Do I race so soon after Marathon, or do I incorporate a race into my LR as a tempo?? (Read 634 times)

I happen to be in Lewes, DE this weekend, and I've been wanting to really race something since my Marathon. There happens to be a 5 miler (the Masser 5 miler) about a mile from where we have our house. I need some thoughts on the best plan-- Option 1:I was thinking do a 4 mile warmup, do a 5 mile "tempo", then go easy for the mile back to the house. Option 2: Do I go for the easy mile or two warmup, race like all hell, and call my housemates if I need a ride and can't finish the 10? Option 3: I do 10 on Saturday and truly race on Sunday. Note: I feel 100% recovered from my marathon. I'm still mad and want to beat the hell out of something. Its a guaranteed PR as it is my first shot at this distance.

As I recall you are a month or so removed from the marathon, right? Plenty of time. I'm with Globule, have some fun and race it.

It has been two weeks since the Lincoln Marathon....three weeks by the time of the 5-mile race? Some people recover sufficiently from a marathon that soon to race short distances well. Others need longer before they are ready to race any distance again. The only way to learn about yourself is to experiment. It sounds like you have a 10-mile run scheduled for next weekend. I would race the 5 mile race and skip the 10-miler. An easy 3-4 miles Saturday would be OK if you normally run short and easy the day before a race, but I prefer an off day before a race of any distance. For my personal experiences on this subject, see Racing After A Marathon.

Lazy me, I should have just looked at your log instead of just guessing. 3 weeks out should still be OK, especially if you say you feel fine. But I agree with Jim2, you may be better off with just a half hour or so easy on Saturday. With your warm up and cool down you should get close to 10 miles on Sunday, anyway.

I'm probably going to jog several miles over to the start of it (although I don't know where it starts -- in front, I guess, b/c I hear it loops Gills Neck), so that commits me to at least the same length warmdown. I say you should lead an impromptu group run afterward

I say you should lead an impromptu group run afterward

Good idea. Shame most people's easy paces are my race pace, but if people are aound, I'll always run more. Lots of RAers seem to be doing this one, so hope to see some of you there.

I keep forgetting that is a holiday weekend and will need to make sure that I leave a little extra early to get there on time. Thousands will be on Route 1 headed that way.

Thanks for the reminder. I'm staying just up Route 1, and I forget the road will get busy. BTW-- if anyone sees an idiot in an bright orange top, black compression shorts, and light blue hat, it's probably me. I'll be at the back of the pack. Run away in fear.

Hey we should all wear bright orange. Cept I don't have any. And I don't even have orange spray paint to custom make some bright orange shirt...