How much slower than MP do you have to run a marathon to not need more than a week or so for recovery time? Does it have to be entirely at easy pace?
race obsessed
All depends on your fitness.
Personally I am in speed season so my long runs are 10-14 miles, so 26 miles would break me.
However, during marathon training where my long runs were 18+ and I was logging 90 mile weeks, 7 days a week sometimes doubles, I imagine I could have easy paced it and been ok a week later.
Faster than Easy would have had me feeling it for a few weeks. Of course I don't know that for sure.
Say you have averaged just over 50mpw for the year with a few 18 milers and 17 milers, some with quality.
If it were me, I would be comfortable with about 5 to 10 seconds per mile faster than the fast end of my easy pace, so for you somewhere in the ballpark of a 3:35 - 3:42 marathon.
That would be a nice brisk pace but still a ways away from PR pace and in all likelihood have you back to your young self again in 6 to 8 days possibly.
If it were me, I would be comfortable with about 5 to 10 seconds per mile faster than the fast end of my easy pace, so for you somewhere in the ballpark of a 3:35 - 3:42 marathon. That would be a nice brisk pace but still a ways away from PR pace and in all likelihood have you back to your young self again in 6 to 8 days possibly.
That's kind of what I thought. Which doesn't sound very fun.
Which doesn't sound very fun.
Which part? Racing slower than you are capable or racing any part of it?
Running it so close to easy pace.
I thought that, just wanted to be sure.
How about 8:00? That's a nice round number.
I have no clue what the answer is. But, can I borrow your easy pace, please?
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
I wonder if there is also a corollary- is there a "time on your feet" number that will equal a longer recovery time just because of how long you were out there, regardless of pace? That is, my "average" MP was slower than my easy pace, but my recovery time was very long. I'm thinking it was just time on my feet on a hot day that took it out of me.
Of course, my sample size is only 1, so who can really say?
LRB - 8 is more what I had in mind but I remember running that pace last year for GB and the recovery was no better. So what's the point really?
Lily - I think you run your easy runs faster than I do.
Zelanie - that's something to consider. My longest run was around 2:30 I think, so this will be over an hour longer.
Really I guess my question (to myself) is, what is the point of running this as a moderate-hard effort. I need to run it hard or run it easy. Right?
You were not you last year at GB, you were who you used to be.
I need to run it hard or run it easy. Right?
No, it's Boston. You earned the right to run it however the mood suits you. Be it PR, BQ, neither or somewhere in between, it's all good, really. The only thing that is not good is a crash and burn, and that is where for me the weather would have more to do with this decision than anything.
Any word on the 7 day forecast yet?
Are we there, yet?
I once ran a 28:15 5M 6 days after running 3:06:44 at Boston. My marathon PR was 2:54:56 at the time. That might have been a 5M PR for me at the time also.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Just my experience.
My easy pace is typically around 7:45.
I ran a marathon at a 6:52 pace. It took me six weeks to physiologically recover from that effort and maybe six months to psychologically recover to the point that I felt like doing any serious training again.
I paced a marathon at a 7:49 pace (3:25 pace group). A marathon is still 26.2 miles and I had added in some extra miles just to get to 50K that day for the hell of it. I was fairly stiff and sore the next day but I did a seriously hard workout 10 days later and felt fine.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).