MARATHON RECOVERY ideas for Optimizing Future Races

Yep, been busy, sorry not blogging all the time........

OK, some of us just finished BOSTON, others a 50k, and so on. Lets talk recovery strategy.

FIRST off:
If you try to run more than 1 and maaaaybe 2 optimal races a year, expect to injure out.
Or plateau out at the very least. So, I often have to deal with OVER EXPECTATION of runners. Sounds familiar???
EVERY RACE CAN'T BE YOUR BEST, so get ova' it!!!!

Here's a typical scenario ......
Lets say you want to run a BQ at St. George in October, a very fast but TACTICAL course, since it has a massive uphill from miles 7 to 11, and a few backend rollers that can dash your downhill pace. So often, folks come to me from April onward, and tell me they are going to run other marathons, do extremely long runs ( 4 hrs + or 20+ milers), run the Grand Canyon, run 50k's etc. all between April and October. They are proud , and rightfully so, of their ability to do so, AND run the marathon. I nod and smile. But if they ask what I think, here's what I say.
"Regardless of your genetic talent, guts, and desires, and training, and even if you get a BQ, you will NOT run your optimum race at St. George, or any other marathon within 6 months".

I get blowback,  like gambler stories of alleged winners in Vegas, about anecdotal triumphs or improving times. That's all nice and I love it, but.....YOU LEFT YOUR OPTIMAL RACE OUT ON THE COURSE OR A TRAINING RUN somewhere earlier in the training cycle.

Here's why......
You couldn't keep up your speedwork and tempo training!!!!

Lets look at weeks of prepping and recovering from key races:
TAPER.... I promote TAPER schedules starting 6 weeks out. The last week or 2 get really easy in prep for the big effort. Then you race, and the next week you should really just bike and walk, then another 6 weeks to build back to a schedule, and another 4 weeks after that to just GET EVEN with your pre race speed/ tempo workouts, AT A MINIMUM! yes you can fool yourself, yes you can overcome and over perform, but now you have willingly entered the INJURY ZONE. As if in total denial, runners come up to me after injuring out while in this zone, and mumble:
"I have NO idea where that torn or ripped XXXXX  XXXXX injury came from!".
(see my Five Ways to an Injury Blog)

So lets look at the toll of a "big" race.
6 weeks taper, 1 week wiped out, 6 weeks recovery, 4 weeks to get back up to previous speed and  tempo levels= 17 weeks, or about 4 months,
and, oh yes........
YOU JUST LOST 17 Weeks of STEADY IMPROVEMENT under a periodization program. HELLOOOOOO!

So not only did you take a trip thru the injury zone, your mirrored alter ego in another dimension was able to get stronger over the last 17 weeks, and IMPROVE while you ran a big race and just got BACK to stasis!!!!

I AM NOT ARGUING with you about running and racing! I often go back to back, or otherwise run other races. I just don't ask my body to cash checks my ego has written. It so often comes back to realistic expectations.

So if you are keying in a "BIG" race, don't kill it off or marginalize it with some big mile races or workouts anywhere close to many months beforehand.
Now go have a good run, and be thankful for another day above the dirt!   :>)  Fe