25. When can I start training and racing again after the marathon?
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You will need about a month to fully recover after your marathon. A good rule is to not race for at least one day for each mile of the race. That comes to 26 days. For the first few days it may be best not to run so that you avoid pounding on muscles that need time to repair. If you need to exercise, stick to 30- to 60-minute sessions of walking or non-impact crosstraining, such as swimming. After about three or four days, you may be able to run an easy 2 to 4 miles daily or every other day for the rest of the week. Increase mileage during the second week to no more than 25 to 50 percent of normal, and to no more than 50 to 75 percent during the third (and perhaps fourth) post-marathon week. By the fourth or fifth week you may be ready to resume normal training, depending on how you feel.
Don't rush back too soon-whether you are excited after a good marathon or upset after a bad one. But don't take too much time off, either. If you don't exercise for two weeks or more, it may take twice that time or more to regain fitness.
26. I was very disappointed in my marathon and think I can do another much faster. Is it okay to try another marathon two or three weeks later to redeem myself?
Whoa! To attempt another marathon so quickly risks injury and an even more disappointing performance. However, if you recover properly it is often possible to use your hard-earned training to sneak in a second marathon four to eight weeks after the first one. No promises-the weather could be off that day, or something else could go wrong-but if the weather is good and the course is fairly quick, you may indeed "redeem" yourself.
However, if you trained well for your "disappointing" marathon and had some good tune-up races at the 5K to half-marathon distance, you know that you did all you could to prepare. Perhaps you were the victim of injury, illness, unlucky weather, faulty pacing, or inadequate fluid or fuel intake. That does not mean you were a failure and that "redemption" is required. It is okay to chalk it up to a learning experience and pursue other running goals for a while before returning to marathon training once again.
26.2 Hooray! I did it! I finished the marathon. But now that the goal that kept me going for six months has been achieved, what's next? How do I stay motivated, and how can I improve next time?
Congratulations! You are a hero for life for completing the ING New York City Marathon. If you now choose to enjoy shorter races or just run for fun and fitness, that's fine. But many runners catch the marathon bug. Some wish to explore different marathon courses, others simply want to get even with that ING New York City Marathon course, and still others relish the new challenge of improving personal records.
The best way to improve your marathon next time is to take a break from training to regenerate, then work on improving your times at the 5K to half-marathon distances. Get to the point where those race times predict a faster marathon time, and then aim for the marathon again with slight increases in your mileage and the number and distance of your long runs. These training increases will make you both faster and stronger. A great way to improve your speed, and thus your marathon pace, is with the NYRR Running Classes.