Running Twice a Day: Should You Run Doubles?

Running twice a day or double runs is a common practice among elite athletes. Following the professionals and aiming for high results, amateurs are wondering if they should switch to two training sessions a day.

The passion for running and the desire to achieve athletic objectives can become so strong that they sometimes take precedence over all other hobbies and interests.

But is there a connection between two training sessions a day and better results? Does it always work this way? And who should try a twice-a-day training regimen?

This article focuses on these issues.

Can I Run in the Morning and Evening?

Running twice a day is an effective way to safely increase mileage and stimulate training adaptation.

If you have time available to dedicate to training both in the morning and evening, then there is no reason not to do it. However, don’t pursue the mileage blindly; instead, pay attention to the quality of these runs.

The training program for a marathon, half marathon, ultra marathon or any other distance may vary from coach to coach, but what remains the same is that your body must be prepared to run twice a day.

For experienced runners, an important goal of the twice-a-day training regimen is to teach the body to recover quickly and effectively.

Mindlessly chasing the number of training sessions and mileage can result in a training plateau, burnout, and injuries.

Does Running Twice a Day Build Endurance?

Any form of running, when practiced regularly, trains your endurance.

However, when it comes to long-distance running, a good result depends primarily on the ability to run for a long time, which requires tremendous physical endurance.

Running twice a day is more effective in terms of training the ability to maintain an aerobic state for longer. For example, running 18 km at a time is considered a long run, and it will not benefit you if you do it daily.

On the other hand, you can easily run such a distance without much fatigue by dividing it into two sessions and running, for example, 12 km in the morning and 6 km in the evening.

However, you should understand that doubling the number of training sessions will not make you more enduring if they are just 30-45 minutes long.

Although these runs are beneficial, they do not develop endurance as much as running for 60-70 minutes (the standard length of a running training session).

Why Do Professional Runners Train Twice a Day?

For an athlete who has been training at a high level for 3-5 years or more, the aerobic benefits of a light run begin to diminish.

The athlete still benefits from 12-16 km runs, but not at the same level as a beginner, whose aerobic endurance is far from the limit.

As a result, professionals need more incentives to develop: a higher volume and frequency of training and more intervals during hard training sessions.

In addition to purely running training sessions, professional athletes have more opportunities to organize recovery activities. This factor allows to make training stress positive, that is, developing the form.

Therefore, if an athlete wishes to make progress with double training sessions, finding time for recovery is crucial.

Can I Lose Weight Faster by Running Twice a Day?

One thing is for sure: running is great for losing weight and maintaining it within a healthy range, but only if you watch your calorie intake.

Exercising twice a day speeds up your metabolism, and your body needs more fuel. Creating a calorie deficit results in weight loss. However, you should keep a balance in your nutrition and training.

Pros and Cons of Double Runs

6 Pros of Running Twice a Day

1. Positive effect on the hormonal system

According to a study conducted back in 1997, two training sessions a day increase the amount of growth hormone generated, with the second session producing the most of it.

2. Delayed muscle fatigue

Nowadays there is conflicting evidence on whether training twice a day increases mitochondrial production. But what matters is that the body learns to use its mitochondria more effectively.

This leads to delayed muscle fatigue. Remember that mitochondria are a kind of power plant of our cells, and they are responsible for most of the energy production.

3. Increase in blood flow to the muscles

Over time, doing two training sessions a day will not only help increase your total weekly mileage, but it will also aid in your ability to recover as the second session provokes an increase in blood flow to the muscles.

But that’s assuming that you do the recovery run very easily.

4. More efficient use of glycogen 

The second training session of the day accelerates the body’s fat-burning process and teaches it to use glycogen stores more efficiently.

This is according to a 2015 study. Compared to endurance training with full glycogen stores, cardio exercise with low glycogen levels has a better training impact.

5. Better results

Due to multiple physiological changes, you will experience faster improvement in your sports performance if you run twice daily. But keep in mind that it is the quality of these training sessions and proper recovery that matter.

6. Physical and mental strength

You will learn to run on tired legs since your body will be less fresh in the second session than it is in the morning after a night’s rest.

You will also sometimes find it hard psychologically to push yourself to go for a run, but overcoming it will make you mentally stronger.

These skills come in handy during races, especially in the last kilometers when you are physically and mentally exhausted.

4 Cons of Running Twice a Day

1. The risk of injury increases

This is because your joints experience stress and hit the surface more often.

To reduce this risk, you need to run less often on asphalt and tile and give preference to the ground. In addition, it’s important to warm up well and choose running shoes with the best arch support and cushioning.

2. You may face overtraining

Imagine getting fewer than 7-8 hours of sleep every night, working hard to earn money in between training sessions, and probably spending some time commuting to and from work.

