Running Two Marathons Back to Back, Update should I do it? (Read 1269 times)

The crazy runner in me is thinking this would be fun. What is the ideal number of weeks in between if you just want to recover, and run the next one in about the same shape you were for the first one, but just for fun?

Hopefully 3 weeks. On Monday I'm starting my 3 week taper then running my first Marathon. 3 weeks after that I'm running my second. So I'm just planning to repeat the 3 week taper for the second.

SloGino -- was just looking at your log...then I checked out your profile and noticed your age... YOU ARE MY NEW HERO........ ......Simply outstanding........

The crazy runner in me is thinking this would be fun. What is the ideal number of weeks in between if you just want to recover, and run the next one in about the same shape you were for the first one, but just for fun?

More information needed... 1. What is your average mpw? If you go into race #1 on 40 mpw, my experience is that it's gonna take you longer to recover and be ready for race #2 than if you typically run 70 mpw. This isn't a hard and fast rule, ymmv. But that's how it worked for me. When I can consistently run 75 mpw, I can run a lot more marathons closer together and finish with times that are close to each other AND I finish without feeling wiped out for days (or even hours). When I used to try to do it on 30-50 mpw, it was much harder. 2. What time are you shooting for in your first one... maybe not specifically x : xx, but more like, are you going all-out trying to BQ, PR, win an award? Are you planning on running an "average day" for you? 3. When you say that you want to run the second one "just for fun", what does that mean? Does it mean you don't care about your time? Would it still be fun if you finish but your race day was very painful and you ache for awhile? To some people, it would be... because "finish two" was their goal. To others it would not be. As for joining the maniacs, we do get lots of people on the 2 in 2 weeks plan (16 days came up to allow for races on holiday mondays)... but we also get lots on the 3 in 3 months plan. 3 in 3 months is a lot more reasonable depending on how you answer #3 above. ANYWAY. In Advanced Marathoning, Pfitzinger gives plans for various gaps between two races... the smallest gap is 2 in 4 weeks. I would heartily suggest making it 4 weeks or longer... AND you need to be flexible depending on how you recover from the first one. A lot of people get locked in on that second race because they pay $$$ for it in advance. Alas, if you get tweaked up in the first race and recovery goes slowly... hey, it happens... you have to be able to bag that second race. Listen to your body.

I'm doing 2 in 5 weeks. I've never run 2 in one season. So this shoudl be interesting. I've also never run a marathon that wasn't of the fire-all-of-your-guns-at-onece variety. The first one I'm going all in and will require significant recovery. The 2nd, not so much. Also I'm having a *ahem* proceedure a few days after marathon #1 that will likely keep me from training. So I expect I'll do little to no running the 2 weeks after marathon 1, then have 3 weeks of mostly easy mileage before marathon 2, which is, of course, The Monkey. I'm really not all that bright.

Well Monkey is already full and closed, unless maybe you bribe Trent with whatever it is that Trent likes. Anyway, I think 4-6 weeks would be a good gap. You will still want to get in 1-2 long runs in between. It totally comes down to how long it takes you to recover from the first. I know some 4:00 marathoners that take 3-4 weeks to recover. And I know quite a few who are fine and ready to start running (not hardcore speedwork, but ready to go out and run 6-10 miles) within a couple days. And I know one 3:25-3:35 marathoner who is ok within a few hours, provided he eats. (edited to add: actually, I know a handful of people just like this 'cause we always seem to run near each other in the same races) Take the time you need to recover. Now, let's say you try for a six week gap, and then you run the second one and have a lot of fun. Should you have tried for a shorter gap in between? Perhaps. But it doesn't work so well the other way around... if you try 2 in 3 weeks and hurt yourself in the second one, you know the gap wasn't long enough. Hell of a way to learn, though. Anyway, everyone is different. You have to learn for yourself.

Okay this year I have ran several marathons. Since October last year I ran the Marine Corps Marathon, then 2 weeks later I ran Suntrust Richmond. Ran 2 half marathons in Decemebr then January hit. I ran the Mississipi Blues and a week later ran First Light in Mobile. I waited a few weeks and ran Pensacola's marathon and a week later ran the Mardi Gras marathon. I have ran one a month since then and ran the Andy Payne Marathon in OKC the week before San Diego's RNR. The cool thing in all of these is that the second marathon has always been faster then the first one. I even PRed at the Mardi Gras marathon. My personal favorite was Richmond with 2 weeks in between them. That seemed to work best. I have had 3-5 weeks between some and that is almost too much time for me to screw things up in this multiple marathon quest.

Well Monkey is already full and closed, unless maybe you bribe Trent with whatever it is that Trent likes.

Not a big deal, I wasn't exactly targeting it as I think it is too hillly for me. Plus I strained my ankle last weekend in a house improvement project (training around that now) and I'm not signing up for anything for awhile.