I plan to run in the detroit marathon on oct 21. All of the training schedules I have referred to have a 20 M
Question:They put a 20 or 22 Mile run three weeks before the actual marathon(9/30) then a taper 14 M the next week(10/7) and an 8 M the week before the Marathon(10/14). Well, I want to run a Half Marathon on 9/30. So should I push the long run back to 9/23 and just lengthen the taper or up to 10/7 and shorten it?
Let me just add that I am a strong intermediate runner training on my own without a coach (obviously) and that I am shooting for a sub 3:30 race maybe even a sub 3:00.
Answers:
On the other hand, running the half at your goal marathon pace would be an excellent opportunity to verify your race pace, nutrition and your general state of preparation. Think of it as a dress rehearsal. Stick to a realistic marathon and see how easy you can make the half feel. Remember, you'll be doing two of these in the full marathon.
If you do choose to run the half as a pace run, it probably doesn't matter whether you move the 20 miler up or back a week. If decide to run 20 miler two weeks before the marathon, run it a little easier than normal and don't push the pace.
Another option if you run the half at marathon pace is to extend the run, i.e. add 5 or 6 easy miles after finishing. Since you didn't run all out, it shouldn't be a problem to run the extra miles. The half at marathon pace + 5 to 6 easy miles becomes a replacement for the 20 mile run then follow your training schedule for the remaining weeks.
Those training schedules are built for beginner to intermediate beginner marathon runners. They are there as a guide to how you "could" structure a week-to-week schedule, but as long as you work your way up to running a certain amount of miles per week (50-80 miles) it doesn't matter as much how you structure your workouts. Whether you take Friday and Monday off and run long runs on Saturday and Sunday and speed workouts on Wednesdays, or you spread your workouts over seven days and just run slower and less miles on the days you consider rest days, it is up to you.
So the answer to your question is yes you can run that half marathon three weeks before your marathon and still be in good shape. If anything just run a long slower run the day after the half marathon to make up the miles and then still taper down the last couple weeks.
Granted I don't know what your current per-mile pace is currently, but If you train correctly then there should be no reason why you couldn't run the race you want to.
I've run five marathons now and I've dropped my time every race from a 3:28 down to a 2:40. What I've learned is that you have to train up to the marathon day and get in at least four 20+ training runs every third week or so, so your body and mind gets used it.
If i do running 5 days per weeks .. till 4 month later .. will i gain my endurance?
you could probably just extend the taper. When I was training for my first marathon, an experienced marathoner told me a good taper of about a month was a good idea. So, if you run that 20m at about a month before, your legs and body will be ready. The trouble is that at about 13 mile you start to burn muscle, if you do that to often for to long you risk getting injured. You probably know that though. Hope I've been helpfulI'd push it up (2 weeks before the marathon)...or even 2.5 weeks if you can. It depends how you feel after the 1/2. If you are going "all out" for the 1/2, you might be pretty sore for your long run. Which race is more important to you? If it'sthe marathon...take it easy during the 1/2, so that you can run your long one on the Friday or saturday after it. Ideally, you'd like 3 weeks from your longest run to the marathon...but I'm constantly tweaking my training around "life's priorities". Best of luck! See the link below for some tips & training advice.
- Mike
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