How close together for two races? (Read 813 times)

Yeah, that one's great. It sort of knocks me out of my daze and reminds me to notice that there are cars on the road and that I should avoid being hit by them.

That too!

Ok, another thought...how about a marathon followed by a HM 2 weeks later? Is it likely that a person would be recovered well enough to do such a thing? I'm thinking maybe I'd be up to running the GR half (which was the original plan for my marathon, but with DH likely gone that weekend I didn't want to do my first marathon without him there and to drive me home and help me into my post-race ice bath), since I'd still be able to drive myself the hour home after that and care for DS, even with DH out of town. k

It depends on the individual. Some recover quickly enough to race a couple of weeks after a marathon and others can hardly run at all at that point. You just have to try it to see how it works for you. You should at least be able to finish 13.1 miles....it may or may not be a good race. Like RuN26.2, I have raced a second marathon as close as 2-weeks after a first marathon with good results, although they were better for me when I ran them 4-6 weeks apart....then the second one was better and stronger than the first one. I once ran a half marathon PR 2-weeks after a marathon. And I have run shorter races 2-weeks after a marathon many times with excellent results, including several PR's. For details, see "Racing After A Marathon" at http://mysite.verizon.net/jim2wr/id99.html

Oh, Jim...that is so promising! I'm not particularly injury prone and train very cautiously and consistently, so I'm thinking I may plan on the half 2 weeks after the full. My family in WI would be able to watch the full, but I can do the half closer to home and with friends here in MI. I can also wear my marathon shirt so people know why I'm plodding. Though I would think a HM PR wouldn't be out of the scope of possibility. I'd be coming off of good marathon training, so I may be rarin' to go on race day, assuming I take it easy and recover well after the big race.

As I babbled about elsewhere in this thread, I'm convinced that if you train well for a marathon, you wind up with a window of peak opportunity in which you can run other races well. Two marathons. Maybe three? (Haven't tried that one). Definitely a marathon and something shorter. For a while I was consistently setting 5-K PR's shortly after marathons. My current PR came one week after my current marathon PR. I was actually surprised - and not in a good way - when I ran a weak 5-k 4 days after this year's Monkeython. I blame beer. I don't know how long the window lasts. A few weeks maybe. A month? But I believe its there. If you maximize it, you're probably flirting with injury. But it's there. Your half will be fine. I wouldn't exactly guarantee you a great time. You may be spent, especially after your first marathon. But if you wind up smashing your half PR, I won't be surprised.

As I babbled about elsewhere in this thread, I'm convinced that if you train well for a marathon, you wind up with a window of peak opportunity in which you can run other races well. Two marathons. Maybe three? (Haven't tried that one). Definitely a marathon and something shorter. For a while I was consistently setting 5-K PR's shortly after marathons. My current PR came one week after my current marathon PR. I was actually surprised - and not in a good way - when I ran a weak 5-k 4 days after this year's Monkeython. I blame beer. I don't know how long the window lasts. A few weeks maybe. A month? But I believe its there. If you maximize it, you're probably flirting with injury. But it's there.

Well said, Jake. I could not agree more. I haven't tried three marathons, either. But, twice I have run two marathons and a metric marathon in a span of 4-5 weeks and they were all good races.

Like the Doublemint gum jingle says, "Double your pleasure, double your fun."