As you gear up for a full marathon, you want to be strategic about when and how you run. While you’re probably following a training plan (or you should!) to help you balance intensity and gradually build your mileage, that doesn’t mean you can’t race a 5K, 10-miler, or any other distance throughout the course of your training.
How to Run a Marathon With the 10/10/10 Method pacing and nutrition strategies. Also, it allows you to practice waking up early and having your prerun meals or snacks, which can help ease any race-day jitters. This can come in handy when it’s time to toe the line for your marathon because you’ll know what to expect.
Plus, when it comes to adding shorter distance races into the mix, the marathon is one of the more flexible builds, Bob Wells, manager and coach-in-training at the Atlanta Track Club tells Runner’s World. This is because you likely have workouts on your plan that are comparable to 5Ks, 10Avoid scheduling a half marathon, he says. Therefore, adding another race to your schedule isn’t going to sideline you, instead it can help you reach your marathon goals and add to your excitement.
To help you better plan and prepare for these tune-up races, we tapped two run coaches. Here’s how they recommend adding shorter race distances to your marathon build.
4 Tips for Gaining the Benefits of Tune-Up Races During Marathon Training
1. Prioritize Rest and Recovery
There are a handful of workouts marathon runners do repeatedly during the course of a training cycle, including tempo runs, speed workouts, and long runs. You want to go into these workouts well rested and ready to perform the workout as prescribed, Wells explains.
How to Add Races to Marathon Training for Max Performance Payoffs track workout—typically scheduled on week day—for a 5K on the weekend, and complete your long run during the week. Just be mindful not to stack hard efforts back to back.
Tips to Prep for Marathon Training recovery We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back rest day, not going out too fast easy run, Advertisement - Continue Reading Below cross training, he says.
Another way to add a 5K to your training week is to race it on a Saturday and stick with your regularly scheduled long run (typically on Sundays), says Elizabeth Corkum, run coach at Equinox in New York City and owner of Coach Corky Runs. Just keep in mind, because you won’t have those rest days between, you’ll be The Spring Marathons of 2025, so “the best choice is always to relax and allow the legs to find the effort that feels right,” says Corkum. That may mean slowing down your recover from the race How to Run Your Fastest 5K.
2. Sandwich a Shorter Race
As you get more into your training plan with increased weekly mileage and extra long long runs, swapping a speed workout for a race might not be enough for you to reach your weekly training demands. In this instance, you can sandwich a race in between your miles. For example, instead of scheduling a 5K on a separate day from your long run, you could incorporate it into the long run. Corkum recommends running a few miles before and the majority of your miles after the race at an easy pace.
Published: Aug 20, 2024 4:50 PM EDT warmup before a 5K at an easy effort, then take a short break as you wait for the race to start. Run 3.1 miles at a tempo pace or a comfortably hard effort. This can be your 10K pace (so slightly slower than you’d race a 5K). Finish by running an additional 10 miles at an easy effort similar to your warmup pace or even slower. This will help you meet your long run demands and run the 5K all in the same day.
“It‘s not perfect in that it doesn’t have that continuous effort and focus that most long runs should have,” says Corkum, “but it’s a fun, creative way to get the job done and mix it up.”
In the event you can’t run the majority of your miles after a race, Corkum recommends completing them before at a super easy pace, then running the race at the same pace mentioned above. The key is not burning out before you get to the end of your total mileage.
3. Schedule a Half Marathon Appropriately
Avoid scheduling a half marathon too soon after you kick off your then consider racing a half marathon that features hills. The distance has to be appropriate for where you are in your marathon build, says Corkum. This means you shouldn’t try to run a half marathon if your longest long run is only seven miles, she explains. Instead, you want to make sure you can run 10 to 14 miles comfortably.
As far as when to schedule the race, the sweet spot is anywhere from eight to four weeks before your marathon, says Corkum. Scheduling a half marathon within this timeframe will allow you the opportunity to recover from the race Nutrition - Weight Loss fueling strategy How to Adjust Your Run Schedule After a Big Race.
Lastly, if you want to race a half marathon and hit a new PR, Corkum recommends scheduling a deload week before running the half marathon that includes an additional rest day. During this time you should decrease your mileage by 15 to 30 percent so you’re not The Spring Marathons of 2025, she says. (If you’re running a half marathon for the experience, meaning you’re not focusing on pushing the pace, then taking a deload week isn’t necessary.)
After you cross the finish line of the 13.1-mile race, schedule two rest days.
4. Treat Races as a Dress Rehearsal
Adding a tune-up race, like a half marathon, to your then consider racing a half marathon that features hills is a great way to use shorter distances to prepare for your big day. To make the most of it, Corkum recommends finding a race with a course that is similar to the marathon you’re training to run. For example, if you’re preparing to run the New York City Marathon, Health & Injuries hilly course, How to Start Running.
You can use any race to try out some of the strategies you’ll use on marathon race day. For example, practice waking up earlier, eating your prerun meal, and even taking bathroom breaks during the race to see how you feel. Running through these rituals ahead of marathon day will help calm your nerves and make you feel more prepared when it comes time to run 26.2, Corkum says.
Lastly, if you’re feeling up to it, take things a step further by practicing pace. For example, if you run a half marathon, Wells recommends you run the first two miles slow (a good way to practice not going out too fast!), then the next 11 miles at a constant effort like your marathon pace. This is actually a great time to practice your marathon pace, he says, and to note how it feels. (Don’t feel pressure to speed up at the end of the half, either, especially if you’re racing close to marathon day.)
After the race, Wells suggests you evaluate everything from the things that transpired in the days leading up to the race to the moment you cross the finish line, and then make adjustments accordingly.
This can mean tweaking your goal time for your marathon if you find that you ran the race too fast or your marathon pace felt too easy, he says. (Keeping in mind you’ll be doubling the distance!) Also, you can factor in how your sleep and any stressors may have affected your performance and how you might deal with them come marathon weekend, so you have the best day yet.
Monique LeBrun joined the editorial staff in October 2021 as the associate health and fitness editor. She has a master’s degree in journalism and has previously worked for ABC news and Scholastic. She is an avid runner who loves spending time outside.
