Question:
How do the experienced marathoners out there train when they are not
actually on a 16 week (or so) ramp-up to a marathon? I would like to
continue to improve between marathons (to better my time), but at the same
time do not want to burn out.
With a total of 26 weeks between 2 marathons, I have 10 weeks after one race
before starting the 16 week plan for the next. What kind of weekly mileage
(and long run distances) wold best leverage my conditioning for one marathon
toward the next? How about speed work?
Answer:First, I would say recover fully from the first marathon (I recommend 4
weeks) before getting back into serious training.
If the person is recovered, I recommend getting back to the higher volume
(long runs of 2 hours) pretty quickly and maintaining that for a while.
Personally I like to get at least three 3 hour runs in before the taper. As
for the speed work, keep it up at least some longer tempo type runs to
maintain fitness.
One option is to take the first 6 weeks of the training plan and do it
before the 16 week program kicks in.
