Training question:
During marathon training, if you plan to do a race what do you do about your long run? If you schedule your long runs (18+ miles) for Sunday you decide to run a shorter race on that weekend (5k, 10k, etc.), do you skip your long run that week, try and get it in during the week, or work it into the race day (i.e. run course first, race, and cool-down on course to get the miles in)?
Thanks.
I'm not training for a marathon, but I always do at least 16 for my weekly long run. If it coincides with a race, I will do about 1-2 miles warmup. What I do after the race depends on the race distance. If it's a 5k, I might just do a mile cooldown, and then do an easy 12 miler later that day. If it's a 10k race or longer, I'm more likely to bridge the gap in a cooldown run.
Obviously, the approach I use for getting in miles after a 5k race is not really appropriate for marathon training (it works for me because I'm focusing on 1500m to 5k) -- 7 miles AM and 12 miles PM does NOT count as a 19 mile training run. My thoughts on this is that if you're in the middle of marathon training, you probably shouldn't disrupt your schedule by running a lot of short races.
How important is the race to you, and how hard will you be running it? And what's the rest of your marathon training like?
Here's the rule of thumb I was given (by the Hansons, whose training program I'm following): go ahead and race, but do not attempt hard/substantial workouts on consecutive days. That would include your long run as well as speed/strength workouts and marathon-pace/tempo runs.
I've fudged on that a little (racing a 10k hard on a Saturday, then running moderately long, like 12-13 miles, at an easy pace the next morning), but I'd think twice about doing 18+ the day after a race.
Bear in mind I'm just an ordinary runner, not a coach or even particularly experienced.
I will race the race and then run my additional mileage at a slow pace. I have been doing it for awhile and it seems to be working out OK. I think the main thing with doing this is to make sure you do the additional mileage SLOW and EASY to avoid injury.
If I race anything up to 12km, I'm quite happy going out the next day (typically Sunday) to do a 20 miler. But I do it easy. If I race 10 miles I can [but not always] do an easy 15 miles the next day.
Whatever the Hansons say, the tradition of a Saturday race or workout, and long easy Sunday run is there because it's often the easiest way to fit running in round actual real life.
Of course, if you do a "quality weekend" like that, then you should take 2-3 days pretty easy afterwards.
As for re-arranging the running schedule, if there's a race on Sunday, I do this but as a grad student I have a very flexible timetable. No-one is expecting me to be at a desk at 8:30 on Monday morning. Might be more challenging otherwise.
There are six other days in the week. Try doing the long run on Wednesday, I think you will find that it is no different.