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Half Marathon before a Marathon - How much time for a taper? (Read 214 times)

    Hi everyone,

     

    Long time lurker, new poster here.

     

    I`ve just signed up for my first marathon (ahh!) and I`m trying my best to do everything right to make sure race day goes as smoothly as possible.

     

    Currently, I`m training with about 70km/ week of mileage and a recent 10k race of 44:45 (in very hot weather - ~30C). My goal is to increase this mileage to about 90km/week in preparation for the race.

     

    I`m hoping to race a few HMs in preparation for the marathon on March 12, 2017 and the last HM on my list is on February 14th. My question is - is this too close to the marathon race to be racing a HM? How much time should I give for a taper?

     

    My dream goal is to qualify for the Boston marathon and run about 3:30:00 for the marathon.

     

    Thanks!

    FSBD


      Everyone recovers at a different rate, but I don't think a month between your last half and your full would be an issue.  I usually try to schedule a half about that far out as a fitness test to decide on my marathon pace.

      We are the music makers,

          And we are the dreamers of dreams,

      Wandering by lone sea-breakers,

          And sitting by desolate streams; 

      World-losers and world-forsakers,

          On whom the pale moon gleams:

      Yet we are the movers and shakers

          Of the world for ever, it seems.

        Thanks so much! I was feeling nervous because I`ve heard some people say that they take nearly a month of tapering for a full marathon. I have heard others say that a 10k race around that time is best. Now I`m thinking that the HM is just fine!

        FSBD


          A month long taper is really long.  I  honestly like 2 weeks.

          For an example, this year I am planning on running a marathon on April 17th, so I am planning to race a half on March 19th.  Then follow that up with 2 weeks of hard training and a 2 week taper.

          We are the music makers,

              And we are the dreamers of dreams,

          Wandering by lone sea-breakers,

              And sitting by desolate streams; 

          World-losers and world-forsakers,

              On whom the pale moon gleams:

          Yet we are the movers and shakers

              Of the world for ever, it seems.

            A month long taper is really long.  I  honestly like 2 weeks.

            For an example, this year I am planning on running a marathon on April 17th, so I am planning to race a half on March 19th.  Then follow that up with 2 weeks of hard training and a 2 week taper.

             

            That's what I'd do.

            Runners run

            runmichigan


              A month long taper is really long.  For new marathoners I would recommend a three week taper to make sure you are well rested.  For those who have done marathons before I would recommend a 2 to 3 week taper based on much time you need to become well rested.

              npaden


                Thanks for the post.  I'm trying to figure out the same thing and you got my main question answered for me.

                 

                I'm running my goal marathon on April 29th and I'm signed up for a half marathon on April 1st.  Was trying to decide if I should race it all out or not.

                 

                Based on these responses I guess I will give it a shot.

                 

                Only thing I can't decide is if I should soften up my training schedule a little bit the week before the half to give me a better shot of doing well in the half.  I have an 18 miler that weekend before and a 10 mile strength interval workout 5 days before the half on my schedule now.

                 

                I'm thinking about dropping the 18 miler down to a 12 or something like that and keeping everything else the same.

                Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

                Joann Y


                  Thanks for the post.  I'm trying to figure out the same thing and you got my main question answered for me.

                   

                  I'm running my goal marathon on April 29th and I'm signed up for a half marathon on April 1st.  Was trying to decide if I should race it all out or not.

                   

                  Based on these responses I guess I will give it a shot.

                   

                  Only thing I can't decide is if I should soften up my training schedule a little bit the week before the half to give me a better shot of doing well in the half.  I have an 18 miler that weekend before and a 10 mile strength interval workout 5 days before the half on my schedule now.

                   

                  I'm thinking about dropping the 18 miler down to a 12 or something like that and keeping everything else the same.

                   

                  You should definitely do  RACE the half and I don't think that you should soften up the schedule the week before, maybe just 2-3 days before to feel fresh. I'm just talking from doing this same thing last fall and having a great fast (for me) half marathon and followed by my first BQ three weeks later. I did 20 miles on the weekend before the half marathon as well as a workout I think about 5 days prior to the half. You can look at my log from Sept-Oct last year if it's any help. I didn't see how many miles you are running right now or anything, so maybe this doesn't apply to you.

                  npaden


                    Thanks for the input.  You ran your half only 3 weeks before the marathon and for me it will be 4 weeks before so I even have an extra week to deal with everything.

