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 multiple marathons
Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157
multiple marathons Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:37 am 
To race your best, you're not supposed to run more than two or maybe three marathons in a single year, right? But I can't be the only one who ignores that advice and crams in more races than is wise. For those that have done it, can you share your experiences? What's the shortest time you ever took between two marathons? How did you approach training in the period between them?
Bricks
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Chicago
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 222
Re: multiple marathons Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 12:25 pm 
I've only completed two marathons and they were both last year, 28 days apart. This not only broke the convention of not running too many marathons too close together, but it was amplified since they were my first two. And I did feel why, I have to admit. Training between them was rough. I had dead legs the entire time. The only long run I fit in was 13 miles and I just wanted to stay healthy (disease and injury-wise) and figured my conditioning prior to Chicago would be enough to get me through New York. It was, but BARELY. I got real tired at about mile 12 in NY and really struggled to finish. I ended up running 14 minutes slower. I'm glad I did it, now that it's over, but for about 14.2 miles in NY I was pretty pissed at myself. I'm glad I didn't hurt myslef, and don't plan on ever doing that again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone else for that matter unless they're really prepared and I think you have to make sure to only RACE one of them no matter what.
mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367
Re: multiple marathons Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 9:04 pm 
I agree with Bricks. If you don't RACE each marathon and instead treat it more like a long training run (pace wise) you should be okay.

I plan to run a few marathons this year leading up to NYC but I plan to run them slower than race pace. Depending on which one's I choose I expect them to be within a month of each other at best. I want to run the marathons to experience some new races and places and so I'll treat them like long training runs and take it easy. I hope to be able to pickup with my regular training schedule a day or two later. So, I anticipate being able to enjoy the marathons more than I would normally...you know...being able to soak in the sites and sounds without worrying about my pace or possible discomfort. I know in my previous training I've been able to complete 22 miles on a hilly course at an 8:30 pace without much trouble. So, if I slow that down just a tad bit more and run a fairly flat course I expect to be able to add a few more miles without much of a problem....and still finish in a respectable time (< 4 hours).

But then I know you can feel really good at 20 miles and then fell like crap at 21 miles. I've had that happen to me before. We'll see what happens.
Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157
Re: multiple marathons Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 9:39 pm 
That sounds like a good plan, assuming you can keep yourself from getting carried away and turning those "training runs" back into races.

Of course I'm a fool, and I'm doing all these races as all-out efforts. My assumption is always that each one will be the last for a while, but then I come tantilizingly close to my goals, and want to give it just one more try...
allen

Utah
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 27
Re: multiple marathons Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 4:31 pm 
I've run four marathons over two years. In both years I ran the Green Mountain Marathon in Vermont in August. Then I ran the Foxboro marathon in Massachusetts in November. After running the GM, I found that I needed a month to get back to my weekly milage of 45 miles or so. There is no way that I would have run another marathon one month after GM. As it was, I had three months between marathons, allowing for one month of recovery and two months to build on my base. By November I was ready for another marathon.

While I'm on the topic of marathons, I thought I'd mention my marathon page. If you're into racing marathons, you probably won't be interested in the page. But, if you want to run a marathon without concern for how long it takes you and to feel good when you finish without being injured, you might be interested in reading the page.

http://www.leigh.org/running/marathon.html

/Allen
Bricks
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Chicago
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 222
Re: multiple marathons Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 7:15 am 
Do any of you run a similar schedule every year, or do you do different things from year to year, based on goals or just whatever strikes your mood...? Right now I'm in the mode of gearing the entire year around one solid effort in one target marathon, where I could see other years pile a handful of marathons in a year just to run the different races out there for the experience, worrying more about quantity than quality/time...
mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367
Re: multiple marathons Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 10:13 am 
When I'm healthy I try to target to marathons to "race" each year; one in the spring and one in the fall. But my focus has always been on trying to my best at the NYC marathon. This will be the first year that I will try to incorporate a few marathons into my training. I won't race them but instead will use them as long training runs and hopefully have fun experiencing some new marathons.
Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157
Re: multiple marathons Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 1:33 pm 
mfox wrote:
But my focus has always been on trying to my best at the NYC marathon.

Isn't that tough? I've never run it, but from what I've heard, the NYC marathon is so crowded for most of the route that it definitely impacts your ability to run at your desired pace.
mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367
Re: multiple marathons Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:56 pm 
Yeh, it's crowded, but I've never though it was very bad. I've had more trouble getting up to my pace in a 5K or 10K than at NYC. Keep in mind there are three start lines and all three run different routes for the first three miles. Two of the routes merge into one at mile 3, and the third route joins the other two around mile 8. There's certainly room to manuver around people (though this can be risky). It definitely helps to try to get as close to the start line as you can once they allow the corals to move to the start line. Also, keep in mind, the faster your time is from a previous marathon the closer you get positioned to the start line to begin with.
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