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.
If the marathon is two weeks out:
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Week One:
Monday: Easy run 45 minutes
Tuesday: Cross-Train 30-40 minutes
Wednesday: Tempo Run (eg. 15-20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Thursday: Cross-Train 30-40 minutes
Friday: Easy run 40 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 10-12 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Two: Race Week (follow your normal taper week)
Monday: Easy run 40 minutes
Tuesday: Cross-Train 30 minutes
Wednesday: Easy run 30 minutes with 4-6 3-second pick ups
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Easy run 30 minutes
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Marathon
If the marathon is three weeks out:
Week One:
Monday: Easy run 50-60 minutes
Tuesday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Wednesday: Tempo Run (eg. 20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Friday: Easy run 40 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 12-14 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Two:
Monday: Easy run 45 minutes
Tuesday: Cross-Train 30-40 minutes
Wednesday: Tempo Run (eg. 15-20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Thursday: Cross-Train 30-40 minutes
Friday: Easy run 40 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 8-10 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Three: Race Week (follow your normal taper week)
Monday: Easy run 40 minutes
Tuesday: Cross-Train 30 minutes
Wednesday: Easy run 30 minutes with 4-6 3-second pick ups
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Easy run 30 minutes
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Marathon
If the marathon is four weeks out:
Week One:
Monday: Easy run 50-60 minutes
Tuesday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Wednesday: Tempo Run or Speed Workout (eg. 20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Friday: Easy run 40 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 15-16 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Two:
Monday: Easy run 50-60 minutes
Tuesday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Wednesday: Tempo Run or Speed Workout (eg. 20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Thursday: Cross-Train 40-45 minutes
Friday: Easy run 40 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 12 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Three:
Monday: Easy run 45 minutes
Tuesday: Cross-Train 30-40 minutes
Wednesday: Tempo Run (eg. 15-20 min plus warm up and cool down)
Thursday: Cross-Train 30-40 minutes
Friday: Easy run 40 minutes
Saturday: Long Run – 8-10 miles
Sunday: Rest
Week Four: Race Week (follow your normal taper week)
Monday: Easy run 40 minutes
Tuesday: Cross-Train 30 minutes
Wednesday: Easy run 30 minutes with 4-6 3-second pick ups
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Easy run 30 minutes
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Marathon
A special shout out to my friend Adam Howitt at WalkJogRun for compiling a list of marathon options this fall for those who are deferring at NYC.
Happy Trails.
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