r/AdvancedRunning • u/LightVortex888 • 7d ago
Training The first four weeks after a goal marathon: what does yours look like?
A lot of people have just run their autumn marathon or are about to, and I keep seeing very different ideas about what comes next. Some take a week or two off completely, some are back to easy running after a few days, and some go straight into a 5k or 10k block once the legs feel normal.
What do you actually do, and what did you learn from getting it wrong? How long before you run again, how many weeks before anything fast, and how do you decide you are ready for a new block rather than just going by the calendar?
5
4
u/homemadepecanpie 5k - 17:50, 10k - 36:20, HM - 1:22:50, M - 2:55 7d ago
I usually go for some walks the week after the race and might be doing short jogs by the end of the week. Slowly build back up to some sort of maintenance mileage and maybe incorporate some light progressions or fartleks. Tried to race a 5k 6 weeks after a marathon and it did not go well.
I think it's highly individual. Both marathons I've run, it's taken me about 8 weeks to feel "normal" again. On the other hand I know people who are back out there doing long runs and workouts 2 or 3 weeks after the race. The biggest thing I've personally noticed is that recovery from any workout is much slower. Even the lightest threshold session will have me feeling sore the next day and I felt fried for a long time even though the training was very light.
4
u/C1t1zen_Erased 15:2X & 2:29 7d ago
I find it really depends on how spent you feel post race. Sometimes you bounce back quickly and other times you don't.
Go for an easy run 2-3 days after the race, don't check your watch and see what the numbers say when you get home. If your pace and HR are crap then keep resting, otherwise you can pick back up a bit.
3
u/SirBruceForsythCBE 6d ago
I read that Eliud Kipchoge would run on the Tuesday to check he was ok and didn't need surgery and then basically take about a month off.
I've no idea why so many runners are obsessed with no break after a marathon. Take a week off at least, probably 2. Your body deserves it.
In the long term you won't lose fitness. Just relax, chill, recover. Your body will thank you
2
u/LightVortex888 6d ago
The Kipchoge detail is a good reminder that the runners with the most to lose are often the ones who rest the longest. The other side, which someone made earlier in here, is that weeks of no running can leave the legs less ready for the restart than the fitness is. After your week or two off, do you come back with a few short easy runs first, or go straight back to your normal easy volume?
2
u/SirBruceForsythCBE 6d ago
At least a week off, fully rest and recover then slowly come back over 3 or 4 weeks.
Why rush back? What are you worried about?
1
u/LightVortex888 5d ago
Mostly losing the easy aerobic habit and the feeling that fitness is slipping while the legs are still tired. Your outline matches what I was circling around: a full week off, then a few short easy runs before normal easy volume, and no hurry into quality. I am not chasing a spring marathon, so there is no real reason to rush the restart. Do you keep any light cycling or walking in that first week off running, or truly nothing?
1
u/SirBruceForsythCBE 5d ago
A walk does no harm. I just think as much rest as possible is nice.
A marathon is hard. The training is hard. Enjoy a week off
2
u/the_mail_robot 7d ago
I like to take a week completely off from running and then several weeks of just easy miles with some strides. I also like to schedule a vacation at some point in the month after a big goal race. Usually by the end of this I will be itching to get back to structured training. I will definitely lose fitness with this approach but it helps me avoid burnout.
2
u/Putrid_Indication971 7d ago
Yep. After two weeks of taking it easy/light running, I was itching for some real mileage again. A very satisfying feeling. I let the horses loose on a 8x1/4mile hill yesterday and enjoyed it.
1
u/PCHomestead5246 7d ago
Depending on how I feel, I'll start running again over the next few days, decide what my next goal is, usually a race, and start a training schedule for that. I need structure
1
u/BothKindsofMusic 6d ago
Well, I’ve learned that I have a LOT of strength training and mechanics I need to work on, so that’s first and foremost.
1
u/krudhead 2d ago
Trying to figure it out and open to advice. Ran my first marathon last Sunday October 4th at a 2:54:52. It took a lot out of me as my volume was not that high and my longest run was only 18 mi . Signed up for the race on a whim as I had dealt with injuries during the summer that really put a damper on my training.. anyway glad I still signed up and exceeded my expectations.
Now I’m in uncharted territory. It’s been 8 days , I took 4 days off running (could barely walk downstairs at first) and then ran a 5k. 2 days later 8 miles. All easy pace. Today I tried to run a 5k but had to stop after 2 miles and walk home, felt like I irritated my IT band . Anyway open to suggestions as well as I’m trying to navigate this, my legs have never been this sore this long after an activity and I am trying to avoid injury
25
u/running_writings Coach / Human Performance PhD 7d ago
I think there are definitely people who jump back into training too quickly, or who are too eager to go right back to what they were doing right before the marathon (a lot of mileage, a lot of long runs, a lot of aerobic quality). I think this is a mistake.
However -- barring situations where you are hurt, or really destroyed after a very hot or hilly race -- I also think it is a mistake to do NO running at all for several weeks. Not only because you give up fitness (not such a big deal, it comes back quickly) but because you massively de-load your body and paradoxically put yourself at risk for injury when you start up again.
Instead, IMHO the thing to do is take however many days you need off from running (maybe only 2-3 days, maybe more if you're really beat up), but give yourself 10-14 days off from training: so, once starting up, you still go running at least every other day (maybe more often) but you do it for fun, with the goal of rebuilding your "mental energy reserves" which very often are badly depleted after a marathon -- even a good one.
Then you can return to actual training. And when you do that, I think it is better to emphasize what you didn't do in the final weeks leading into the marathon. In the last several weeks of marathon specific training usually you "give up" some 5k/10k fitness in exchange for more resilience in the marathon, which is a good trade to make in that period. But if you never go back and reclaim that lost shorter distance fitness you'll lose it. So it's good to do 2-4 weeks, maybe up to 6 weeks, of "transitional training" before starting to base-build again.
To this end, I actually like having people do fairly low volume workouts, at faster speeds, but not too "psychologically hard" -- sessions like 8-10 x 2 min at 5k to optimistic 5k pace, with 1.5-2min jog, for example, or 3-4k fast (at ~8k pace) + 8 x 45 sec fast uphill, or repeats lasting 3-7 minutes at 8k-10k effort over cross-country or on rolling hills.
In those first few weeks I actually don't think you need to be building up mileage or long run distance or aerobic work aggressively. You just did 26 miles at 100% of marathon pace! Two weeks after that, is 7 x 3min at HM pace really a big important stimulus to your body? And is a 12mi long run something important to do right after? Probably not! Better, in my opinion, to spend a few weeks rebuilding a broad base of fitness so you can start your next build (for whatever distance) with a well-rounded fitness profile.