Reduce mileage or no?
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SecretAgent27
Posts: 57 Member
So, I've been running for a year now and I've run 9 races. I started with a 5K, worked up to a 10K, then a 10 miler, and I just did my first half marathon (1:39:42, yay!) about a week and a half ago. I've gradually been running faster and adding more miles, peaking at 45 mpw in my HM training.
But now I kind of feel like I want to back off a little after training for a solid year (just got my first case of shin splints). I don't plan on running another Half until October (first Marathon next January!). I plan on doing a couple of 10Ks in the coming months and then some 5Ks in the summer when it's too hot down here to really do anything else.
I guess my question is, what do people normally do when they finish a Marathon or Half Marathon training cycle and they only plan on running shorter races for awhile? Do they keep their mileage up? Do they take a break (as in just lower mileage) for a bit and then pick it back up? I've been following the Greg McMillan plans and the 10K plan naturally has a lower overall mileage than the HM plan. If I were to keep the mileage up, would I just keep the long runs longer?
But now I kind of feel like I want to back off a little after training for a solid year (just got my first case of shin splints). I don't plan on running another Half until October (first Marathon next January!). I plan on doing a couple of 10Ks in the coming months and then some 5Ks in the summer when it's too hot down here to really do anything else.
I guess my question is, what do people normally do when they finish a Marathon or Half Marathon training cycle and they only plan on running shorter races for awhile? Do they keep their mileage up? Do they take a break (as in just lower mileage) for a bit and then pick it back up? I've been following the Greg McMillan plans and the 10K plan naturally has a lower overall mileage than the HM plan. If I were to keep the mileage up, would I just keep the long runs longer?
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SecretAgent27 wrote: »I guess my question is, what do people normally do when they finish a Marathon or Half Marathon training cycle and they only plan on running shorter races for awhile? Do they keep their mileage up? Do they take a break (as in just lower mileage) for a bit and then pick it back up? I've been following the Greg McMillan plans and the 10K plan naturally has a lower overall mileage than the HM plan. If I were to keep the mileage up, would I just keep the long runs longer?
if training/focusing on shorter races or "off season" I usually run 30% less than marathon training mileage. I would do maybe 10-14 miles as my long run just depending which is usually 16-25% of my mileage.
If i were you id keep it in the 30ish range if you are feeling "burnt out" or whatever. However, if you start feeling ready again, you can start increasing your mileage on the "offseason" even if you don't have a target race in mind.
1:39 is a really fast 1/2 time considering you just starting running this past year. I have no doubt that if you keep putting in miles and just being consistant, you will have a "come back" after your offseason0 -
I usually have an "off season" after fall races. I did my first marathon last fall, and two weeks later did a half-marathon PR, and then I decreased my mileage by about half for the next three months before jumping into another marathon training schedule on the first of February.
The three month break wasn't totally intentional -- November was post-race and feeling meh, then December was low mileage (but consistently) during the RW Run Streak, and then January was finals season for me so running just slipped away from me. 3 months really didn't even seem that long, and when I jumped back into training, I was running significantly faster and I feel really fresh, so I'm glad I took plenty of time to run more leisurely runs rather than try to keep up training mileage. But I never did a long run more than 8 miles in December and January; I was solidly running 10-20 miles per week, when during marathon training I run 30-40. So if you're normally running 45 mpw and want a bit of downtime, maybe 25-30 would be a more comfortable range for you.0 -
After a marathon and after a half marathon are two completely different animals.
Post Marathon
I take 2 to 3 weeks off completely before starting a reverse taper of sorts. Starting around 25 miles per week and taking a few weeks to get back to base mileage in the mid 50s.
Post Half Marathon
Maybe take a day or two off and then resume with regular running volume, but no workouts for a week or so. Keep the mileage in the mid 50s.
You have to find the training volume that works for you and your schedule. The rule of thumb is, the more miles the better, so if you can fit in 50+ miles per week, do it. If you can only squeeze in 25 miles per week. Do it.0 -
I keep the mileage up. Are you getting burnt out? I noticed you said you're running faster, more miles, and getting shin splints. Those are usually caused from over training. Just a thought.0
