Poignant Irrelevance

Monday, June 20, 2005

Racing While Training?

does anybody know if it is ok to run a race while training for a marathon? can i run a 5k? a 10k? if i were to run a race, am i supposed to take it easy and not go all out? or just stick to the M training schedule? this saturday's long run is 9 miles, so i guess if i ran a 5k race on that day, it would mess everything up? hmmmm. thanks!

posted by brent at 12:58 PM

9 Comments:

  • B- It's okay to run races every so often when training. In fact, it's good b/c it helps you get more used to the race environment- you can use the short races to train yourself to not go out too fast etc. I did a few 5ks and 2 10ks while training. The only issue I ran into was that if I did a 5k on Saturday (my long run day) it wasn't enough mileage. But you can always go do the race and then run more before or after to make up the mileage or swap your training days around. As for pace- I tried to do my at my marathon pace even though I can do shorter distances faster.

    By Blogger Tiggs, at 1:06 PM  

  • i like to put at least one half marathon and a 10k in my race prep schedule. it gives you a confidence boost for the big race and helps you work out the race day kinks.

    just make sure that it's not too close to your big race day and make sure you recover from the races properly.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 1:59 PM  

  • I've seen a lot of bloggers talk about their "training races" and according to cassie and jeff's answers, I say go for it! It will probably break up the monotony of training, too.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:12 PM  

  • I was just going to say that using races as part of your training program works really well. I managed to find a half marathon right at the perfect point of my marathon training program a few years ago and it worked like a champ.

    By Blogger Denise, at 4:35 PM  

  • I agree - go for it. I was training for a half in feb and ran races - 4km trail races ever 2nd weekend. I stuck to 4km and ran my long run the next day. While my buddy Karen ran the 8km race and did an 8km the next day and ran her long runs every other weekend. We both did just fine when it came to race day. The key sometimes is to treat the race more like a training run.

    By Blogger Dawn - Pink Chick Tris, at 7:36 PM  

  • it also helps not to "put all of your eggs in one basket" so to speak. marathon training comes with increased risk of injury, worry about sickness on race day, and the training is just plain really hard. it's important to do fun stuff along the way. if you like racing and want to race some short stuff-totally do it.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:53 PM  

  • They say the racing helps - Still working on my first Marathon, so who knows?

    By Blogger Jank, at 1:37 PM  

  • I'm going to echo everyone else, because I'm so original, and say go for it! I used to make sure and sign up for 10Ks, 10 milers and half marathons all during training. It's such a fun and easy way to get your runs in and whet your competitive appetite. Plus, in your case, you'll surely have a ready supply of hot running girls to chase and help you keep your pace.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:49 PM  

  • really enjoyed it. Thanks!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:45 PM  

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