LSRs 4 weeks before marathon

alitoast

Hi,
I am running the cork marathon and I am following the Hal higdon novice 1 plan (loosely!!). I have got my LSR weeks mixed up (i.e. I should be doing a shorter one this week but I am doing a long one). Therefore I plan to do 19 miles this week and 21 next week then begin my taper. Is two long LSRs this close the the marathon a bad idea. Should I cut this weeks to 15-16 or should I bomb on Witt the two LSRs. First marathon so any tips appreciated

TheRoadRunner

how many LSRs have you done to date. Miles and dates?

alitoast

Hi roadrunner,
I did a17miler on 14 April
18 miler on 21 April
14.25 on 29th April

I had a couple of 14 and 15 milers in march too

TheRoadRunner

I'd do the longer one tomorrow and the shorter one the following week. Is quite hard to give sound advice based on limited info but that is what would make the most sense to me anyway.

Don't mean to take over your thread alitoast, but I have a very similar question so I'll ask it here.

I'm not following a specific programme for Cork but would like to get one more long run in. The problem is I'm down to race a half marathon next Saturday, May 12 and I'm not sure it would be wise to do a final long run the next day.

I was thinking I might not race the half marathon - go at around 80 percent and use it as a training run - and go with around 18 miles easy the following day. Or I could race the half, skip the long run the next day and go for a final long run two weeks before the marathon. Any advice would be appreciated?

Here are the long ones I've done so far:

May 6: 21 miles

April 29: 20 miles

April 22: 18 miles

April 12: 16 miles

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Deleted User wrote: »

Don't mean to take over your thread alitoast, but I have a very similar question so I'll ask it here.

I'm not following a specific programme for Cork but would like to get one more long run in. The problem is I'm down to race a half marathon next Saturday, May 12 and I'm not sure it would be wise to do a final long run the next day.

I was thinking I might not race the half marathon - go at around 80 percent and use it as a training run - and go with around 18 miles easy the following day. Or I could race the half, skip the long run the next day and go for a final long run two weeks before the marathon. Any advice would be appreciated?

Here are the long ones I've done so far:

May 6: 21 miles

April 29: 20 miles

April 22: 18 miles

April 12: 16 miles

Why not do 5 miles before the half and run the half at your target marathon pace?

Yeah, I had thought about that. I have done very little racing in the last few months and, originally, the thinking was that by racing the half I'd get an idea of what sort of time to aim for on June 4. I think I'm in much better shape and have more miles in the bank than the last half I did, which was last October.

So, if I do follow your suggestion, what distance would you recommend going the following weekend - May 19-20 - which would be two weeks before the marathon? As I said, I'm not really following any specific plan.

alitoast

It looks like you have done a lot of LSRS dancinpants. I'm a bit worried i havent built up enough myself, 2 18s in april and plan a 20 miler on Friday evening as my last one.

Roadrunner, i didnt follow your advice after all, on Saturday i did a quick 3 miles with a couple of pacey bits in the middle of the run and then went and played a round of golf. Went for 12 miles as my LSR yestrerday and i nearly died, has put the s**ts up me now for the marathon.

Giving my bidy a bit of a break today before the last LSR on Friday. Worried i havent enough of a base built up.

What time are you looking to target Dancinpants? i have ran a 1:42 half and was hoping to go 3:45 for this but would be happy to break 4:00 now i think.

(note to self for future marathons golf on a rest day is not a rest day):cool:

Hi alitoast. I'm hoping to break 3 hours, but with a bit of luck on the day I'll go under 2.52. I've a 1.25 half from last October but am in much better nick now. I've also been training consistently well since January and should have a really solid base. The only thing that could get me is the lack of speed work as I've been managing a niggling groin injury for the last two months.

Best of luck on the day, and good luck with the the rest of your training.