Looking at my spring racing schedule. I’ve decided to run the Flying-Pig Marathon with a couple friends on May 2nd (would be my A race and honestly try to BQ). However the Mini Marathon is just 6 days later… Sort of the bragging rights race around our area, I don’t want to get smoked to bad. How much time would I be losing in the Mini-Marathon with just 6 days off? One of my friends is a 50 Stater, so he does marathons on back to back weekends without much time loss… surely I can do a Half-Marathon right?
how many marathons have you run before?
it’s certainly not something I’d consider doing.
your friend may do back to back weekend marathons… i have friends that can drink a case of beer in an evening. i try to know my limits, not theirs.
i don’t think i’d want to walk 13 miles 6 days after a marathon, not if i’m racing the marathon.
my 2 cents.
-charles
x2
.
The Flying Pig is a GREAT marathon, in my home city, but it is quite hilly and recovering from it will most likely take longer than recovering from a flat marathon. Also the weather can be iffy, could be cold or could be too warm, which if you get a warm day may also affect your recovery (and also your chances to BQ).
I’ll be there running the half pig, not going whole hog this year…
George
You WILL get smoked in the half. If you don’t, you didn’t run the full hard enough 
This will be my 4th marathon come May. I guess if I BQ then I won’t be too worried about my time and just run it with the Father in-law (guess it’s hopeful wishing) With coaching track there’s not to many opportunities to run, with meets on weekends. These are the only two weekends available for me. I did a marathon last year after the Mini - 3 to 4 weeks later and I blew up about mile 20. Mini-Marathon 1:32 - Bayshore Marathon 3:40 I thought I would reverse the order this year.
We don’t know what a BQ race is for you. However this might be doable if you greatly ramp up your volume to the point where running 26.2 miles won’t take a lot out of you. That might mean several months of consistently running 70+ miles/week.
A few years ago a local ultra-marathoner won a 100 mile trail race, and was able to set a course record in a local marathon a couple weeks later. While it’s not quite the same as your situation it gives an indication of what’s possible. His build for the ultra included several consecutive weeks of 200+ miles and several months in excess of 150. Granted he “only” ran about a 9:00 pace in the ultra, but he ran around 6:10 in the marathon.
Also similar. I ran that same marathon and 6 days later won the overall in a sprint duathlon and a week after that I set a PR in a half marathon. However, I didn’t “race” the marathon. I was using it as a training run for another marathon.
Your ability to pull this off will depend on your running fitness. I’ve found that a short run, maybe 3 miles the day after a marathon can help greatly with recovery.
What have you got to lose? You won’t know if you can do it unless you try.
I’ve only run 2 marathons, but here are my thoughts.
Mary 1. 3:15. Ran hard and qualified for Boston. Took me an honest 6-8 weeks before I was fully (100%) recovered. No way I could have done well in a 1/2 mary one week later.
Mary 2. Boston. Ran 3:05 - 3:10 pace for about 19 miles and blew up spectacularly on the Newton hills. Jogged the finish because I didn’t want to take 6 weeks to recover. Ended in 3:30.
Then I ran my fastest 1/2 marathon ever one week later.
I’d say if you truly run the marathon, you will not be good to go in 1 week. But if you can take it fairly easy for a significant part, you might be OK.
well, if you’ve done 3, you’ve got some sense of what’s in store. although, if you blew up in your last marathon, that’s a sign that you’re still trying to figure them out.
i couldn’t do it.
i will second tri2havefun’s advice - ramp up the volume. if you think of it as training for an ultra, and the marathon as speed work, you might be able to pull it off. might. i wouldn’t.
What have you got to lose? You won’t know if you can do it unless you try.
Yes that’s what I was looking for!! Same thing I tell my high school athletes… Just needed someone to tell me it was ok and that I will hopefully be alive to see Sunday, ha! I like the ramping up mileage before the marathon. I’ve spent the last year focusing on my running, but just starting to get my mileage back up.
If I had 6 weeks between the two could I PR both? I might ditch my Ohio friends and take my family somewhere for Spring Break and do a marathon their - March 20-28 and try to do well in both Marathon and the Mini-Marathon.
What have you got to lose? You won’t know if you can do it unless you try.
Yes that’s what I was looking for!! Same thing I tell my high school athletes… Just needed someone to tell me it was ok and that I will hopefully be alive to see Sunday, ha! I like the ramping up mileage before the marathon. I’ve spent the last year focusing on my running, but just starting to get my mileage back up.
If I had 6 weeks between the two could I PR both? I might ditch my Ohio friends and take my family somewhere for Spring Break and do a marathon their - March 20-28 and try to do well in both Marathon and the Mini-Marathon.
If all you were looking for affirmation, but did you bother asking for opinions?
Obviously I’m listening to the opinions or I wouldn’t be looking at running a different marathon - read my entire post Broadbill. I just liked what Tri2havefun said, think more of us need that type of attitude.
Obviously I’m listening to the opinions or I wouldn’t be looking at running a different marathon - read my entire post Broadbill. I just liked what Tri2havefun said, think more of us need that type of attitude.
Actually, I think plenty of athletes have that type of attitude…I also think they are are ones that end up injured a lot of time. Loading on the training is great, right up to the point where your body craps out on you.
You had quite a few people (including some heavy hitters…i.e. BarryP) weigh in with their opinions saying “eh, maybe not a great idea” Just saying that is the pattern I see here…feel free to do what you want.
Now if you are talking about modifying your race schedule, then that is a different question entirely, no?
Got it… thanks for the input.
I ran SD in 2008 in 3:50 and ran the Rocky Mountain Half the following sunday in 1:44…legs were tired, but not too bad.
If you’re like me, it would be ugly. If you’re like Dev, apparently it’s a breeze. He’s probably raced more miles in the last month than I’ve run in total. 
I guess it’s less goofy than the Goofy Challenge at Disney. Seriously, if you’re realistic (ok, a coach may be a better judge) you know if this is likely beyond your limits. Is May really the time of year you want to press your luck?
I’ve run 3:40-ish, 3:30, 3:08, 2:56, and 2:56. These have all been Sunday races, and by Tuesday I’ve been so sore (mostly quads and hamstrings) that I could barely walk. I couldn’t fathom trying to run 13 miles the following Saturday, but maybe you’re a lot tougher than me!
As I said, you have nothing to lose by trying. You should know by the middle of the week after the marathon if you’re going to be able have a solid effort in the half. If you haven’t done the training you may not recover fast enough, so don’t push yourself in the half.
I race very often, so I’m used to recovering quickly. Last year in the 3 months prior to a marathon I raced 7 times. Every race was a PR and the marathon was also a PR as well as a solid BQ. This month I’ve already done 4 races (2 miles, 5K, half marathon, 15 miler) and will be doing a 15K this Saturday and a 5K on Sunday.
Yes, if you had 6 weeks between races you could PR both - especially if you did the half first. But you have to do the hard work of training. If you piddle around with 20 miles/week all bets are off.