Has anyone ever done two marathons three weeks apart? (Read 1987 times)

my first two where 10 years apart, and with Chicago next weekend it will have been 14 since the last. I think I'm recovered from both :-)

I suppose you could "complete" another one3 weeks later, but I doubt if you'd be able to run as fast. 

My first 2 marathons (and only ones for now) were 2 weeks apart.  I ran the first with friends at a training pace.  I thought it would be kind of a waste of the training cycle to not give a harder effort.  So I monitored my recovery for almost a week and felt good enough to register for the second one. 

My training was on the light side with several weeks of 40+ mileage and my second one was 45 minutes faster than the first.  And due to bad choices about pace in the middle of the race, it was a lot more painful.   Or maybe it was painful because of trying for my best time, rather than just finishing.  I hear racing is like that.

I expect I will schedule two races next time I train for that distance.

Oh and because I it qualified me for the asylum, I requested maniac status - # 1624.

Chuck

I just managed a 50k and 2 marathons in 3 weeks and I survived. It went 50k, marathon, marathon. The middle marathon was almost a 5 min PR and the last one was only 8 minutes slower.

I just managed a 50k and 2 marathons in 3 weeks and I survived. It went 50k, marathon, marathon. The middle marathon was almost a 5 min PR and the last one was only 8 minutes slower.

 

The weather gods were very kind to you at your two marathons (I can't speak to Cle Elum).  I think you should show up at more races.

 

The weather gods were very kind to you at your two marathons (I can't speak to Cle Elum).  I think you should show up at more races.

 Indeed! Hey I didn't see you in Portland!??!?! Weather was so-so at Cle Elum (a little wet and a little cold, but not terrible).

 

Chopping 45 minutes off my time would be just dreamy.  I am not sure if I have room for "a lot more pain[ ]" beneath my threshold, though. 

 Hey Nader.  The 45 minutes improvement (4:56 to 4:11) could be impressive if the first one had been a race effort.  It was at a training run pace and included long stops - 3 people take longer stops than 1 person.  Now, if the next one is 25 minutes faster, I would be in dreamland for sure.  That would be a BQ time for me.  I am sure it will have to be paid for during training, plus the race day pain of maintaining best possible pace to the finish.

We have a group here: http://www.runningahead.com/groups/MMs Dane Rauschenberg. AKA fiddy2: http://www.fiddy2.org/

 

 

As for how the times compare, in the 42nd, 43rd and 44th marathons of that year I ran a 2:59, 3:03, and 3:05.  While the times are impressive or not depending on where on the scale of athleticism you fall, what is impressive is that all three beat my previous PR going into the year (3:07).

 

More recently, I did 8 marathons in 6 weeks and the 6th marathon was another PR (2:49).  Can everyone do this?  No idea.  Is it wise to do this? Well, many can attest that they can do multiple marathons but I speaking for myself I know I have never had a running injury, am often running at 95% of my current running talent (which is quite different than, say, being a 2:30 guy who goes out and relatively jogs a 2:55) and have met so many others who do the same.

 

So yes indeed, many have run marathons in such a short distance.  In fact, it was when I first did this (which I thought was ridiculous at the time) that I found where my talent lies.

 

Good luck to you in whatever you do.