Back-to-back Marathons?

STrooper

I have resumed training after taking a 3-week break (after realizing I had been in some sort of training/maintenance for more than a year), have seen good progress in my full and half-marathon times.

I find the half-marathon distance "easy" now. but I do run a mix of half-and full marathons. I have run some of the shorter races on back-to-back weekends.

I have an opportunity to run two marathons on back-to-back weekends in February (my current training scheduled is timed to the second one). Both are on the South Carolina coast and are flat courses (compared to my training grounds which incorporate between 1,000 to 2,000 vertical feet of climbing in the mid-to-long distance runs).

One of my running friends and co-worker thinks I've become a strong enough runner and run enough miles per week to accomplish this with the caveat that one should be run "easy" and the other one as a PR goal race.

Thoughts?

Note: I will cross-post this.

SonicDeathMonkey80

My friends think I can run Badwater 135. Anyway...

I dunno your weekly mileage, annual mileage, or how long you've been training. With that said, I did do 3 marathons in 5 weeks. First was my goal race, and it was race effort. I didn't take much time off, and 3 weekends later, I ran Chicago at my easy pace, the weekend after, Columbus, at a much easier pace (pacing a friend). I wouldn't recommend racing either. Your performance at the first will dictate how number two goes. In the week between, stay on your feet and run when you can. Here's what my "plan" looked like:

DavidMartinez2

First off, back-to-back marathons is two the same weekend.

Race your first race at PR effort. Ice bath ASAP to help reduce swelling and speed recovery. First day after either run 3 very easy miles or 30 minutes on the eliptical. Second day take a complete rest day, then repeat the last few days of your previous training plan (which should have been all easy/short runs). On race day your legs will feel a bit tight, they will loosen up after a couple of miles.

STrooper

Thanks for the thoughts. Sorry about the terminology, I stand corrected.

I have been in a routine running/training mode since May 2013, mostly running 3-4 days per week. After taking a three week break, I'm back up to 39 miles per week with a ramping up to close to 50 miles/per week with the "typical" stair-step rise and fall of distance and time to challenge the muscles and then recover.

I like the ice idea. In the last year, I've also incorporated a massage in the mix right after the race.

DavidMartinez2

You should also consider adding a couple of back-to-back long runs. Do your weekly long run on Saturday followed by another long-ish (10-13 miles) run the next day. You don't want to do that every weekend but once or twice a month.

STrooper

I know a few people who have done that (they haven't suggested it to me, yet) but they also know my longest long-run distance I ran in the last cycle was 50 Km. I didn't intend to run that far, but I blew a turn and ended up committed to that distance due to the roads, trails, and terrain. I was tired, but not unreasonably so, and didn't become part of the furniture after I finished that run.

Stoshew71

If you do end up running both marathons, make sure you sign up as a marathon maniac. http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/are-you-a-marathon-maniac/maniac-criteria