So you signed up for a marathon and thought, why not bank
all of the training that I'm doing already and go for the double or maybe even a
triple. Terrifying.
But with so many events taking place all in a short space of time,
especially after postponements and cancellations
because of COVID you might've thought about doing back to back marathons.
So how do you train safely? And is it a sensible idea? Well,
we're going to be answering all of this plus more in this video.
And don't forget to subscribe to The Running Channel and tap the bell icon to be
notified when we release new videos all about running, to help you with your training.
If you've clicked on this video, then the chances are you've already decided,
but if you're considering back-to-back marathons because you've had races moved,
then firstly take the time to consider whether this is something you actually
want to do,
rather than thinking you have to do it because you don't have a choice.
Back-to-back marathons are mentally and physically gruelling,
and so you need to be a hundred percent on board and committed in order to give
yourself the best chance of completing
them. If you're going to take on the challenge,
the first thing to look at is how long you have until the first one and how long
you have between the two or more races.
This is so you can decide on a strategy.
There are lots of different ways to tackle this.
If this is your first set of back-to-back marathons,
then we'd suggest treating the first one as a training run and don't push
yourself too hard in it.
Then it's sensible to give yourself a 6 week gap and allow for recovery and
then build up to the next marathon.
Of course, six weeks might not always be possible.
And if you have less than that,
then there are different ways to view each marathon,
assuming you only have two in your calendar. For example,
I run Amsterdam Marathon in 2019 and then New York Marathon two weeks later.
I raced Amsterdam hard as my
A race of the year and then took New York easier and soaked up the atmosphere. Everyone's different.
You could like Anna pick one race as your
A race and focus on that one by going for a specific time goal,
and then treat the other race as an easy pace kind of run
or have goals for both races or run both marathons at an easy pace.
All of these will depend on your fitness,
current ability and experience of marathons.
Your goal might be to cross the line or it could be to finish in a certain time,
but it's important to decide what you're working towards at the start of your
training so that you can prepare properly.
More and more people are taking on back to back marathons and ultras,
especially for charity.
You see amazing feats like seven marathons in seven days on seven continents,
or people like Eddie Izzard, who ran 31 marathons in 32 days,
but it's still a relatively small sample size for the likes of scientific tests
and studies. However,
there are some interesting findings about running back to back races,
which are worth considering when preparing.
One study,
looking at oxidative DNA damage after aerobic exercise found
that creatine kinase, an enzyme that leaks out of damaged
muscle, was still present a week after completing a marathon.
So this shows that our muscles are still repairing themselves seven days post-race.
This is backed up by another study, looking at calf muscles,
which found that intense training and running of a marathon leads to
inflammation and muscle fiber necrosis,
which lasts for at least seven days after the marathon,
and it's most prevalent one and three days after the race.
Whilst the science can sound a little bit scary,
these aren't reasons not to run back to back marathons,
but instead more of an indication of how tough running back to back races is on
your body and therefore getting your training,
fueling and recovery right is vital.
Training is going to be key when tackling back to back marathons,
not only in the lead up to the first marathon, but in between the two as well,
if you've got time.
So the first thing to look at is your training in the lead up to the races.
So not only do you need to think about being fit enough to run one marathon,
you also need to factor in the second one too.
So focusing on your long runs and how you recover in between them is key.
So your body learns how to recover effectively and quickly.
You might want to start thinking about what heart rate zones you're working in,
as well as the training.
You'll be asking your body to work for a long amount of time,
so it's a good idea to build up your endurance and efficiency of your aerobic system.
With heart rate, try and focus on training in zones three and four out of your five heart rate zones.
This will benefit your aerobic system and will help avoid fatigue during the marathons.
If you want to learn more about heart rate zones then go and check out our video
explaining what all the numbers mean. Next,
you need to look at how long between the two marathons,
and then you can plan what to do in between. If it's a few days or even up to two
weeks in between,
then you don't really have time to train and your focus is going to be on
recovery, which will come later on in this video.
If you have four weeks between your marathons,
then this gives you time for the three key components:
recovery, training, and tapering. We'd suggest spending the first week
not running and focusing on recovery. Then for the next two weeks,
look to do some training with some easy pace runs and long runs,
but not at the same intensity that you'd been doing prior to your first
marathon. And then that leaves one week to taper. If you have
six weeks between marathons,
we'd suggest elongating your recovery and tapering periods,
rather than doing four weeks of training, and one week either side.
Your recovery and taper periods can involve some running,
but it should be gentle, short and easy runs,
which aren't going to put you at risk of injury before the next race.
Be sensible with your training and always listen to your body,
giving yourself time to train and with good recovery in between sessions is going to
be key to success.
Now onto the important bit - recovery and fuelling.
You need to pay close attention to your recovery and prioritise it in order to
feel good whilst doing back to back marathons or as good as you can feel
running 26.2 miles twice or more.
Here are some tips to aid your recovery after the first marathon.
First up: hydration. Taking on the right levels of hydration and electrolytes is
so important when exercising for long periods of time.
Start practicing hydration strategies in training so that you're not trying
anything new on race day. And when you finish a marathon,
make sure to hydrate and keep drinking afterwards.
Think about eating a good mix of both carbohydrates and protein.
This will help kick off the recovery process after the run by restocking your
depleted glycogen stores and rebuilding muscle damage. Now,
it's tempting to just lie down and eat all the carbs after a marathon you can
get in, but you're missing a step:
the cool-down. If you feel all right after the run,
try a light jog for 10 minutes, or if you're really stiff and sore,
then just try walking.
Then, follow this with some gentle stretching and help kickstart your muscles
recovery.
Check out our ultimate cool-down video for some tips on exactly what to do.
To help your aching muscles, you might want to consider an ice bath. Awful,
I know, but this can really help your recovery by reducing inflammation.
Alternatively, or alongside the ice bath, you could try an Epsom salt bath.
There's limited research into why this can help,
but the main gist is that the magnesium and sulfate in the salts increase
relaxation, reduce inflammation and aid in muscle and nerve function.
And let's face it,
a nice warm bath can also ease pain in the joints and muscles by taking the
weight off them and helping you to relax.
Don't forget to foam roll as well.
It's a great way of removing the tightness in your muscles and increasing the
range of motion in your joints. We have a video all about foam rolling
that you should check out for some more tips.
And lastly, something that you'll probably do anyway,
but you will need to prioritise this more than you think, and that is sleep.
Sleep's going to be so important in helping your body recover,
so don't sacrifice sleep,
and try to get even more than you think you need as it's often the most effective
recovery tool. And it's
free. The key to recovery is not to rush and go at your body's pace.
You might feel great after a few days,
or it might take a couple of weeks to feel back to normal after the marathon.
Just sensible with what you do,
and don't just think about the races you have lined up now,
but also what you want to achieve in the future.
Do things now that you'll thank yourself for later,
like fueling and recovering correctly.
Hopefully this video has given you some good tips on how to tackle back to back
marathons, but do leave any questions that you have in the comments below.
And now we've got a question for you. Are you back to back racing this year and if
the answer's yes, where are your races?
Let us know in the comments and we'll see you next time on The Running Channel.