Next year I’ll be making the plunge into my first IM – IMLP. The question I have is this – Would running in the Boston Marathon 14 weeks prior to LP be good for training, or just a horrible mistake? I can make convincing arguments to myself on both sides, so I’m looking for other opinions…
Thanks for the help!
Depends on how you train for, and then recover from Boston. If you are going to really focus on going fast for Boston, and run a lot, and exclusivly, beforehand, and if it takes you a month or more to recover from it, you may not be able to prepare for IMLP. If you are going to continue your ‘triathlon training’ with a focus on running before Boston, and can bounce back in a few weeks, then there is no reason to think you couldn’t get ready for LP.
Thanks for the info. I’d like to do the marathon, but don’t want to chance ruining my IM experience in the process. In case some more background will help…
Last summer I had a running focus (not tris that year), but mixed in some olympic distance tris for fun and the cross training benefit. My focus was on the Chicago Marathon and qualifying for Boston. Had a great race on a perfect day and beat my target and PB (3:09 finish). Felt great afterwards, so recovery was not an issue.
Boston was another story. Race prep wasn’t up to par due to a number of issues – new job, wonderful NE winter, longer commute, then ended up with Strep the week before the race (103 temp, chills, a real fun few days). Race day was bright sunshine and hotter than it had been. Where everything seemed to come together in Chicago, everything came apart in Boston. Discarded pace band at mile 8 and changed plan to just enjoying the event. At mile 16 getting to the finish was the only goal. Managed to finish in 3:41, but can’t say that I enjoyed it a whole lot.
Out of the 5 marathons I’ve done, I had my best and worst performances back to back. I suspect that the strep had much to do with it and that the somewhat reduced training limited my reserves to cope with the sickness.
Anyway, if I can have another race like Chicago, then I could be setting myself up nicely for IM. If it’s like my last Boston, then I could definitely handicap myself. I’m leaning towards skipping Boston this year, although I’d like another shot of doing it “right.”
IMHO, running a marathon has nothing to do w/ running an IM - they are simply 2 different sports. So, your question “would it be good for training” is answered by a definite no, I believe. This is the reason you don’t see top IM triathletes running marathons “for training.”
However, it would seem to me that imbedded in your question is “can I run Boston and still have a successful IM” and the answer to that is definitely yes, but be sure you understand that is a different question.
There was a thread on RecSportTri as to whether triathlon is one sport or three. I think it is definitely one; so, training for a marathon is a separate sport than a triathlon. Of course there is some cross over fitness, but what is “good for training for an IM” IS training for an IM, not a marathon.
Hope this helps!
Agreed. Yes, my training for IM will be different than focused marathon training. The embedded question “can I run Boston and still have a successful IM” is correct – that’s what I’m trying to figure out. My training will be preparing me for IM, but with could have an emphasis on the running portion through the winter (not a bad plan in New England anyway) to prepare for the marathon.
Good. You can do it. Remember though, and this may be a stretch, is that your question is similar to “can I run and marathon and then play soccer.” Certainly there may be training crossover, but they are two different sports. Same with marathon and an IM. You would almost certainly be better in the IM concetrating on triathlon training and not doing two sports, but it can certainly be done. FYI - I did many marathons B/F my triathlon days, but haven’t since; and, most of my 12 IM run splits have been slow so what do I know:-)!
Quick Answer - Don’t do Boston.
It will NOT advance your IM running ability very much, infact it may take away from it for 3 main reasons:
Boston is a very hard course on the legs and the revcovery for it is longer
With a proper two week taper and then at least 3 weesk recovery afterwards, you will miss 5 weeks of key training time for IMLP. April/May/June are your key months to train for LP( assuming a 3 week taper in July). Do Boston and you will wipe out a good chunk of that time.
3)There is only a slight and some would say no, correlation between Iroman marathon running and running a straight up marathon. I have known sub 2:20 marthon runners to really struggle in IM. While I have seen people who have never run a marathon before even in training run 3:10 in an Ironman!