Second Half Marathon in a Month - Should I Run It or Not?

by Annette
(Dover)

Hi, I ran a half marathon a month ago, but have not done any great distances since, 6 miles max.

I'm thinking of doing a half marathon this Sunday - would I be daft to attempt it, or do you think all the training I put in for the previous half marathon will still be in me somewhere?

Thanks for your time.

Annette :-)

Answer by Dominique:

Hi Annette,

Thanks for your question about doing your half marathon in the upcoming weekend.

The answer... it depends...

I think there are two considerations at play here:

1. How solid was the training before the previous half marathon?
2. What are your goals for this half marathon?
3. Possible concerns about muscle damage

How Solid was the Training Before the Previous Half Marathon?

You have done your previous half marathon a month ago. Did you build up well towards that event? Did you do a lot of training? And how well did the half marathon go? Did you do well? Or did you only barely make it to the finish line?

Only you can answer these questions. Rest assured, all that built-up fitness before your race of last month is not going to go away overnight. Sure, if your training has been a bit of lacklustre since then, you would have lost a little bit of fitness.

But you have still done some running and you have done at least one six mile run. So, I think you are only slightly less prepared than you were for the first half marathon

What are Your Goals for this Half Marathon?

Assuming you made it to the finish line in the race last month, and given you have done at least some running in the last month, you should be fine to finish the run.

Only if you have super-aggressive time goals and/or wish to set a personal best, I'd probably ask to check in with yourself and have a good hard look in the mirror. Because I don't think that would be entirely reasonable. With the lack of strong preparation over the last month, you will have lost some of your sharpness. So, I would be very surprised if a Personal Best is on the cards for this attempt.

If I were you, I'd set my goals a little lower. Finish the run, enjoy your time out on the course, have fun and enjoy another great race!

Possible Concerns About Muscle Damage

Something not explicit in your question, but something I wanted to address in case it was a lingering concern is if it were in any way bad for you to run a second half marathon.

In short - I don't think so.

Yes, the half marathon is a fairly demanding distance. And racing a half marathon does require some solid recovery afterwards. 1.5-2 weeks or so, depending on how hard it was for you.

But, you have actually done really well, in that you have taken it easy afterwards and have not pushed on with hard training. So, you should be well recovered.

All in all, yes, do your half marathon. The half marathon is a fantastic distance and finishing two in a month will be a fantastic achievement. Don't focus too much on setting lofty time goals, I don't think this second half marathon is about that. Enjoy and best of luck in that next race! I hope it goes well for you.

Wishing you well,
Dominique