advice needed re: last long run?

valentine4

Hi all, looking for some advice, I'm in a bit of a heap this week.

I have been following a marathon training plan, did a trail 50k in March a few half marathons pretty much sticking to the plan getting in some cycling too.

This past few wks have been particularly hectic, one week in particular I ran a 5k, raced a 10k ( got a pb and beat my boss!) had planned 18 miles hilly long run the next day but got a free marathon entry so did that instead thinking it was flat - fyi Belfast is NOT flat

Did the marathon dead dead slow treating it as a training run, 5 days later I did a half ( 3rd lady home woo hoo!)

So all good, but a lot on so chilled out a bit the week after. Last weekend did 10 mile tempo on sat, 12 miles hilly on Sunday - ever since I am just wrecked tired. Sore legs, sore knee, blisters! feeling very sorry for myself.

I have a rd marathon in 3 wks and a trail in 4 wks, bad timing but I don't want to miss either. I had planned my last long run this weekend but normally if I were feeling this tired I would skip it, am just not sure what to do?

The_Enginerd

At 3 weeks out, the fitness building part of your training is already there.

10 mile tempos and 12 miles hilly doesn't sound "chilled out" the week after I would have probably done a shorter tempo run in that case to give myself some recovery.

I'm assuming you are following a 3 week taper and plan on racing the marathon? And it sounds like you are following a Hal Higdon training plan with tempo runs followed by the long run the following day. In that case, I would probably cut back on the intensity/distance of this coming weekend and allow for some recovery, but not totally skip it. Something like running the prescribed distance of your tempo run, but only running part of it at tempo, and shortening the long run as well.

TavistockToad

I would just do a shorter long run.

As Enginerd says, you've already got your training done so I wouldn't feel bad about reducing your mileage a little more than your plan suggests.

MobyCarp

Skip the long run. You've run plenty enough to train for a marathon, and your body is telling you it needs to rest. So back off. However much your plan calls for you to taper, taper further down. If you've been running 50 mile weeks, it won't hurt you to have a couple of 25 mile weeks with no speed work. The best thing you can do to get ready for a marathon in 3 weeks is rest and let your body recover.

At this point, less is more.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

It's been just over a week since posting... how do you feel now, OP?