Marine Corps Marathon - Need week before marathon training tips please?! (Read 111 times)

Okay....so I've run 2 marathons but I'm getting ready to run my 3rd one (The Marine Corps Marathon this coming Sunday) and my 1st one post having my baby girl (she is almost 15 months old). My training has not been optimal due to the time constraints of being a single mom and my mileage has been around 20-25 miles per week. Usually consisting of 2 shorter runs and one long-run per week. I've been trying to strength train at least once a week (sometimes twice but that has been hard to do while marathon training) including either an interval full-body weight training circuit with free weights OR a Bodypump class. 

I was originally going to run with my running group tonight and Thursday. Both nights 3.1 miles and tonight would be more of a tempo run and Thursday would be slow and steady with the jogging stroller. Would it be more optimal to take a Bodypump class tonight instead of running since my mileage after the marathon will end up being 32.4 (which is 7.4 more a week than I have been doing in training and this is a taper week?) or should I stick with the two shorter runs and maybe do a circuit training session tomorrow?

I just don't want to overdo it and it seems less like a taper than I feel like it should?? Plus, I've gained like 3 pounds (but I think that's from all the extra eating......ugh)

Or maybe since my running group just changed their routine from Weds to Tues AND thurs as of this week....I should just skip activity today...maybe do a little strength training tomorrow (or I could take Bodypump tonight and take tomorrow off) and then only run Thursday before the race? IDK I'm losing my mind! UGH... I'm in unmarked territory this time.... my training is so out of the norm for me.....

I know that before my 2nd marathon....I overdid it....and hurt myself the week before...and I don't want to do that this time! Help please?

The answer is yes.

I totally disagree.

In all seriousness Puma, relax. That is the best thing you can at this point. Just focus on taking good care of yourself over the next several days, eating really well, gettin good rest, and keeping life as stress free as possible. You're either going to enjoy yourself on Sunday or not, but you are--as of this moment (or some moment before) done improving your fitness for race day. So relax. Picture seeing your kid at the finish.

You are, in fact, losing your mind.

That was my attempt at humor at you having so many questions.

For a Sunday race I don't think the order of your body pump class/run today/thursday would make a difference (you are getting 48 hours rest), but I'd likely skip that bodypump/weights altogether this week, but stick with the 2 shorter runs you normally do.  What else would a runner's answer be.

I appreciate it! I usually always give myself AT LEAST 2 days off before a race....I actually took 3 days off before my last half and FINALLY got the sub 2-hour half marathon that I've always wanted! PR Baby at the Hokie Half on September 15th, 2013! Now...it was only by like 18 seconds.....but ....who's counting??!!!

I would take it easy and err on the side of less miles in the days before the Marathon.

Also, a couple pointers that I learned last year when I ran the MCM for the first time:

1)  Hills. I wasn't used expecting any hills in DC, but there are some hills.  Conserve energy on those.

2)  Crowds.  They release everyone at the same time, so it takes a few miles of running "mob pace" with some of that slinky, 'slow down, then speed up' effect.   Conserve energy, don't try and run too fast to get out of the crowds.  (I did that last year and sapped energy I could have used later in the race!)

So yeah, maybe a day of moderate training in the next couple days, then none in the 3 days before the race.  Perhaps some easy miles 1-3 days out.  Main thing to remember is take it eeeeasy the week before the race!

Spam message??? What are you talking about? No, I copied what I wrote from another forum page and pasted it to this one and it accidentally copied the smiley faces too. I can remove those. That was by accident.

Crowds.  They release everyone at the same time, so it takes a few miles of running "mob pace" with some of that slinky, 'slow down, then speed up' effect.   Conserve energy, don't try and run too fast to get out of the crowds.  (I did that last year and sapped energy I could have used later in the race!)

 

 

Thank you for the above tip. I'm usually pretty guilty of this at half marathons and under..... I usually start mid-pack to the back and dart around people like a crazy jack rabbit trying to get to an open space where I can lengthen my stride out. I will definitely try to calm my jets on race day! 

but your description of your training up to this point says you should be able to finish just fine and have a good day.

Shite. I've been doing this all wrong.