Seeing Double
- By Jené Shaw
- Published May 15, 2012
- Updated Oct 24, 2012 at 3:50 PM UTC
If you’re strapped for time
Some coaches, such as Andrew Dollar of Tennessee’s FTP Coaching, believe long runs are best situated midweek. “For some athletes, this poses a slight problem to the work-life-hobby balance,” Dollar says. “On occasion, we will have the athlete perform 60–90 minutes in the morning and follow up with a shorter 20–30-minute run in the evening. The cumulative effect on the body is still an effective two hours of running.”
Jennifer O’Donnell-Giles, an exercise physiologist, coach and sports dietitian in Texas, prescribes split long runs or rides for her athletes with super busy schedules. “Ideally to train for longer races one needs to train as they will be racing—all at once,” O’Donnell-Giles says. “But when that’s impossible to do, a double workout is definitely an option, and one can gain improved cardiovascular results from doing so.”
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FILED UNDER: Run / Training TAGS: run training
Jené Shaw
Jené Shaw is a senior editor at Triathlete magazine, a three-time Ironman finisher and a USAT Level 1 certified coach