Is 3 half's a month too much?
Tacklewasher
Posts: 7,122 Member
Currently running ~45k a week, longest ~15k.
June there are 3 half marathons I'm looking at.
June 2, 9th and 23rd. Plan is to have 2 under the belt before then (Feb 23 and April 14).
Is 3 in a month too much or do others do that?
June there are 3 half marathons I'm looking at.
June 2, 9th and 23rd. Plan is to have 2 under the belt before then (Feb 23 and April 14).
Is 3 in a month too much or do others do that?
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Replies
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Yes, people definitely do. However they usually are very experienced runners or a bit crazy or both.
How long have you been running? How many halfs have you run? Are you hoping to PB or are you happy to just complete them?
For the past few years I've run 3 halfs with two of them three weeks apart (April, then October and November). I'm pretty done by the second, and I don't think I'd run two a week apart, especially as the first is only seven weeks after your second - you could be asking for an injury. I'd probably wait until later to enter - see how you feel after your February event first.1 -
People do it!
I wouldn't as I know I wouldn't recover between the 2nd and 9th.
One of those and then the 23rd would be totally doable.
You could not race one of them, that'd make it a lot more easily doable.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »People do it!
I wouldn't as I know I wouldn't recover between the 2nd and 9th.
One of those and then the 23rd would be totally doable.
You could not race one of them, that'd make it a lot more easily doable.
So try in the one's on the 2nd and 23rd and just take it easy on the 9th?
I'm only fussing now as prices for them go up at the end of the year.1 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »People do it!
I wouldn't as I know I wouldn't recover between the 2nd and 9th.
One of those and then the 23rd would be totally doable.
You could not race one of them, that'd make it a lot more easily doable.
So try in the one's on the 2nd and 23rd and just take it easy on the 9th?
I'm only fussing now as prices for them go up at the end of the year.
That's what I would do - as a newbie-ish runner who doesn't do 15 miles each weekend and 40 miles a week!0 -
Go for it! The more I race, the happier I am. Also, it makes the solo long runs feel worth it when I race more. Of course you have to know yourself and if you can handle it but I've raced 5 weekends in a row before, I'm typically ready for a weekend off since most of my races involve travel but have fun with it is what I say.0
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TavistockToad wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »People do it!
I wouldn't as I know I wouldn't recover between the 2nd and 9th.
One of those and then the 23rd would be totally doable.
You could not race one of them, that'd make it a lot more easily doable.
So try in the one's on the 2nd and 23rd and just take it easy on the 9th?
I'm only fussing now as prices for them go up at the end of the year.
That's what I would do - as a newbie-ish runner who doesn't do 15 miles each weekend and 40 miles a week!
I do that much (in kilometers....)
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It should be doable. It will be easier if you increase your weekly base before then. If you're running 40 mpw, then 13 isn't a big deal. If you're only running 20, it is harder to recover from a hard race. When I'm training for a HM, then most of my long runs are in the 12-15 mile range for several weeks around the race. If I'm training for a marathon, then they are significantly longer and the HM I usually do 2/3 of the way in is very fast.
You probably won't PR at all of them. Maybe pick one as your goal race and just run the other two as supported training runs.
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Tacklewasher wrote: »Currently running ~45k a week, longest ~15k.
June there are 3 half marathons I'm looking at.
June 2, 9th and 23rd. Plan is to have 2 under the belt before then (Feb 23 and April 14).
Is 3 in a month too much or do others do that?
As others have said, it depends on how hard you race, how good your base is, and to a certain extent how old you are. I would not be afraid of 3 half marathons on the dates you cite, but . . .
I am running ~65K per week. Absent a shorter race on Saturday, I will run a long run of at least 16K (preferably 20K+) each week. And if I want to do well in the halfs as races, I would not want to have any other races in June or late May.
If you just want to run the half marathons at the same pace you run a long training run, yeah, it's feasible. But if you want to try for time, it's aggressive. If you're a couple decades younger than me, maybe you get away with it; but your base looks a little light for that load of half marathons. Get up to where you're running about 50 to 55 km per week, with a long run of at least 16K every week, and you can pretty much run a half marathon whenever you feel like it. But still, you may find that you need some noticeable recovery time after running a half hard.
My advice: See how recovery from the half marathons on Feb 23 and April 14 goes. If it turns out you need a couple weeks of not running hard after a half, choose June 2 or June 9, but not both. Cumulative racing can beat you up, and you might not even notice that you're getting beat up until you're 17K into a half marathon, feeling like Superman, and all of a sudden cramp up. Been there, done that.1 -
What are your goals for these races? If you want to go all out, try to PR ect than I wont do all 3. However, if you just want to participate and not go crazy trying to PR you would be fine. For example, the first half run go slightly slow and easy just to finish. Then if you feel good the following weekend, go faster and try to so better. Then you have 2 weeks to recover for the last one of the month.0
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One got bumped to May, so it's made a bit of a break in between.
I'm gonna pick the flattest one and try to PR it while using the others as training. I mean, one involves hills and wine at the end, so no point trying to PR it 0 -
"I'm gonna pick the flattest one and try to PR" This is why I feel that PR's on a Half, or other road/trail race is kinda bogus. Each course/track is different. You PR on one course, a hilly course, although slower, may have been a better effort than a faster time on a flat course. PR's on road/trail runs are only comparable for the same run. Someday someone will devise a Half Marathon entirely downhill so we can all post a PR ;-) Best wishes on your effort.1
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Tacklewasher wrote: »One got bumped to May, so it's made a bit of a break in between.
I'm gonna pick the flattest one and try to PR it while using the others as training. I mean, one involves hills and wine at the end, so no point trying to PR it
In my experience, weather has a bigger impact on how fast I can run a half that how flat or hilly the course is. Hot and humid makes the course slow, even if it's flat; great weather can make the course fast, even if it's hilly.1 -
"I'm gonna pick the flattest one and try to PR" This is why I feel that PR's on a Half, or other road/trail race is kinda bogus. Each course/track is different. You PR on one course, a hilly course, although slower, may have been a better effort than a faster time on a flat course. PR's on road/trail runs are only comparable for the same run. Someday someone will devise a Half Marathon entirely downhill so we can all post a PR ;-) Best wishes on your effort.
yup, that's a thing0
