Marathon/Half Marathon Running. Long Distance Running/Run Training.

If you are training to run a marathon the hardest part of training, at least for me is completing the long runs. They can be tedious and lonely and to properly train to complete a marathon you are going to have to tough out at least three long runs in the 18-20 mile range to run a comfortable race.

To lessen the burden of these long runs consider entering a few half marathons and then run some extra miles after the race or right before the race. It’s easier to run long distances in a race format with other runners than on your own. Another benefit is the built in support in a race such as water stops and food which can get logistically difficult if you are running on your own.

If you are going to utilize this technique make sure you do not race and instead run at a slower pace than you normally would as you will be running more than the 13.1 race distance. Once you complete the race you can grab a quick snack in the finishing area and then head back out to run the additional miles to reach the distance you are running for the day 15, 18, 20 miles depending on where you are at in your training. I typically will run back out to the 12 mile mark and then back in for 15 total miles or out to the 11 mile marker and back in for 17 total miles.

Make sure you remove your race bib on your second pass through so as to not get confused with the runner’s still completing the race. Also do your best not to interfere with runner’s still completing their race and you shouldn’t use the water stops on your second pass through as it is poor etiquette and not fair to the runner’s still finishing their races. Consider the extra miles you run after the race more or less a cool down which has the added benefit of counting as a long run in your training plan.

You should be doing a long run about every other week so schedule your half marathons accordingly. It is OK to alter this schedule a bit as necessary though. Typically you can hold the benefit of a long run for about a month. So if you run 18 miles you should still be fit enough to run 18 miles again in 3-4 weeks. But from my personal experience the more long runs your complete in training the better prepared you will be on race day. I also found recovery time significantly reduced in the races where I had completed more long runs in training.

There are some drawbacks to this method such as the cost of the races and some may be tempted to run too fast in a race format. Remember the idea of the long run in training is to build endurance. You do not want to race your long runs and end up getting injured before race day. But if you don’t mind covering the race fees and can discipline yourself to not race the half marathons this technique can take some of the drudgery out of training for a full marathon.