Marathon training is 5 + 5 same as 10 in one run

Gerry1995

I am training for the Dublin city marathon and I am wondering if running 5 miles in the morning and 5 miles in the evening is as useful for your stamina as running 10 miles in one run.

rovers_runner

Gerry, I'd say from personal experience no.

Reason being, your body needs to be built for stamina and only by covering the distances at once and making your body run for say 1hr 30 instead of 40mins is where you gain the benifits.

Marathon Man

Training needs to be as diverse as possible for a number of reasons. As you are training for a marathon mileage is the major factor in improvement. A couple of 5 mile sessions in a day could serve as your speed work i.e. cover them fast. This type of work will pay divedends at the end of a race when you are looking to speed up. But it must be served on top of an already ample endurance base.

Peckham

Agree with above. Doing two sessions a day is a crucial part of some (advanced) training plans, as it means more mileage can be done and also can be done at a faster speed.

However, for novice/intermediate runners the main focus is on building mileage and endurance. Splitting runs into two sessions is counter-productive in this regard.

quozl

Have a look at http://www.pfitzinger.com/labreports/twoadays.shtml

He's a US marathon olypmpics trial winner and his advice always strikes me as excellant. He's against doubles for the marathon distance until you're running 75mpw.

5+5 really doesn't equal ten.

copacetic

agree with all the opinions above 5+5 doesn't equal the endurance gains that 10 does. However they are easier to handle and may be a good way to build your mileage to being able to do more 10 milers..