Don’t underestimate the stress you get outside of training, as it affects you a lot. Also, you probably have a family and children who need your care.

There is also a higher chance of burnout. Instead of enjoying the feeling of accomplishment after a morning run, a runner may be so focused on the next training session that the psychological benefits of running come to nothing.

3. You will spend more time

The total amount of time spent on training in one day increases and you need to take this into account when planning your schedule.

It will take you twice as much time to prepare, dress, travel to the running location (if you don’t run close to your home), take a shower, and recover.

Related: How to Balance Work and Running

4. You will need to control your habits 

Choosing the path of a professional runner with the resources and capabilities of an amateur, you will need to control when and what you eat, as well as how much and how well you sleep and recover.

In other words, your whole life will be about running. Even if it’s just a few times a week, lacing up your sneakers twice a day is not easy.

Without financial incentives, such as prize money for winning races, running can become a burden on your sleep needs, eating habits, and general attitude toward physical activity.

Does Running Twice a Day Make Sense for Beginners?

Now that we have looked at the pros and cons of double training sessions, let’s see if this training approach is necessary for beginners.

Interestingly, if you are not an experienced runner with a significant aerobic base, two training sessions will not be any more beneficial than one in terms of their influence on form growth.

Unless you’ve been consistently running more than 100 km per week for at least 3-5 years, most of your improvement will still come from developing aerobic endurance. And this, in turn, can be effectively produced by running in the range of 60-90 minutes.

In other words, running longer distances will increase your endurance, whereas substituting one long run for two shorter ones will be less useful in improving your aerobic performance.

Another important note. For an experienced stayer, a second light training session can speed up recovery by increasing blood flow.

But it doesn’t work this way for beginners.

If your fitness has not yet reached a level where there is no feeling of fatigue after 30-40 minutes of running, the increased stress may hinder rather than promote recovery.

Who Would Benefit from Running Twice a Day?

Now that you know that a beginner doesn’t get many benefits from two training sessions a day, it’s time to find those to whom this approach may be suggested (except for the professionals).

Generally, running twice a day benefits more experienced runners who have developed their aerobic abilities quite highly but still need to increase their volume and want to recover more effectively during the period of preparation for harder training.

This approach can be tried by runners who do not work or whose work does not involve high stress, physical exertion, or standing the whole day.

And, of course, those runners can try this method who have the opportunity to sleep longer, eat well, go for a massage, or do self-massage, etc.

5 Tips for Those Who Decide to Run Twice a Day

1. Key training in the morning, recovery training in the evening

When the work is done, it’s time for fun. However, the reason why it is better to have a longer or key training session in the morning is not just that.

The point is that you’re likely to accumulate fatigue during the day, and you will not be able to perform the key training as well at the end of the day as you can do it in the morning.

In the evening, it is recommended to go for a more relaxed, light, and short run.

You should not go for a hard run immediately after sleeping: it should take at least two hours for the body to wake up and tune in to work. The evening run should also be completed at least two hours before bedtime.

2. Not only running

Running is not always the second (or first) training session for professional runners. They can choose to do swimming, cycling, elliptical training, skiing, or hiking on certain days of their cycle.

This works especially well in the base period of preparation, when low-intensity, high-volume training sessions are performed.

3. More emphasis on nutrition

Running twice a day speeds up your metabolism and increases the number of calories you burn. Make sure you eat enough to recover effectively and replenish the essential nutrients needed for further growth.

4. Double training sessions are no substitute for long runs

Running twice a day can assist if you try to meet your weekly mileage requirements for a marathon or another long-distance race, but make sure not to skip or split your long training sessions in two.

5. More attention to resting

Work less and sleep more – we advise anyone considering adding two training sessions to their daily routine.

And since the ability to recover properly becomes crucial when using this approach to training, we have dedicated a separate section below to this issue.

How to Recover Faster if You Run Twice a Day?

When you run twice a day, you reduce the time frame between training sessions, which ultimately leads to the body’s adaptation and its ability to recover more quickly.

However, this can be difficult at first, since your body is not yet used to the extra work.

Remember that form develops not during exercising but recovering. Therefore, if you decide to run twice a day, you have to pay more attention to recovery and the procedures associated with it: quality sleep and nutrition, increased fluid intake, massage, yoga, and bath procedures.

Try to space out training sessions by at least five hours, ideally between six and eight hours. Of course, it will not feel like rest if you fill this time with physical activity, stressful work, or even shopping.

Professional athletes try to set aside an hour for daytime sleep and spend the hours between training sessions quietly. Pay attention to this.

Conclusion

In general, the decision to run twice a day will depend on your current running level and your objectives. Additionally, factors such as your time availability and overall recovery time should also be taken into account.

You can run twice a day if you have time to complete a third training session in between that will include recovery procedures and activities.

Read next: 35 Common Running Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

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