Forums >General Running>1st marathon-no time to taper - UPDATE: I did it!!! (Details below)
I’m running my 1st marathon at 48 on May 6. Due to knee pain a few weeks ago from an old soccer injury/surgery I had to pause my training at 14 miles. Last weekend when we were scheduled to run 20 I ran 12. I felt physically fine the next day. I don’t really don’t want to just do the half, I’d rather run 15 then run/walk the rest. This is about finishing for me not time, tho I’d like to aim for 5 hours. Is it possible to run 16 this weekend, 20 next weekend and then the race the following weekend? This means no tapering, maybe just 6 and 8 during the week? Has anyone done a marathon without taper time? All advice is appreciated, thanks!
not bad for mile 25
Nope. At this point, some taper is more important to you than getting in two more long runs. You can probably run 16 this weekend and call it good. Taper from there, down to maybe 20 miles/week, then 12 miles, then go get it. Drop the idea of a 20. No point in wearing yourself out and risking re-injury. It's not hopeless; you just need to temper your expectations this time. Sounds like your expectations are already reasonable, so you'll probably do fine. Good luck!
Agree with LedLincoln!
Strict WTF adherent
You won't see the full physiological benefits of a 20 mile run that close to the marathon, so IMO it isn't worth it.
If you're really set on the full, I also would suggest swallowing your pride and taking a run/walk approach from the beginning. You'll suffer less at the end that way, and possibly put up a better time that running until you blow up.
Are we there, yet?
I've always considered the 3 week taper as overdoing it. I think a 10-14 day taper is fine, so all I would suggest is omitting the 20 miler in favor of something in the 10-12 mile range.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Thanks everyone! I agree with all of you. I can’t swallow my pride completely and run/walk the first half but I can the second. I can also slow my pace from 10:30 to a full 11:30 this weekend for the 16 and see how that feels. That might allow me to run longer and pain free. The first half of the Pig is extremely hilly and the last 9 are super flat so I should definitely take the first half super slow so the second half I might feel stronger than expected. Do you think I can make the leap from 16 to 26 miles if I slow my pace from 10:30 to 11:30? Has anyone done this and managed to finish?
It's the lack of mileage, not the pace, that is the critical factor here. Walking early on an adjustable schedule allowing you short periods of recovery will do you more good.
I lost my rama
I agree with what LedLincoln, McBen, and wcrunner said. Forget the 20. If you can't swallow the pride pill, then prepare for a very long day. A slower pace on the last long run may help, if you practice a run-walk routine. Can't stress enough to go out easy on race day though. Good luck!
3/17 - NYC Half
4/28 - Big Sur Marathon DNS
6/29 - Forbidden Forest 30 Hour
8/29 - A Race for the Ages - will be given 47 hours
Pace Prophet
I agree with wcrunner, both on the suggestion to shorten the taper to two weeks and on the importance of walking early. Since the first half of your race is hilly, the smart thing to do would be to walk all the uphills. Just tell yourself you're doing it ultra style.
From the way you write about your training, it's clear you're focused on the long run, but really the LR is not as important as your total mileage in training, and tapering means dropping your overall weekly mileage, not just a shorter LR. If you've been supporting that LR with another 20 miles during the weekdays, you'll be in a lot better shape for the marathon than if you have only been running 10 miles plus the LR. The less running you've been doing, the more important it is to start your walk/run from the beginning. I also agree with Berto that practicing the walk/run system on your next LRs is a smart thing to do.
Great advice, thank you! There is one awful mile stretch that is literally all uphill. I ran it regular pace and at mile 12 for the next long hill I fizzled out. I started walking and it felt harder to walk, my legs were so stiff so I ran/walked a mile, stretched at the water stop and was actually able to continue running. Per advice, I’m definitely going to practice the run/walk for my next long run. We have until April 23 to switch to the Pig Half. I need to be realistic and if this next long run is brutal I should do the half and save the full for next year when I can get a good year of consistent running under my belt. Thank you everyone for your advice, I greatly appreciate it. I will keep you posted. Any other tips and thoughts please continue sharing!
Any other tips and thoughts please continue sharing!
When I practice run-walk on uber-long runs, I will start early after the first mile. I'd walk 0.1 mile then run 0.9 miles. Or sometimes walk 0.1 mile, run 0.45 mile, walk 0.05 mile, run 0.4 mile, repeat. But take advantage of walking up the hills and running down them (as long as they're not steep downhills that will kill the quads). My walk-run routine only drops my overall pace by about 45 seconds to 1.5 minutes per mile vs running the whole time. So not as slow as one might think, but it really saves the body. YMMV.
Thanks so much, Bert-o for explaining how to do it. I’ve heard the run/walkers can actually keep a pretty fast pace while walking, I appreciate you confirming that. I will definitely take it easy on the steep down hills but thankfully most are a mild downhill grade. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Pig but it’s one of the hilliest marathon s but as a Cincinnatian you feel an obligation to do it. Wish it wasn’t my first! I’m encouraged by your advice, thank you.
When you have hills early in the course like at Flying Pig, you need to be super conservative in your pacing. I'd recommend walking all the hills, at least until the last big one which looks like it comes at about 12 miles. After that you could play it by ear depending on how long and steep the hills are and your level of fatigue.
Thanks so much, Bert-o for explaining how to do it.
Well, this is just how I do it. Others go by time (i.e. run 10 min, walk 1 min). I don't think there's an exact right way other than what helps to maintain an even effort without bonking. Also, since it's your first marathon, don't forget to enjoy the experience!
Why do you need to 'taper' at all? Your mileage is so low I'd just keep running (as much as possible) and just take a couple days off before the race. No 20'r ... But I'd definitely do a 16 and then another one the week before the race. Expect to run/ walk from the start.