Q I often read how elite athletes train twice a day, and it’s got me wondering whether double sessions can benefit us mere mortals. Is it a good idea?A Provided that you are not already doing additional cross-training, running twice a day can

twice a week on easy days. A double dose of laid-back runs is great for upping your mileage base.Then Go Easy-HardAfter a month of easy doubles, start adding an easy morning run to one quality day. These early sessions will loosen you up and keep you

and even to increase adaptation.A common yet surprising result of including two runs in a day is that you often feel more recovered the following day. The most obvious reason is that by running shorter twice, you don’t beat your body up as much as you would

and even to increase adaptation.A common yet surprising result of including two runs in a day is that you often feel more recovered the following day. The most obvious reason is that by running shorter twice, you don’t beat your body up as much as you would

the intensity you need for a short workout, while simultaneously teaching you how to run at your race pace.After performing this session once or twice a fortnight for two months, you’ll know exactly what 5K and 10K paces feel like, so that come race day you can

Q For six months I’ve been running twice a week. I do a long Sunday run, and a hard midweek hill or interval session. Is it possible to run a 3:30 marathon with only two sessions a week? All the marathon schedules I read say to run five or six days

, making massage a helpful remedy. Try 10 minutes of massage on alternate days for a week, and see how this affects your pain when running. As the symptoms are in both calves, the problem could also stem from your back – whether you have symptoms of back

by building more muscle fibres and boosting its aerobic engine. Push yourself to your limits twice or three times a week but ease off between hard sessions. Go back to basicsLike a golfer's swing or a runner's stride, a cyclist's pedal stroke, bike

and triathletes, researchers found that interval training done twice a week for a month improved the racers' time-trial performances by five per cent and boosted their peak power output by three per cent. To start: if race day is several months away, follow Plan A

Run 8 mins, walk 2 mins. Do 3 times Fri Rest Sat Rest Sun 5K Race! On race day: You will probably find that you can run at least 20 minutes before you need a break, but whatever your plan, start slowly, and don’t wait until you are exhausted