[QUOTE=ZackJones]For those of you that have completed a marathon how much recovery time did you allocate after completing it?
Zack,
I've done 13 marathons since 2000 and my recovery time is pretty consistant for all of them; 3-4 days of total rest (no running), followed by a "reverse taper" - then back my 65/week year round average. My marathon taper is 7-10 days.
Here's what I mean...Let's take for example a 2-week taper prior to a marathon race....
Normal training week-65 running miles
Taper week-1 45 miles (about a 20% reduction in miles, while maintaining intensity)
Taper week-2 30 miles (about a 20% reduction in miles, while maintaining intensity)
Marathon race
2-3 days totally off
Reverse taper week-1 30 miles
Reverse taper week-2 45 miles
back to normal training miles.....
After a Marathon the best thing to do (besides shower) is walk around, eat and drinking fluids. This helps with the recovery. Every year at Disney after the race their bus transportation is waiting just 100 yards form the finish to return you to your Disney hotel. Since we stay at the Yacht/Beach club hotels I am back in my room and showered within 20 min after compleating the race. We then take the back entrance to Epcot (at the international gateway between France and UK). Walk around Epcot, cheer on runners, eat, drink, eat, enjoy the park and eat..I mean you just burned a ton of calories right?
My schedule in 2003 was
IM Hawaii in October 03, (with a normal race season prior to IM)
Disney Marathon in January 2004 (a BQ),
Boston in April 2004,
1/2 IM Triathlon Florida in May 2004
Then into my race season from there...
What you would like to do is very doable. For me The transition from Boston Marathon to 1/2 IM Florida (1-month apart) is not a big deal at all. In fact I come into the 1/2 IM pretty strong running wise. Last year was pretty intresting for me, I did Boston Marathon which is on a Monday (like I do every year) where it was pretty warm for racing. Returned to a cold and wet Colorado and did a Bike-tt race on Wednesday just a day later. Last year I also did a 1/2 marathon on a Saturday - the following weekend did another 1/2 Marathon on Saturday and a Marathon on Sunday (Pikes Peak double) and felt great.
Which Marathon are you thinking?
Last edited by MHR; 03-09-05 at 10:05 AM.