Hello all, I am running (foolishly) the Brighton Marathon Sunday and London the following Sunday..I am a novice runner who has been churning out 25-30 mile weeks the last two months. Less before due to injury..Has anyone got any advise for recovery in between as I'm running both for charity and for London want to jog round..Expectations are anything from 4hrs to 5hrs with a PB HM time of 1:45..thanks one and all!!
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Treat Brighton as a long run by taking it slow & easy (e.g. 10 to 11 min/mile pace to come in sub 5 hour) and then rest for the whole of next week (I suspect you won't be feeling like running/walking anyway!).
Based on how well you do at Brigthon and how you feel, either go faster/slower or same speed in London. Be pessimistic with your approach to London - if you start too fast its going to hit you a lot harder than the average participant who's had a restful taper.
If you've not gone further than 30 miles in the last two months, and you haven't got a lot of running prior to this, then you are under-prepared for one marathon let alone two. I'm guessing you know this already, so you have to take a survival approach rather than trying too hard.
PS Will you be carrying an oversize hammer (and wearing oversize specs)?
PPS Good luck!
So you're best off minimising the damage from Brighton. Take it steadily. Lots of walking breaks. Maybe try a cold/icebath after you finish and drink some milkshake shortly after too.
Good luck. Rather you than me !
it can be done easily enough - I did Brighton and London 2 years ago and my London time was only 10 mins shy of my Brighton one
I used Brighton as the A race - went PB hunting but failed (hey ho) and planned to bimble around London with someone else. by 9 miles my legs felt fine as we'd been taking it easy so I headed off at a slightly faster pace. was fine.
between the 2 I just rested and had a short 5k easy run and a swim midweek.
good luck and enjoy
FB, and you are a novice runner with only 2 months of low mileage behind you?
As others have said, take both easy. You are doing them for charity and the hell of it. So, treat Brighton as a long slow run, see how you cope with the distance. use that as a stratergy guide for London.
London is quite different, you can easily bimble around, run walk as you see fit, make the most of it, stop off at mile 17 and great the RW forumites supporters.
Personally I wouldn't be looking to 'race' either. If you take them both easy you'll get around them both fine. It will hurt but who really cares about that?
Problem with both is that they are flat road races and your legs will get more tiredfrom doing the same thing over and over than if you were running up hill down dale. Think which would you prefer, 100 miles of motorway or 50 miles of country lanes? If you need to stop and stretch then do so, who cares? If you need a potty break, have a nice hot cup of tea or piece of cake?
"FB, and you are a novice runner with only 2 months of low mileage behind you?"
ah - yes - perhaps not....
the key thing I want to get over is that it's not as difficult as some people may think it is. Ok it's easier talking from the perspective of someone who has a few marathons under their belt but even for novices, if they approach matters positively it's not a huge deal.
the OP has a 1:45 half time - that's about a 4hr marathon pace if paced well. I would suggest anyone capable of a single 4hr marathon is capable of doing back to back ones in 4:30-5hrs if they pace themselves well
rest, rehydrate, refuel and perhaps a lights sports massage in between and they will be "raring" to go at VLM
Cougie, good to see you provide consistent advice
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/general-running/2-marathons-in-a-week/193813.html
Tim, you've had 10 months to prepare - so you maybe should have thought about this before now
I havent read what everyone has said but i did this last year. I am not a fast runner and i had injuries. I did them both in the exact same time 4:33.
Basically have you done marathons before? If not then go slow on Brighton and then just enjoy London for what it is and dont go for a time on either. Either way, dont go for a time.
In between the two i did this:
Mon - personal trainer assesment - strength on injuries
Tue - massage
Wed - physio
Thu - Strength
Fri - physio / light massage
Sun - Run
I hadnt run at all between the two. You can read my blog - its a bit boring for others but you may get some tips - www.nicolacane.com
I had done VLM before so i just went and enjoyed it and stopped to say hello to my parents on tower bridge, and then chatted to loads of people, it was my way of getting myself round. I loved London and always do, its great. So if anything go faster at Brighton and just enjoy London
I'll fly in the face of what many say...
Get Brighton finished. Better to be on your feet for 4 hours than 5+. I'd feel a lot fresher after 6 days if I'd spent 4 hours on my feet and not 5.
Also, London is a far better place to run/walk a marathon. There are a throng of folks at the back doing exactly that.
You're going to need to keep active in the week between. Walk as much as you can on flat ground, do not even think about running at any kind of speed. (If you've ran 1 marathon what can a 5 mile run prove?)
Keep moving, keep a very strict and sensible diet, with lots of protein. Don't even concern yourself with how your legs feel for a few days. The next one will be coming, and you should look forward to it. Don't fear it.
Advice on perfect planning here - http://natrun.co.uk/london-marathon-checklist/ - plus some advice on post London pubs too.
Be sure to enjoy them both. You'll do just fine.
Keep moving as much as possible that day, maybe even 10-15 min in a cold bath, no need for ice just cold is good enough. The days In between no impact active recovery is the key, don't run till thur/fri so swim, walk just move! If you slot a massage in maybe wed that may help.
Drink plenty of fluids to help flush the lactic and buildup of fluids. You will almost always weigh heavy the day after a marathon due to the muscles retaining water.
You will be fine, don't worry about it but enjoy it! Try and run them a comfortable consistent pace slightly within yourself. If you run walk them that will do more damage than a easy steady consistant pace.
Remember the second you cross that line at Brighton get calories in ASAP! You won't feel like it but do it!!!!
Best of luck!!
You will be fine, like I said go enjoy both days!
Within 30 mins of finishing Leicester I was tucking into a huge sunday roast - recovery at its best!
Fair play solid running...Something to aspire to!! These events are hopefully the start of a long running journey and yes hopefully something to enjoy and aim to exceed with times etc in the coming years....
Fill ya boots Tim and enjoy ya marathons!
Congratulations Tim!
One word of advice for London - immodium
Well done Tim, good luck in London, you can go quicker!
Tim, I did Brighton and got a pb but will be taking London much slower ('cos I'm doing something very silly!) and just enjoying the atmosphere.
You've had all the necessary advice already but I'll just add a bit of my own. I really wouldn't try immodium out on race day if you've never used it before - as Muzza says, it could well have been your diet or even energy drinks that caused the toilet troubles. This week you need protein to help repair muscle damage but then later in the week a few more carbs.
I won't be doing much during the week as London marks the start of a 111 day running streak that I'm doing so I'll just have a little pootle on Wednesday to stretch my legs but other than that, just walking. I think walking is excellent for stretching out your legs and getting rid of stiffness.
I've done marathons on consecutive weekends on several occasions and if an old biddy like me can manage it then I'm sure you'll be fine (but I am a plodder, not a speedy person)! Good luck and please say hello if you spot me en-route
All IMHO before anybody shouts at me!!!
Well done Tim.