The biggest risk of injury, when training for a triathlon, is from running.  Of the three sports, running is by far the most demanding on the body.  Extended long runs are of particular concern, because as you get tired towards the end of the run, your form breaks down and with that, comes an increased risk of injury.

For this reason, my coach is a big fan of the split long run.  I like them too.  All you do is split your long run in half, run the first half in the morning, and then run the second half, at least six hours later.  This means you get a lot of miles on your legs, but each run is short enough, that you can keep your form.

I had a two hour split run today.  I am visiting my daughter in Kalamazoo, so I got to do it in a new city.  When running in a new city, it’s always fun to go exploring on your run.  This morning, I ran through the campus of Western Michigan University and then went to find one of my favorite breweries, Bell’s. This morning’s run was tough; my legs were tired from yesterday’s bike session and from the five hour drive that I did right after my ride.

My second one hour run, was much better.  This time I ran along the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.  It was relatively flat and followed the Kalamazoo river.  My legs were still tired but I felt I got stronger as the run progressed.  I was able to negative split this run, and my overall pace was quicker than the morning run.

I highly recommend the split long run.  Try it yourself on your next long run.