3 weeks between

"How do I train for a second marathon, three weeks after the first?"

This was the question I faced in April 2005. Having just trained like crazy all winter for the Athens (OH) Marathon, I caught a hot weather race day. A direct sunlit and 75F day halted my marathon PR attempt.

I recovered somewhat quickly and remained motivated to try again. At the urging of a couple older runners, I kept my options open to try the Flying Pig marathon, just 3 weeks after Athens. I searched and searched and found no training schedules for "3 weeks between" marathons.

I did, however, find a "4 week between" plan in Pete's Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning book. Below is a snapshot of my April 2005 run log and the three weeks between marathons:

April 10, 2005 - Athens Marathon (3:22)

Three weeks to go (Apr 11-17):
M- OFF
Tu- 4mi Easy
W- OFF
Th- 6.0 trails (tempo)
F- 8.0 Easy
Sa- 6.0 trails (4x strides)
Su- 18.0 Long (VR group)
Total miles: 42

Two weeks to go (Apr 18-24):
M- OFF (swim 30 min)
Tu- 8.0 Easy (8x strides)
W- 5.0 Easy
Th- 8.0 Interval (3x1600 @ 5k race pace)
F- OFF
Sa- 6.5 Easy
Su- 10.0 Easy
Total Miles: 38

One week to go (Apr 25- May 1):
M- OFF (swim 20min)
Tu- 5.0 Easy
W- 7.0 Easy (with 2mi at MP)
Th- 4.0 Easy (6x strides)
F- OFF
Sa- 3.0 Easy
Su- Race 2nd Marathon (3:09)
Total miles: 45

The plan resulted in a 3:09 PR and that first BQ that I so much longed for at the time.

Fast forward to 2007. Coming off the Bull Run Run, and hearing that two of my training buds wanted some Boston redemption at the Flying Pig, I kept my options open.

Here's what I did in the three weeks between this year's Bull Run Run and the Flying Pig:

April 14, 2007 - Bull Run Run 50 Mile (8:17)

Three weeks to go (Apr 15-21):
Sun: Cycling 6.5 miles
Mon: Run 3 miles easy
Tue: 3 miles easy; 10 miles cycling
Wed: rest
Thur: rest
Fri: 7 miles easy
Sat: Cycling 15 miles; run 3 miles (brick)

Totals:
Run: 16 miles on 4 runs (2h 22m)
Cycling: 31.5 miles (2h 10m)

Two weeks to go (Apr 22-28):
Sun: Run 18 miles (2:31)
Mon: Run 4 miles; Swim 1400 yards
Tue: 8.5 miles easy
Wed: 5 miles easy
Thur: 8.5 miles; with 3mi @ I-pace (3x1600m)
Fri: rest
Sat: Cycling 7 miles; Swim 2700 yards

Totals:
Run: 44 miles on 5 runs (6h 09m)
Cycling: 7 miles (29m)
Swim: 2.3 miles (1h 28m)

One week to go (Apr 29- May 5):
Sun: Run 10 miles easy; Cycle 5 mi
Mon: Run 4 miles; Swim 1500 yards
Tue: 6 miles easy; Cycle 11 mi
Wed: 8.5 miles; with 3mi @ T-pace (4x 1200m; with 1min rests)
Thur: 6 miles easy (trails); Cycle 11 mi
Fri: rest; Cycle 14 mi
Sat: 3 miles easy

Totals:
Run: 37.5 miles on 6 runs (5hr 12m)
Cycling: 45 miles (3hr 5m)
Swim: 0.9 miles (32m)

Not exactly a full taper, eh?

Kind of neat to be able to draw on my past experience, but moreso to be able to find success in modifying an existing plan to make it fit into the time available. Admittedly, three weeks not the ideal amount of time to to allow for recovery, retraining, and to quickly re-taper before running the second race.

I have no doubt that I could not pull off this kind of effort if not for my favorite cross-training: cycling and swimming. The two quality workouts (10 days and 4 days pre-marathon #2) provided enough speed to keep sharp. The rest has become Flying Pig history.

If you're anxious for the race report, please have some patience. I did not expect the kind of day it turned out to be. A day like this deserves more than I have to offer tonight. Stay tuned.