"Plan races so that you have a day off racing for every mile raced."
A mile is 1.6km.
After a 6k – four days break from racing.
5 miles is 8km – so you shouldn’t race in the next five days after an 8km race.
After 10k race – leave it for a week before you race any distance again.
After a half marathon – two weeks
After a full marathon – you should plan a month’s break from racing.
After a marathon it is also wise to avoid speed work in training for a couple of weeks.
These are guidelines and there will be individual differences. An assumption is that the racing is flat out. The principle does not apply if the race is run at training pace. An example of this is the two hour half marathon I ran recently; I ran slower than training pace, and recovery was immediate.
For a marathon however you should probably have the full month's recovery whatever the pace.
Don’t forget – if you just keep on racing, not only are you neglecting to allow your body and mind a complete and proper recovery time – you are also neglecting to spend quality training time building up to another level. Sure there is a time to race frequently: but there is also a time to have a break from racing and concentrate on training. Could this time of year be a good time for you to have a break from racing?
Training Principle #3 - Plan races so that you have a day off racing for every mile raced.
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A mile is 1.6km.
After a 6k – four days break from racing.
5 miles is 8km – so you shouldn’t race in the next five days after an 8km race.
After 10k race – leave it for a week before you race any distance again.
After a half marathon – two weeks
After a full marathon – you should plan a month’s break from racing.
After a marathon it is also wise to avoid speed work in training for a couple of weeks.
These are guidelines and there will be individual differences. An assumption is that the racing is flat out. The principle does not apply if the race is run at training pace. An example of this is the two hour half marathon I ran recently; I ran slower than training pace, and recovery was immediate.
For a marathon however you should probably have the full month's recovery whatever the pace.
Don’t forget – if you just keep on racing, not only are you neglecting to allow your body and mind a complete and proper recovery time – you are also neglecting to spend quality training time building up to another level. Sure there is a time to race frequently: but there is also a time to have a break from racing and concentrate on training. Could this time of year be a good time for you to have a break from racing?
Training Principle #3 - Plan races so that you have a day off racing for every mile raced.
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