - 15 miles. So I started doing regular doubles for the first time. I did not increase the overall mileage by much. My performances plummeted. Later I realized it was my own stupidity. In reviewing my training logs I found I was running too hard all the time. Subconsciously I fell into a "It's only five miles" mindset. Of course I was doing another 5-6 miles later in the day too! By the time I figured it out the semester ended.