I was thinking about jumping onto the track for a 10k before I run my spring marathon, but it looks like the best date that will fit in my schedule is 10 days before the big race. It seems like that would be enough time to fully recover and serve as a last hard effort before the taper, but I thought I'd check here first to get some opinions or thoughts.
2 weeks is more ideal but 10 days is probably fine, generally speaking 10 days is the amount of time it takes for your body to produce a new batch of red blood cells following a hard aerobic effort (called erythropoiesis btw)
Lasse Viren ran 2 x 10000, 2 x 5000 and a marathon a day after the 5000m final - at the Olympics. Grow a pair!!
Shorter also ran 10000 (2 rounds) before the 1972 Olympic marathon - he won. Grow a pair! Why have Americans become such pansies in the past 40 years.
After the marathon do a workout (30 minutes later) of 5 x 1mile, last one in 4.01. Anything less is sacrificing the gift.
I would not run a 10k at a full effort and then give myself 10 days to recover and plan to run a marathon at a full effort. Even if you are in the best shape of your life, you are taking risks that one race (more likely the second) will be sub-par. If the marathon is your priority, then use the 10k as a tune-up race.
Ignore the poster with "grow a pair". Just because Shorter was able to do this, doesn't mean it's good for everyone. Shorter was Olympic champion.
I know you from the training thread last year and you did a good amount of mileage and ran pretty decent - that's good in this case as you are able to recover faster than someone who runs slower times because you are fit.
With that said: Many good runners do a last longish tempo run 10 days out. The 10 K might be pushing it a little bit (shorter & faster than MRP) for some people but you really could try it. I don't think that it will kill your marathon as long as you are smart the days before and after the 10 K.
Just my opinion of course.
Pikachu
a 10k is a good idea 10 days out.
you want to run it hard but do not kill you-self.
My second fastest marathon, which was my fastest at the time, came a week after running the National cross country championships, which was 10,000 meters in those days. You'll be fine.