Run Twice a Day, Except Sundays
Bowerman's Training Principles
10. Run twice a day, except Sundays.
Training frequency is the king of all training variables.
The more frequently you perform a task, the more quickly you can improve at it.
To me, the heart of the famed 10,000-hour rule is not about volume, but the frequency. Volume is a byproduct of frequency. A higher frequency of training will yield higher volumes.
Another byproduct of training frequency is the ability to perform tasks at overall higher intensities.
For example, the runner who runs 120 miles a week by running 20 miles per run every day will most likely run slower and be more fatigued than the runner who runs between 6 to 14 miles per run twice a day. The smaller volumes per run results in less fatigue accumulation and allows for a higher quality of running each run.
But not all your runs need to be of high intensity. Far from it. Recovery runs are just as important as workouts.
In fast, hard running sessions the body is broken down. In relaxed, easy runs oxidation kick starts the repair process.
The practice of many professionals, as well as Kenyans and Ethiopian runners, is to perform a strenuous run in the morning, then go out for a very easy recovery run in the afternoon. The hard work is done when the runner is fresh, after a night’s sleep while the afternoon run is about jump-starting the recovery process. It’s not about running a certain pace or mileage — so these runs tend to be relaxed, as defined by a heart rate under 140 bpm.
Sundays, by convention, are a day of rest in the Western world. So it’s convenient to go for either one run or no run. There’s a lot of wisdom in taking a day of rest every week as we know it is in the periods of restitution, not working out, where the body adapts and becomes stronger.