I’m trained up for the NYC Marathon, but have deferred my entry and going with a Plan B race two to four weeks from this weekend. How do I train seeing as I’ve already tapered for New York? I run four times per week; two easy, one hard, one long run, and cross-train twice per week. Thanks, Kate
Hi, Kate. It sounds like you made a sound decision for yourself. Not an easy one for sure. Here are a few training strategies to bridge the gap to your plan B marathon. The key is to do enough to maintain your fitness, but not so much that you leave yourself tired on race day. The shorter the time period, the less volume you’ll need to run. On other words, for a race two weeks out, it may be tempting to squeeze in a 20 miler to ease your mind, but a shorter long run will do the trick.
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Week One:
Monday: Easy run 45 minutes
Wednesday: Tempo Run eg. 15-20 min plus warm up and cool down
Wednesday: Tempo Run (eg. 15-20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Whyand HowYou Should Taper Before a Marathon
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 10-12 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Two: Race Week (follow your normal taper week)
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Best Folding Treadmills
Wednesday: Easy run 30 minutes with 4-6 3-second pick ups
Thursday: Rest
CA Notice at Collection
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Marathon
If the marathon is three weeks out:
Week One:
Health - Injuries
Saturday: Long Run 8-10 miles
Wednesday: Tempo Run (eg. 20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Other Hearst Subscriptions
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 12-14 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Two:
Monday: Easy run 45 minutes
Wednesday: Tempo Run eg. 15-20 min plus warm up and cool down
Wednesday: Tempo Run (eg. 15-20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Whyand HowYou Should Taper Before a Marathon
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 8-10 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Three: Race Week (follow your normal taper week)
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Best Folding Treadmills
Wednesday: Easy run 30 minutes with 4-6 3-second pick ups
Thursday: Rest
CA Notice at Collection
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Marathon
Eating Well Through the Taper:
Week One:
Health - Injuries
Saturday: Long Run 8-10 miles
Wednesday: Tempo Run or Speed Workout (eg. 20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Other Hearst Subscriptions
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 15-16 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Two:
Health - Injuries
Saturday: Long Run 8-10 miles
Wednesday: Tempo Run or Speed Workout (eg. 20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Other Hearst Subscriptions
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 12 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Three:
Monday: Easy run 45 minutes
Wednesday: Tempo Run eg. 15-20 min plus warm up and cool down
Wednesday: Tempo Run (eg. 15-20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Whyand HowYou Should Taper Before a Marathon
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 8-10 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Four: Race Week (follow your normal taper week)
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Best Folding Treadmills
Wednesday: Easy run 30 minutes with 4-6 3-second pick ups
Thursday: Rest
CA Notice at Collection
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Marathon
A special shout out to my friend Adam Howitt at WalkJogRun for compiling Monday: Easy run 50-60 minutes How the Gold Medalists Trained.
Happy Trails.
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Wednesday: Tempo Run or Speed Workout eg. 20 min plus warm up and cool down Twitter.
