Double run days are an excellent way to add some run mileage safely. I recently discovered another great use for them. Let me set the stage….

You’re at mile 4 of an Ironman, and every muscle in both legs cramps due to severe dehydration, and you spend the next 15 miles running (and I use that term loosely) in crisis mode. At mile 19 you can no longer lift your legs and you’re forced to walk-a slow painful walk. As you near the finish you know with absolute certainty that you do not want to walk across the finish line, and you use all the strength to muster up some semblance of a run

THIS is the point that all of those 2^nd runs comes into play. You recall the physical feeling of starting a 2^nd run, the stiffness in your legs for the first few (or few hundred) steps. But you also know that if you stick with it, the legs will keep moving and loosen enough to run. Granted, at this point of IM Louisville it was far worse, but it was similar enough to be psychologically useful.

Thinking back to this was the one thing that assured me I could “run” across the finish. Now, the next step is to find a new and improved use for the 2^nd run for the Great Floridian Ironman in 5 weeks. Today’s 2^nd run was the start. Stay tuned…..

Categories: Triathlons