                     

                    It looks like I'm running a bit more weekly miles than you were but not much.  I've been at 50ish for 5 weeks now and will be in the 60's pretty much from now on.  I know I shouldn't, but I like to squeeze races in whenever I can.

                     

                    Hansons has the long run weekends broken up every other week so I went ahead and shuffled the 18 miler to the weekend earlier and that puts 2 - 10 milers the weekend before the half marathon.  I think that won't really hurt my marathon goal training and should have me a little fresher for the half marathon.  I think that if I hit it fresh and have a good weather day I may have a chance of a PR on the half marathon, if the day sucks I will adjust accordingly.

                     

                    I'm probably too confident in the BQ, but this is actually a test year just to see if I can qualify and I'm not really sure that I would even be able to go to Boston in 2018 if I did qualify.

                    Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                    Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

                    spinach


                      A month long taper is really long.  I  honestly like 2 weeks.

                      For an example, this year I am planning on running a marathon on April 17th, so I am planning to race a half on March 19th.  Then follow that up with 2 weeks of hard training and a 2 week taper.

                       

                      I also do this.  I like to run a half 2 or 3 weeks before the marathon. This sharpens me up before the marathon and gives me plenty of time to recover.

                      LedLincoln


                      not bad for mile 25

                        Likewise, I'm not a fan of a long taper. So this spring, I'm doing a marathon May 7 followed by a marathon June 4. That means a 2 week recovery gentle buildup followed by a 2 week taper?  Any of you, feel free to tell me I'm an idiot.

                        Bob Bob and Bob


                          A month long taper is really long.  I  honestly like 2 weeks.

                          For an example, this year I am planning on running a marathon on April 17th, so I am planning to race a half on March 19th.  Then follow that up with 2 weeks of hard training and a 2 week taper.

                           

                          Wouldn't "racing" a HM leave you quite sore the following week?  Or at least a portion of it?  And so those of you that would go hard the next two weeks, would you not need some bit of recovery?

                           

                          I like the idea of testing my fitness for the full, but worry I would compromise it if I went hard immediately after the HM.

                           

                          Thoughts?


                          SMART Approach

                             

                            Wouldn't "racing" a HM leave you quite sore the following week?  Or at least a portion of it?  And so those of you that would go hard the next two weeks, would you not need some bit of recovery?

                             

                            I like the idea of testing my fitness for the full, but worry I would compromise it if I went hard immediately after the HM.

                             

                            Thoughts?

                             

                            I am sore for days after a half on my 25 mile per week schedule and probably need a full 2 weeks for recovery and generally don't do any hard work outs for 10-14 days after a half. I have in the past but it does increase injury risk a bit. Each of us recovers differently and genetics, age, nutrition etc. all play a part.

                             

                            If running 60 miles per week, a runner can absorb a 13 mile race better than a low mileage runner however, there still needs to be caution. I would remind a runner to review how they have recovered in the past from a hard raced half. I certainly would not tell an athlets to hammer work outs right after a half. If you do, you may risk injury and screwing up the main goal which in this case is a BQ marathon. I see no issue with racing a half a month before a marathon if the athlete is feeling good on there current training plan. If athlete has nagging aches, soreness, muscle tightness etc., I would caution the athlete to focus on the "main goal".

                            Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

                            Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

                            Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

                            www.smartapproachtraining.com

                            jerseyrunner


                            Half Fanatic 12680

                              A lot depends on your weekly mileage and how you handle half marathons. I run 4-7 half marathons a year and only 1 marathon. In 2015, with weekly mileages of 40-60 miles, I ran a half marathon 3 weeks before the NYC marathon and another half marathon 2 weeks before and I ran a BQ - 25. In 2016, I ran the same schedule (half marathons 2 week and 3 weeks before a marathon), but I had only been running 25-35 miles per week because I was doing triathlon training. I still BQd at the NYC marathon, but I was 20 minutes slower.

                               

                               

                              npaden


                                Thanks for the input folks.  Thought I would come back and update this with my personal results.

                                 

                                Ended up with a shiny new PR on my half marathon that I ran 4 weeks before my goal marathon even though conditions were a little tough.

                                 

                                Then 4 weeks later I shattered my marathon PR by over 21 minutes and got a BQ minus 10 minutes at the Revel Mt. Charleston marathon.

                                 

                                Pretty pumped right now!

                                Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                                Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

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