Two a day...

I did something I have never done before... actually two things.  First, I ran 10 miles on a treadmill. Before that the longest I probably did was 5 or 6 miles.  Second, I ran twice in one day.  I needed to get my long run but J had to work and had class so he was gone for almost 13 hours.  I could not run outside with the jogging stroller due to the snow this week not to mention it was 8 degrees yesterday a little could for L Boogie.  My only option was the treadmill.  I was not sold on the idea but I headed down to the treadmill.  I put in a movie The Holiday ( better late than never) and was getting into a good groove when L boogie who normally sleep 2 to 3 hours woke up 65 minutes into my run ( only 6.25 completed)  I hoped he would fall back asleep but no luck.  So I ended saying I would finish when J came home but wasn't sure I would.

Well 3 hours later I found myself back downstairs doing another 3.75 to complete the whole 10 miles. 

I wish I could have done it all at once but it just wasn't feasible this weekend.  I was worried that this is not as effective doing a long run at all once.  I did some research, read some forums, blogs and articles about this topic.

Here an article
http://www.runningplanet.com/training/splitting-your-long-run.html

And a blog post from
Jess Runs

Conclusion from my research is it ok to split your run when:
That is the only option ( time constraints, heat, cold etc)
You don't do it all the time
You are looking to break any records in your race.

My conclusion is getting the 10 miles is better than not for me and in order for me to be successful in marathon training I need to be flexible.  If some weeks my long run needs to be split so be it although i would aim for less than 3 times in a training cycle.   Training as a whole is more important than one run...


I would love some more expert opinions on this topic....

Do you ever split your long runs?  Why and how often?
What are your thoughs on this topica