Ask the coach: How do I keep sharp during the summer months between marathon blocks?

During the summer months between marathon blocks, how should I tackle keeping sharp? I’ve seen other sites promote ‘in-between training plans’.

Amy

Running coach answer: During the summer months, between marathon blocks

Sometimes, the emotionally empty feeling you have after a marathon makes it difficult to pick up your training, particularly after you have had the two-week break that we advise. After all, the marathon training block can be all-consuming, and the race itself is a very big psychological event – feeling something is missing is probably inevitable.

You must have that rest period after your marathon, to reset the body, after the high training demands and the race effort – which are both physically and mentally exhausting.

Picking another marathon is one way of refocusing – going into a new marathon build-up – but if your next planned marathon isn’t for six months, or even further away, you will have a fallow period – to do what in?

In terms of the next marathon build-up, it is best if you can avoid a long layoff before starting marathon training from a low level of fitness. It is much better if you can continue with some running to hold your fitness level until you start building up to another marathon block.  

If you are going into the summer months, I always advise my athletes to run some shorter races, drop off the mileage (of the marathon programme) and experiment with other forms of running – such as repetitions and intervals. Then choose one or two key races at 5km to 10km and see what you can run having prepared with running more anaerobically. The runners invariably carry their aerobic fitness with them for some time after the marathon, which combined with some faster running, often results in good performances over the shorter distances.

My personal best time over 3,000m (8.01) on the track came in an early summer track event, after I had run the London Marathon five or six weeks before. I was also able to run for my club, Invicta East Kent AC, in track & field league matches over 800m and 1,500m, and a leg of the 4x400m relay, in the same meet, almost being able to predict I would run 1min55sec in the 800, 3min55sec in the 1,500 and a split of 51 sec in the relay leg. These were not work-shattering times, but good points for my club, and let me focus on something different for a while.

On Coach the Run we have a 4-weekly Keep Sharp – In Between Races Training Plan, that covers most training bases while you are between marathons – this, of course, can become an 8-week plan, to take you through the summer, by going through the rotation twice.

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