This winter I plan on concentrating on my biking. This wil be 4 bike sessions a week.
My question is, I have a spring marathon and am doing it just for the fun factor. No p.b. required.
Can I finish if I only do 2 runs per week over the next 22 weeks?
One 1 hr run
and
One Long Run (3hrs max)
Thanks
I’m sure it can be done, but I know I wouldn’t find it much fun !
This depends a lot on your background - have you run a marathon before ?
If you can try to fit in an extra run - doesn’t have to be long and could maybe be done off the bike.
Have a look at the FIRST 3 run per week marathon program
http://www.marathon-training-program.com/three-day-program-finish.html
Of course you can but the fun part depends on your background. I’ve run marathon with less than that (like no running for the couple of months before).
I really like the possibility of going to a marathon for the heck of it, no prep, just doing it for the fun. A lot of people don’t try things because they say there not in shape enough. I always tell them to try it anyway, it’s the only way to know. A marathon is a lot of fun and I cannot always prepare myself for it but still, I’m going and always enjoyed it. The worse case scenario is that you will hit the wall and that usually make the best stories 
go for it!
The long run on the weekend and the middle distance/interval workout seem to be the workouts that matter for me. The others are just miles. As long as you are doing something else the other days, I would say that you could pull in off. Again, it depends on the quality of the running workouts.
To quote Chris Rock:
"Shit! You can drive a car with your feet if you want to; it don’t mean its a good fucking idea! "
I agree with Chris Rock.
I agree with Barry and the others to a certain extent, with one minor change.
Several times in the past I’ve had to pace marathons for work that I didn’t really have the time or energy to focus on training-wise. I found that, with the right THREE runs, I could get by at the required pacing pace (which was slightly slower than my SLD pace) without falling apart.
The three runs were:
Combined with all my other training, these got me fit enough to race a decent 1/2 and complete the marathons in the target time for the pace group I was leading (sub-3:45 gun to line, or sub-3:40 line to line).
So it can be done, though I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone who wasn’t in my position. So much will depend on your current capabilities/fitness. In all cases for me, the marathon was run well below my actual capabilities, and was still unpleasant in the final miles.
In our town we had two girls run a marathon in 5 hours and change. They were telling some of the police Officers about it (they work in a related field). One of the police officers said he thought he could run the distance in 5 hours. The others bet him he couldn’t. He had never ran more than 4 miles and seldom ran. He did not make 5 hours but did finish and ran the whole way . His time was a little over 5 hours.
One day at the pool a college kid asked me about triathlons. I told him about the local races. He swam ,ran some and rode his bike (MTB) to class. He asked about Iron distances. I told him about a local non IM Iron distance race. About 8 weeks later he had borrowed a bike entered the race and finished in 14 + hours. I was SHOCKED!!!
I’m doing a marathon in a few months on three runs a week : tempo, intervals and long run.
What are your goals/plans for next season?
Generally speaking, running a marathon for most triathletes, is not the best idea, if significant performance improvements for TRIATHLON in that season is a goal.
Fleck
Heck ya ! I know guy’s who did a marathon with no run training. I know guys who did an Ironman with only 3 hour per week training. These events are not that difficult to finish, there difficult to race them.
You’ve also got to consider a very high probability of injury. If you are doing just infrequent long runs with nothing else, the chances of injury is very high. Not only in the marathon but during your training as well. While your cardiovascular system may be able to handle the load, your ligaments and joints may not.
Are you willing to risk it?
Is there any reason that each week has to be the same?
I’m thinking somewhat along your lines…
But for a spring marathon, my thought is to shoot for 5 runs every 2 weeks.
This is based on two factors:
-Limited available time;
-I seem to have a certain minimum biking-to-running ratio in order to keep my legs feeling good.
I don’t know the science behind it, and I’m not in expert in running (I’m barely a novice in running).
My thoughts were pretty simple: 2 seemed too few for training, and for prepping for a long race, 3 seemed a stretch, for my body and my available time. 5 every 2 weeks seemed like the perfect mix. Meanwhile, long rides when I can, slightly more running when i have to (esp. when the weather’s bad & the pool is closed).
-Charles
AMEN! And it’s not like LSD won’t be training, he’ll be in good shape, just not the best running shape.
Dare!!!
If you’re training that little the risk of injury in training are probably low. On race day that may be a different story.
One thing I’ll throw in – the bike training will help tremendously!..if I remember…you’re talking about 2 runs…and lots of cycling miles…
…the cycling will help your fitness…and for that matter your run rcovery…just make sure to include a couple of longer runs in your running so your body gets used to/remembers the pounding…
…this coming from a guy who has never done a full marathon - but trains for 1/2 marathons on 1 outdoor run and 1 treadmill run each week - the cycling time is more helpful than you think…
Just my slow opinion…
-Ron
If you are an experienced runner, I think that with the biking you will be fine.
What you did not tell us is how fast you are. If you are a sub 1:30 half-marathoner then a 3 hr run will be near 20 miles and you will be good. If you are a 2hr + half person, then I think that your long runs need to get up towards 4+ hr.
As the others suggest you won’t be as fast as if you focused more on the running, but I don’t by the injury risk argument if you build your long runs slowly and run them slowly.
yeah as my coach says anybody can do an Ironman or a marathon. the hard thing is the time.
so yes you can do a marathon with little training and you can do an ironman with little training. But unless you are a genetic freak don’t be expection sub 3hours on the marathon and sub 10hours at the IM.