Forums >Running 101>2 half marathons in 13 days..train in between?
Hi all - stupidly I've agreed to do the anchor leg of a half ironman relay on 31 August. This is only 13 days after a half I did on sunday. I tried an experimental 5k this afternoon on a treadmill and my legs are still shot to pieces. I don't normally train more than 25 miles a week, so a half is a longish run for me. Do I train in between, or just rest up?
First rule of run club.. there is no run club.
Second rule of run club.. listen to your body. It will tell you when to train again.
In two weeks you cant train any more. Its in the bag so to speak. Unless you are training for some greater race.
That said, you don't train enough to run a half marathon. Let alone one as fast as you did. Please run and train more. You will do all of us a favor.
And we run because we like itThrough the broad bright land
You won't be any fitter in thirteen days. Just run easy between such hard races. Recover. Avoid experimental 5k races.
Take it or leave it, of course. You'll learn one way or the other what works for you. Good luck!
I've done a half + got a real bad result (Va Beach R+R, 2:25:00ish) , so I signed up for another half 2 weeks later out of desparation (Philadelphia R+R Half)... I got a PR of 1:51:00(ish) 2 weeks later. So a vast improvement can occur with 2 weeks separating races.
What did I do in the 2 weeks? Very little running! I rested up, and like another poster mentioned, all the previous training, the endurance was there. The act of resting (while hard) may prove to be the best thing you can do right now.
Your legs may be shot to pieces today, but "more rest than running" over the next 1.5 weeks will allow your muscles to rebuild + full recharge. Alot of rest and you may find that your race coming up gets you a really fast result!
The Plan '15 → /// "Run Hard, Live Easy." ∞
With your base mileage being quite low as you have mentioned at 25mpw - I would pretty much advise total rest during this two week period. You don't start losing fitness until 3 weeks so you will lose nothing, and this will give your muscles ample time to heal and begin rebuilding, which is what you need most at this point. Perhaps a day or two before the 2nd race I may run 2-3 real easy/slow miles just to stretch your legs out again. Good luck!
not bad for mile 25
I'll be finding out how I do on an upcoming "Double Half Mary". Consecutive days, so no question of either training or rest between the two, except for a night's sleep.
Hi- thanks to all of you for the suggestions. I am relieved that you're all suggesting an easy couple of weeks, as I'm not feeling up to much. I'm going to enjoy the downtime, take the kids camping at the weekend, and relax.
LedLincoln- Good luck with those back-to-back 'Hail Marys'. Aren't you tempted to just go out and run that marathon in one go?
Quick update on this: I followed the advice and had an easy couple of weeks. I came in in 1:40:21, so over 4 minutes quicker than 2 weeks back. It's not a pb, but I'm happy with the time all the same. Thanks for the help.