Ran 20 Miles Fri, got first marathon Sun. NEED ADVICE

you should be alright. obviously its not ideal, but 9 days should be enough recovery time.

wak9 wrote:

Hey,

I did a 20 miler Friday morning (Sept 19) and I have my first marathon this Sunday morning (Sept 28). I'm really worried that I won't recover properly in time.

It had been a few weeks since I did a run over 11 miles when I did that run but I was averaging 30 miles a week (down from 40+) and running almost every day.

I was pretty sore, but I wasn't dead when I finished...the soreness kicked in later and lasted till Monday.

Any ideas/tips? Am I gonna be cool for Sunday as long as I eat and sleep well and keep my legs loose?

Thank you!

Advice: Train for the next one.

-wak9

It wasn't the first time I've ran that distance, but it had been awhile. I remember I was much more dead after the first one... shouldn't a heavy taper this week, plus full 2 day rest before count for something?

I'll keep checking this thread, thanx so far. Keep weighing in.

wak9 wrote:

It wasn't the first time I've ran that distance, but it had been awhile. I remember I was much more dead after the first one... shouldn't a heavy taper this week, plus full 2 day rest before count for something?

I'll keep checking this thread, thanx so far. Keep weighing in.

Make sure to pack your fanny pack full of goodies.

What are you shooting for time wise? What's your weekly mileage been? and what workouts have you did?

These will help us predict a better solution for you and your recovery!

Thanks!

I'm 20 years old and I'm shooting for 3:30, my 20 miler took me 2:36 (7:49/mile average, but first 10 at 7:22).

My weekly mileage was around 42 four weeks ago, then 25 the next 2 weeks and 42 last week (including the 20). I had done 10.5 3 days before the 20, 5 two days before and took a rest day that Thursday.

I work out three days a week at the gym (squats and deadlift on two of those) and I bike at least 15k a day just to get around. A few hours after the 20 mile I biked 6k and then worked out (upper body). I played basketball on Saturday but was still sore when I did 5 miles Monday.

Hope this helps! Thanx for taking the time to read and reply!

-wak9

You are golden. Enjoy your taper. Let us know how it works out. First marathons are fun every time you run one!!!

Gonna take two gel packs with me for the big one.

20 close before a marathon is not ideal, but with your youth, you'll have likely recovered. Just run your 8's like clockwork, and don't deviate until past 23. (A lesson I learned very hard in my first - tried to pick it up at 18, wheels fell off at 23.)

So you think I'll be fine Sunday morning

I was in a similar situation earlier this summer. I was in pretty good shape for 5-10k stuff then decided to train for a marathon 14 days before it. I had two long runs (13 days before at moderate pace and another at 7 days before very easy). Even early in the race I could tell the pop in my legs wasn't all there but I raced hard regardless all the way to finish. My result was good but the damage my legs suffered has been astronomical. My legs haven't felt the same since (2 months ago) despite taking it really easy.

If this first part sounds like your situation, I recommend taking it relatively easy in the race until at least late and then only if you feel really good. You may even run really well, but your recovery post race will likely require a lot of patience.

See if you can switch over to running the 1/2 instead of the full. 30 miles/week isnt going to do it especially if you have fast time goals. There are plenty of marathons around.

I don't think that sounds like me. Except for the past few weeks where I didn't do much over 10 miles until I did the 20, I got pretty comfortable running halves and 15 milers. I just slowed down because I was planning on doing the 20, but didn't end up doing it for a while.

But I plan on taking it easy till race day and aiming for 8:00 for the first 22, then if I can, speed up a bit for the next 2 and empty the tank for the final 2.2.

GLORIOUS VICTORY! I ran my first marathon this morning in 3:42. It was not ideal weather...humid (22 celcius) and windy.

But I did it! I conquered the distance. The last 8 miles were brutal. Gonna keep training so I can qualify for Boston maybe as soon as next year.

Also, gonna taper better before the next one. Next marathon I should shave around 20 minutes.

(Toronto Waterfront Marathon)

:)

Not much point in tapering from 30 mpw.

wak9 wrote:

GLORIOUS VICTORY! I ran my first marathon this morning in 3:42. It was not ideal weather...humid (22 celcius) and windy.

But I did it! I conquered the distance. The last 8 miles were brutal. Gonna keep training so I can qualify for Boston maybe as soon as next year.

Also, gonna taper better before the next one. Next marathon I should shave around 20 minutes.

(Toronto Waterfront Marathon)

:)

More like 40-50 miles a week. 30 was the taper...problem was I did a 20 miler 9 days before.

But once I recover, I'm gonna push to 70/week.

Great job, wak9! You're a marathoner now!

Enjoy your recovery week--my favorite part of marathon training.

problem was you ran a 20miler and typically only ran 40/wk anyway...

do some reading before you just toss yourself into a "program" at 70mpw...look through Wejo's articles, the wisdom of JK, etc

I'd be grateful for specific advice on how I should build up/train. At least some links...but I put tons of info on this thread...so if you have any tips, that would be great. Thanx!