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IM and Marathon training

So This year is going to be a big one for me, i'm doing IMCH but have also entered a marathon as i didn't do one last year which was the plan. The marathon is in April, IM in July. I didn't think this would be a problem but looking at the training plan from Be Iron Fit, by the time the marathon comes round my running should be a max of about 2hrs according to the plan. So are these two goals going to be compatible or will the marathon adversely affect my IM?

Comments

  • This year I did FLM at the end of April and IMFr at the end of June, so a 2 month split. I wouldn't do this again, it was too close for me. However, i did get a marathon PB without trying to hard - which was a great confidence builder.

    A training partner of mine is doing his first IM at IMCH and I'm doing the Gloucester marathon with him at the end of Jan, as I've told him I believe it is important to know you can crack the full marathon distance before going IM. 2 months for me was way to close, 7 months for him is obviously fine, but 3 months for you might be close.

    If I'm following a training plan, I try to stick to it, but I reckon that if you alter you training plan intelligently, and you force yourself to treat the marathon as a long training run, you should be fine.
  • Hi - I did the Dublin marathon after OD training this year. I only spent 6 weeks on marathon training and finished in 3.53 for my first marathon. I had a good base from the year tri training. Should be fine
  • I'm hopefully doing IMUK (if the entries ever open) which us early August. And I've signed up to do sn Ultra, 30 miles, in March. I'm also doing the beIRONfit competetive plan, which says you don't need to fobs marathon, but I've never done one and I want the psychological boost that I can do the distance, but hopefully 5 months between should be OK, but I won't be able to tell you for sure until August 2010, which may be too late.
  • Brighton Marathon + IMCH? Me too ...
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    cheers guys, i guess it may be a little close, but i will just have to hold back on the mara slightly, although i am aimin for 3'45 so not breaking any records buts still not too slow. I guess I'll find out in August if it was too close. I'm confident i can do the marathon without doing too much extra - I'm already half marathon fit

    stucumber - maybe try and meet up before Brighton or something?
  • Don Fink says do a 2 hour run - so do the marathon in two hours, no deviation from the plan at all

    Roll on 28th December, first day of training - REST DAY
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    Unfortunately JB the plan says 1'30 Z1 or Z2...not sure i can run a 90 min marathon in Z2...i might need to be Z3 for that
  • danny_sdanny_s Posts: 235
    I think that would probably be quite a bad idea to have a marathon 3 months beforehand. If you're really going to try and give that race everything you've got on the day, it will take at least 2 weeks and probably more like a month before you're back to a regular running routine. If you don't really give everything you can in the 26.2 miles, why are you there at all? Just do a long training run of 22 miles, and save yourself for the IM.

    That difference in time, 3 months, is probably right where your biggest blocks of time will be in IM prep and you'll be recovering from a tough race. Not a good way to set up a successful IM. I'd think a fall marathon would be great with a summer IM, you'd have plenty of time for a good build cycle before the race.
  • okennyokenny Posts: 231
    I agree....

    I ran my first marathon this year - I was really suprised how long I needed to recover from it.
    8 after the marathon I felt fine until I tried to run a 10k, my legs were hurting after 3km....I really think it took something like 3 weeks before I was back into my training plan.
  • OranjOranj Posts: 45
    Any idea how much faster a standalone marathon would be in comarison to an IM marathon?

    I've got Luton marathon in a couple of weeks in prep. for my first IM next year. Training's going OK and I should run around 3:15 (or better). What sort of IM marathon time would that indicate, or is there no hard-and-fast rule?
  • No hard hard and fast rules. Too many variables in bike route and run route, but I'm aiming for +15%
  • OranjOranj Posts: 45
    I guess, yes, there are so many variables that it's impossible to say - suck it and see. I ran the half M at the end of Bala Middle at a pace that was only marginally slower than a standalone half-M, which seemed odd to me, maybe I don't run standalone races hard enough!

    On your other point, I ran a marathon many years ago, and wanted to re-acquaint myself with the distance before next year. I was originally going to run Leicester M at the beginning of October, but a cold put paid to that. I figured that it'd be better to get it out of the way this year, regroup over the winter and then hit the mileage again in the spring. I can see that trying to fit one in in the spring, as some people do, is asking for trouble.
  • KenMacKenMac Posts: 14
    Your training for the IM will more than stand you in good stead for the marathon as some of the other posters have alluded to it's more a case of what the marathon will do to your IM. Whilst doing a 26 mile run wouldn't be the end of it all if you managed your effort - the chances of doing that are greatly reduced when you line up for an event with all those other folks.
    Plenty of people have done excellent IM runs without ever having run that far in their preparation. Running a marathon that 'close' to your IM will have risks attached in terms of your IM performance.
    At the end of the day though it it's what you want why not do it. I helped an athlete who used to play hockey even on the occasions when the games were a day before her tri's or duathlons. When she asked me about it I told her 'that from a performance perspective I wouldn't suggest it but if it's what you want to do , no worries'
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    Thanks guys, I'm beginning to think that this may not be the best idea given it bang in the middle of the training plan. I'll think more about it over the next few weeks.
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