The Philadelphia Marathon has been an annual event for me, and this year was to be no different from others…at least until about a month ago. At that time I learned I was going to have to have a minor surgical procedure that would mean I wouldn’t be able to do the marathon. Though I continued to run almost daily, my training has not been marathon-focused since that time.
Well, due to unforseen circumstances, the surgery will need to be delayed until after the marathon. I’m now 3 weeks away from the race , and am considering doing it. Obviously, it’s not going to be a PR race, but I love that race and have been bummed at the prospect of missing it. The question is, can I get in enough training to finish somewhat comfortably? Ok, so no marathon finish is comfortable, but I really just want to run it with no particular goal time in mind - though I’d be happy with sub-4:00. My PR is 3:35.
My last long run was two weeks ago when I did a very hilly 17 mile run. I can definitely get in a 20-22 miler this weekend, again in a very hilly area. I generally do my last long run 2 weeks out, so this would be no different from prior years. The Philadelphia course is very flat.
The question is, what else can I be doing in this last three weeks to prepare? I have a good running base, and did both a half IM and a half marathon in September, both at decent times for me. I feel like I’m not too underprepared, but want to make the best use that I can of this last three weeks. Any advice? I’m a 42 year old female, if that makes any difference.
Sounds to me like you’ll be fine. One more longish run (18 miles or so) and a couple of mildly long runs (10-14) mixed in with some short marathon-paced runs and you’ll be fine. I wouldn’t try to cram too many miles in between now and the marathon; it sounds like you’re working from a pretty good base.
as long as your surgery procedure wasn’t for a running related injury, i’d think you’d be fine, as it sounds like you kept a solid base to get you through the marathon. one outside the box suggestion to consider might be to do a long, slow bike ride, instead of the long run, maybe a 4-5 hour ride at a slightly lower heart rate than you expect to maintain for the race. you’d get the benefit of several hours of aerobic conditioning without the stress on your joints, especially if they’re not adapted to the stresses of a 3 hour run after a several week layoff. plus, you might be a little fresher to mix in a couple of higher intensity workouts before tapering off.
in my case, i’ve been able to maintain my run speed this year on relatively low mileage while biking a lot more. this may or may not work for you, so take it with a grain of salt, but it’s at least something to think about.
I had not planned on a marathon this year, but it turns out I can run Philly so I am. My longest run so far this year has been 15 miles. I have never done a half IM, but did do a half marathon (and set a PR of 1:42 with no taper) last weekend. I hope to get a 20 miler in on Sunday. I’ll definitely be going out easy, but don’t expect it to be any more painful than any other marathon. Of course, marathons usually hurt a great deal so that is small comfort. I’m a couple years younger than you (39), but that’s not significant. So, my advice is go for it (and I am doing what I am saying) unless it will make whatever requires surgery worse than it is now.