Half marathon one week before full

MrsMcG

Hi,

Would it be silly to do a half marathon exactly a week before my first full? 2 events in my calendar that I really would like to do end September start October .. 

have done a few halfs already and recently did a 20mile trail run/30 mike bike duathlon... would obviously prioritise my first road marathon  

thanks for any wisdom 

DT19

It depends if you are planning/expecting to race both well? 13 miles easy the week before a mara that is a target, ok. Raced 13 miles the weekend before a target mara = bad mara.

I'm  sure someone will pop up who has done it and felt it went well, however regardless of how they felt their mara went they could have gone better. 

For all the work that goes into training for an Autumn mara, don't throw it away running a half. 

SHADES

As it's your first marathon then you can do the half but don't race it but run it at long run pace, no faster.

Probably better to find another half to do maybe 3 or 4 weeks before your full marathon.  When training for your first marathon I would expect you to PB at the half marathon, without a taper, as the marathon training gives you that increased endurance and ability to hold race pace for longer.

rodeoflip

Agree with Shades. My 2p-worth - I wouldn't run the half at all. Your first marathon will be hard enough, especially the second half as you go beyond what you've been doing in training - don't make it even harder by tiring yourself out beforehand. Apart from the risk of picking up an injury at the half, there's also a real risk of your legs and body still being tired for the marathon, even if you don't feel it on the start line (you will at 20 miles!). The week before a marathon, my long run wouldn't be more than 7 or 8 miles, and these at super-easy pace. The old adage about better to turn up undertrained than overtrained is probably true here - if the marathon is your priority, then I would skip the half on this occasion. Get the taper right, and the first half of your marathon should seem almost easy. Get it wrong, and it's not going to be much fun.

DT19

If you want to be involved in the half, why not volunteer to marshal? 

glendthomas

You probably don't want to be going hell for leather or you risk injury which would be a shame a week before the big one