Forums >General Running>Half Marathon Dilemma
Dad, Runner, Programmer
For the past few months I've been training for two races. A half marathon on April 22nd and my first ultra, a 50 mile, on May 20th. Training was going fine and I was ramping up the mileage into the 60s which is a new high to me. A couple weeks ago, my right calf and Achilles were giving me trouble so I laid off the mileage and ran some short, easy miles for a couple weeks (all my friends were getting injured left and right and I got scared).
Now my calf feels fine again but as a result I have had to twice move my planned 50K training run so I am planning on doing it this weekend which is only a week before my half marathon. I realize that this is not a good plan for tapering before a race, but if I don't do it this weekend, I'll feel like I haven't gotten enough long runs in before my 50 mile.
When I first scheduled these races, I thought the combined schedule for them would be ok, but they are starting to get at odds with each other. If I had to pick one race I care more about, it's the 50 mile.
So my question is what do I do for the half marathon? Should I run it all out like the race it is and I'll be fine? Or am I risking injury doing that? Should I just run it like a fast training run? My PR for the half is soft (1:40) So I feel like I could get a PR without going all out. I'm torn. Any advice would be appreciated.
2015 Goal:For now, keep running!
Feeling the growl again
If I had to pick one race I care more about, it's the 50 mile.
I think that's your answer right there. Do the 50K, then a light(ish) week to make sure you recover going into the HM.
Another option would be to do the 50K the weekend after the HM. That still gives you 3 weeks before the 50-miler, plenty of recovery time.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
>> That still gives you 3 weeks before the 50-miler, plenty of recovery time.
Maybe. That really depends on the 50k.
>> That still gives you 3 weeks before the 50-miler, plenty of recovery time. Maybe. That really depends on the 50k.
I'm planning on doing a flat 50k run on a trail to mimic the race I'm running (Dirty German 50). When you say it depends on the 50K do you mean it depends on what I'm planning or how it goes?
Thanks for the response, Spaniel. At this point I'm leaning toward doing the 50K this weekend because I'm anxious to do it because I've already moved it twice. I'll do a light week like you said and then just see where that leaves me for the half. I'm still a bit scared to run fast, but maybe I'm just being paranoid because everyone I know is injured or recovering from injury
3 weeks before the 50 I was going to do 25 miles for my long run.
Actually, I was really meaning the course. 50ks in the mountains and/or on technical trail will beat you up more (certainly more in different places than usual) than courses that aren't so challenging. But that said... flat 50k on road? That'll be a fast day... 31 miles worth... 3 weeks is probably good and plenty.
That said (#2)... "flat 50k to mimic Dirty German". I don't know Dirty German directly, so I just scanned their course info. "flat" and "hilly" are very subjective, but I get the feeling that DG, while not involving real, natty climbs, is going to be more roly poly than outright flat. But everyone means something different when it comes to stuff like this.
Have fun!
FWIW I raced a flat 50K two weeks before my first 100 miler. Three weeks before a 50 miler can be plenty of recovery time, or not, depending on any number of factors.