After the Thames Meander in March, I had 5 weeks until my next marathon in Boston, UK. After talking the talk with a summary of all the advice on running two marathons in close proximity, it was time to walk the walk.
What did I do?
Attempting to practise what I'd preached, in those 5 weeks I did the following:
- I started with a week off from running, just slipping one swim in to loosen the limbs
- I did 5-10 minutes of foam rolling 3 times that first week - calves, quads, ITB, hamstrings
- I also looked up exercises for a groin strain and did them for the first time. I'd done something to my left groin trying to get up from a prone state after my difficulties at the Thames meander
- Once I got going I loosely followed the tail end of my original training plan
- In all I completed 17 runs totalling 122 miles
- The big ones were one 17 mile run, one 14 mile run and one 12 mile run
- I also did one hour of 5-a-side football, which was good for a change of scene but bad for the groin - the combination of lateral and stop/start movements did me no favours, so I retired to a place in goal
- Following the "maintaining not training" mantra I tried not to overdo the amount or distance, not to attempt to go too quickly, and not to feel bad if I missed a planned run
How did it feel?
For the first 4 weeks I definitely felt I needed rest and recovery. I could feel gradual improvements, but my legs still felt heavy and slow right up to a week before the second marathon. So the knowledge that I didn't need to push it really helped for that month, relieving the mental pressure and allowing me the time and mental space to recover. I think this was crucial. In the final week I felt my legs coming good and a freshness returning just in time.
Aside from the general recovery, the other issue was my groin strain. The pain was diminishing little by little, but I couldn't shake it off. Once I got warmed up it was ok, especially on the flat with predictable leg movements, but I still winced when stretching or getting out of bed without care, and never quite knew if a setback was round the corner. There wasn't a point where I was confident I was in the clear.
Race day
Come race day, my biggest problem turned out to be my GPS watch completely failing to get a location fix, so I had to revert last minute to using my phone instead. I spent a good 20 minutes trying different spots to no avail, and to huge (perhaps disproportionate) frustration - the only advantage being it distracted me from the usual pre-race nerves.
Once I got going the groin niggle was in the back of my mind and I started to feel it at about half way, fearing it could flare up at any point. However, my luck was in - it held out, and I forgot about it entirely for the last 7 or 8 miles. And with much more steady, controlled running than last time I enjoyed the run a lot more as it was going on. Despite the need to set realistic expectations about your second effort, I was delighted to even manage a PB. Still more surprising, comparing the pair of runs, was that I felt a lot better and fresher immediately after this second one - and also in the days following. Perhaps some of this is down to my pacing misakes and the effects of the tail end of a bad cold on the first effort, but it still surprised me given I ran the second one 8 minutes faster.
Would I recommend it?
So would I do it again? The answer is of course coloured by the success of the second run, but it's a Yes. Or at the very least a Why not? If it's possible to do two marathons for one training and you can find some suitably spaced options, then at the very least it's a good way to hedge on any problems or disappointments with the first run. It's a lot of effort to prepare for a marathon, and lining up a couple gives you breathing space and insurance. I'm certainly going to take this into account when I think about when and where to run next - but for now, it's time for a bit of rest.