Preparing for a marathon is a risky affair. You invest so much time in the training, and it all has to come together on one particular morning. If you're carrying a hamstring strain, feeling under the weather or having a busy period at work - too bad. I've been lucky not to have anything major get in the way, but both times I've run a marathon to date I had some problems that last week.
So what to do about this risk? Can you hedge it? Can you get a two-for-one deal on the training? That was what I was thinking this time around, as I embarked on my second marathon training. I wondered whether I should think in terms of two marathons in short succession, and did some research to find out whether that's sensible or not.
From Runners world to Women's health and back I found many articles, with a wide range of conflicting advice. In the end I concluded you can find an opinion to suit your own needs. There are people advising against it, those saying it's ok (with some notes of warning), then the extremes of Eddie Izzard and the 401 challenge. The latter may be outliers with support crews and so on, but it still does make you wonder: why not have a go?
Then there are the numbers, which are persuasive. Say you run 3-4 times a week during a 16 week marathon training period, that's 56 runs for one marathon, or a ratio of 56:1. Then say you manage another 16 runs for a second crack 5 or 6 weeks later, that's a total of 72 runs for 2 marathons or a ratio of 36:1. At face value that sounds a lot better doesn't it?
Tips for running two marathons in short succession
So, having read around and considered the options, here's a distillation of all the advice if you do decide to give it a try:
- Rest the first week after marathon #1 - this is not a hard one to follow!
- After that rest, look at how many weeks you have to go to #2, and - bearing in mind the points below - loosely follow your plan for the equivalent final weeks before marathon #1
- If marathon #2 is 4-5 weeks after the first, then count your first marathon as the last long training run
- When you get started running again after the rest, you can stick to easy paced running: you’re “maintaining not training”, so there’s no need to push it
- However, if you’ve done easy running for a couple of weeks and feel recovered, and you’re not yet onto the taper of your plan, then prioritise intensity over distance - intervals, lactate threshold tempo runs, etc
- Listen to your body not your mind - rest and recovery trumps running
- When the mind pushes you to do more, or up the pace, remind yourself it’s not a traditional training plan you’re following
- There isn’t a sweet spot which combines 100% recovery with 100% of the endurance levels from your original training - you’re going to lose out on one or the other
- If you’re doing #2 just a few weeks after your first, be prepared to consider it as a run-for-fun rather than an opportunity for a PB
- If you’re hoping to do #2 at full pelt then you’re likely to need at least 8 to 12 weeks between the marathons (6 if you’re really fit) - at which point given those extra weeks’ work it may well feel much less like a two-for-one deal on your marathon training
- Do one 16 to 20 mile run if you’re up to it, but don’t force it
- A bit of foam rolling or a massage won’t go amiss
- Eat well, sleep well
- Go with what the day brings and don’t forget to enjoy the experience
Your body will forget how to run fast before it forgets how to run long
- Jenny Hadfield, co-author of Marathoning for Mortals
Choosing the second marathon
Then there are the logistics to consider. Given the risk that circumstances may intervene, for #2 I recommend looking for the following:
- Refunds in the case of an injury preventing you running
- If there are no refunds, then find a marathon which doesn’t sell out early and which leaves registration open right up until the last minute - so you don’t have to book until you’re pretty confident you can do it
- A marathon that sends the race packs out by post or allows pickup on the day. This saves you having to arrive a day early (often by midday, the way some of them are organised) - important if you want to minimise time away or impact on family
- A marathon that’s reasonably nearby, and accessible by train or bus so you don’t have to drive afterwards. Who knows what you’ll feel like?
Putting it into practise
For me, the marathon #2 candidate which met these requirements turned out to be the Boston marathon UK, also known as the Boston (not that one) marathon. It falls 5 weeks after the Thames Meander I did as marathon #1. And groin strain permitting, it's now 4 days away. When I started running I put the 180 steps per minute theory to the test; so now it's time to test this one - let's see how it works out.
Update: find out how it went in part 2