Racing during Marathon Buildup

Others who are way faster than me will probably have different opinions, but I prefer to actually race these primer races. It gets you used to how you will feel during the race itself. Just be mindful to have some recovery runs following them (ie, maybe 2-3 easy days immediately following the race). Another thought is to race one of the halves, but then do the other at your goal marathon pace so you can know what that pace feels like during an actual race and teach yourself discipline within that pace.

I don't think that the distance that you race is really that important....Although I don't really know that a 5K will do you too much good preping for a Marathon.

I have found that trying to keep a race as a pace run never really works out for me, so I treat them truely as races. I usually try to get in 4 races, with a 1/2-Marathon about 4 weeks out as my last one. This allows me one last long run (the following week) before I start my taper.

Race them. No matter how hard we work in training, there is no substitute for "getting after it" in a race. Take a couple easy days before and after to give yourself true feedback. Take care of the pacing stuff in workouts. Take full advantage of those three opportunities to race. The distances look great. You can also throw in a couple 5ks, if you wish, but those should be run as workouts with no specific easy days around them.

May Marathon wrote:

Iwas curious. I have a planned early May marathon and will start my 18 week countdown after the first of the year. I would like to get in some races during this time frame. Do any of you have a preference as to the distance raced and the time between races and the time prior to your target race?

Have you already done some good aerobic development work to this point? If so, you might want to run some shorter faster stuff early (and do similar workouts), and look to a longer race or two (and longer/slower work sessions) later in the buildup.

I am planning to run a marathon in late May, and will run some indoor races (mile to 3000) in Jan/Fab, and then look for something like a half marathon toward the middle of April.

Yes, I have been in my aerobic development stage. I should have about a 12 week base behind me as I start my targeted training. I tend to like to focus on speed before strength in my marathon training. Focus on VO2 max stuff in the earlier weeks with strength workouts later. MP runs every week to learn proper pacing.

Sorry to bring up a really old thread but it seemed to fit my question.

I am also running a May marathon and am starting my 18 week program in about two weeks aiming for 2:55 in my sixth marathon. What always leads me to overthinking is how much to race and if some of those efforts are better at MP.

I am looking at:

25k 12 weeks out

Half 8 weeks out

Half 5 weeks out

Half or 7 miler 3 out

10k 2 weeks out

Obviously i need to cut some or do it at MP. Anything stick out as a bad or good idea? I want to peak around 75 again with one or two hard LT type days and a lobg run in a week.

Thanks!

I am running Boston and plan to do several races, which I typically don't do. I have several 10k races in the coming months, as well as a half marathon approximately one more before Boston. I will use the half as a final gauge of my fitness/goal time for Boston. If doing a race, I would substitute it for one of your workouts. I also try to arrange my long run for earlier in the week (Tuesday or Wednesday) and race on the weekend. I don't like the idea of racing all out on Saturday and then doing a long run on Sunday. That's just my preference.

Become a better runner and you'll become a better marathon runner. And getting faster at all distances is an indication that you're becoming a better runner. Race the races; all of them. George Young once said something along the lines of how you can talk all you want about the value of speed and pace work but nothing prepares you for racing like racing does.

I did just drop my ten k, about 90 seconds from a low 40 to a high 38, so it's getting there! I don't know how I ran a 2:59 off low 40 speed!

Thanks for your thoughts!

Just one bump.

Thank you very much.

I'm interested in some opinions here too.

Also, is it okay to run weekend back to back races (30K and Half) 9 and 8 weeks out before a last half around 5 weeks out.

Wow, you found a 30k! Jack Foster had a rule for himself of having an easy day of running for every mile he raced so if you raced 18 miles you'd want 18 easy days before your next race. That said, Jack would have run much faster in that 30k than most anyone else would. As I got older I found that long races didn't take as much out of me as they once did and I can only think it was because I was slower and the slower paces weren't as hard on my muscles as faster ones had been. Kjell-Erik Stahi, who sometimes raced sub 2:20 marathons in the same month with a best of "only" 2:10 said a similar thing; that he thought he was able to run fast marathons in quick succession when other world class guys couldn't because he was slower than the sub 2:10 guys and wasn't damaging his muscles as much. And there's Kawauchi who would probably do this without batting an eye.

What you're looking at is certainly doable, Jack's Rule notwithstanding. You likely are not maximizing your chance for a good half marathon in week 8 but I don't think you'll hurt anything. The questions I'd ask is why you want to do it.

And a very good question that is!

The only reason I wanted to do this is just to try a new race somewhere supposedly very beautiful. Also it's nice to do a 30K to shake up the distances.

I ran a flat 30K last year the week after an MP half and that was fine.

My only hesitation is that this particular race climbs 900 ft (!) in the first four miles of the 30K. My gut is telling me this may make it bad news for recovery for workouts and the next race, but sometimes you get things stuck in your head!

There's a 25K 11 weeks out or a 10K 10 weeks out that could be done instead.

Thanks for listening to me ramble!

From my point of view there's no need to worry about recovery for workouts. The races themselves are better "workouts" than the ones you're referring to are. At some point you can race too much but most people now don't race enough.

In the old days, the DC Road Runners Club sponsored a series of races called the "Snowball Series" which was designed to get people ready for the Washington's Birthday Marathon in late February. The series started right around New Year's and included a 20k, 25k, 30k and a 20 mile. Most of us probably didn't race all of them but some did and doing 3 was pretty common. Before I went under 3:00 (2:50:34 from 3:05) for the first time I ran all but the 25k.

I agree with you about racing quite a bit. It's the fine line between too much and too little I can't get right!

Last cycle before a five minute PR for 3 flat I ran 4 races totaling 67k (20k and 10 miler six days apart, half 7 weeks out, and a ten k).

The cycle before I also ran 9 mins faster than my previous PR for the 3:05 but ran too many races over 16 weeks (half, half, 30K, 25K, 15K,)... so it's a crap shot always. :)

Thanks for your anecdotes!

I see tune ups as an excuse to have some fun and get tougher but not detrring from the goal.

aaaa wrote:

I agree with you about racing quite a bit. It's the fine line between too much and too little I can't get right!

Last cycle before a five minute PR for 3 flat I ran 4 races totaling 67k (20k and 10 miler six days apart, half 7 weeks out, and a ten k).

The cycle before I also ran 9 mins faster than my previous PR for the 3:05 but ran too many races over 16 weeks (half, half, 30K, 25K, 15K,)... so it's a crap shot always. :)

Thanks for your anecdotes!

I see tune ups as an excuse to have some fun and get tougher but not detrring from the goal.

You might find it interesting and useful to study Bob Hodge's logs at

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