I am one of those runners who ran the New York marathon this year on November 4th. Thirteen days later on Nov 17th (less than two weeks), I ran yet another marathon, the Soldier Marathon in Columbus Georgia.
During the four-month long training for New York, I gradually reached the conclusion that the training was too tough to waste on a single race. I decided to maximize my training by running two marathons within one month. It made perfect sense. I would treat the NY race as just another long run prepping for the second race. But I also decided that I would cancel the second race if my body did not recover sufficiently for it.
As it turned out, I was ok, although I struggled with the second race. By the way, I was just one month shy of my 56th birthday during these races.
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Quality matters. If you've got the build for it and are willing to go slow and are young enough, it isn't that difficult; after all, a 100 mile footrace is almost 4 marathons back to back with no rest.
But a maximum performance effort marathon will take a lot of time to recover from .
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Aspiring 50 Staters (run a marathon or ultra in every state) have known this for years. Save money by traveling once, racing twice. Among the well known pairs are Hartford (CT) and Newport (RI) and Missisippi Blues (MS) and First Light (AL), Get to the first race on Friday, race Saturday, drive to the second race Saturday afternoon, race Sunday, enjoy your achievement Sunday night. And yes it does help if you don't think of these as all-out races but more like supported long runs with nice people handing you Gatorade.
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Some thoughts on how to run fast as a masters athlete: https://liveboulderrunbolder.wordpress.com/2018/11/14/fighting-fit-and-fast-in-fifties-the-ingredients/
Don't forget Quadzilla in Seattle!
The hardest part with doing back to back marathons (i.e. Chicago & New York) is balancing the rest and need to train in between. I did both this year and did New York 2 minutes faster than Chicago.
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Our running group used the rule - one day of "rest" ( i.e. no racing) for each mile run in a race. This means you can one run one 5 miler a week and theoretically one marathon a month. Many of our group ran one 5 miler a week but no one did even consecutive week marathons Something tells me rule breaks down as the race distance increases.
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I kept waiting for a mention of the UK comedian and actor Eddie Izzard, who in 2016, then 54, ran 27 marathons in 27 days in tribute to the 27 years Nelson Mandela spent in prison, having previously completed 43 marathons in 51 days in 2009, both times raising money for Sport Relief. He has also performed his stand up show in different languages. Both feats incredibly impressive. Capable of running back to back marathons and a comic free-association dialogue in German. Übermensch?
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I heard some crazy guy once ran 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days. And he's still alive.
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@Dean Karnazes
Hi Dean! Im a huge fan. I read your book and before running my 18th marathon overal and 13th NYC watched your Dave Letterman interview from back in the day before you put ultramarathoning on the map. Be well and Happy Running! Sooner than later I am going to run my first Ultra-50K even if it is in my own neighborhood!
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@Dean Karnazes I heard he wrote a book about it too, though I can’t seem to remember his name...
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@Dean Karnazes Yeah, I wouldn't say two marathons a month apart are back to back.
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I'm just wondering how anyone can afford 52 marathons in one year! #racepoor
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The key to running back to back marathons (for most runners) is to not try to set any personal records but look at them as long runs with lots of friends! I've done back to back this way with no issues. The only time I ran into trouble was when I BQ'd and then attempted another race (a half marathon) a week later. Heart and brain said yes; IT band said no!
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I ran my first marathon 18 years ago and have more than 65 marathons and ultras under my belt now. My first 100 mile race is next month. I have never heard of doubling but I did run a marathon a month every month for a year straight, not because I was trying to prove something but because I love running. I also nursed my two kids are the start line of two trail marathons six months post partum. I am of the opinion that some people are built to run and some people are not - their bodies just can’t handle the pounding and things break. I can’t run every day or I get injured. But for those who can, there is nothing more magical than a good run. Running opens up the heart and the mind and I always say, if you don’t like running you, are not running far enough. Don’t make excuses - get out there...even if just for a mile. Use and enjoy your body to its fullest ability, which for some is a 5k and for others a jaunt across America. Go run. It is freeing.
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@Ultra Mom
I agree. I have been running over 4 decades, but run a marathon only once every four or five years. One of my friends took up ultras after law school, and has been running 50-200 races for 30+ years now. I run 30-50 mile weeks regularly, but break down with higher mileage and make sure not to overdo it because I'd like to keep running for another 20-30 years. Unfortunately, I know many people in their 40's (and younger) who injured themselves so badly running a dozen or more marathons in a year or two, or just running too far every single day without listening to their bodies, that they now face the rest of their lives without being able to run. Not everyone can race or run longer distances without injury. Me, I can't play tennis or golf because I routinely damage my wrists and elbows when I try. Find your strengths, and preserve your future!
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At what point do you say "enough?" I tend to get injured or chronically sore if I don't recover adequately after a race. On about 20 miles a week, I finish three half marathons a year with times around 2 hours. If I do much more than that, experience suggests that I will get some nagging issues like piriformis pain or plantar fasciitis.
@Lutoslawski - consider adding some strength training to your regimen. Working with athletes has shown me more and more that runners need to be as adept at mileage calculations as they do calculating reps and sets. Adding in basic strength movements changed my personal journey from 3:$5 marathon working down to 2:39.
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I ran Chicago and New York in 2014 at 60 years of age and was only 8 minutes slower in New York. And then in 2015 I ran four marathons with BQs in Paris and Berlin. Just keep running.
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Awe, two marathons in two weeks. That's so cute. Try two Ironman triathlons in two weeks. Now that's fun. Germany and UK back-to-back when I was in my 50's and just crazy enough to try that.
Is this article celebrating behavior that may lead to major health problems years downstream? Off the top of my head, it would seem to put runners at higher risk for myocardial fibrosis, oxidative stress injury, microfractures, and various muscle breakdown disorders, all of which take time to manifest symptoms. Moreover, it's well established that amateur runners are at higher risk for musculoskeletal injury to begin with because of the greater numbers of footfalls - thus cumulative impacts - in their longer marathon times.
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@SMB
The 'potential' for all stress based injury is far better than the diabetes, high blood pressure, and muscle loss that comes with the lack of movement in the majority of Americans. I think the majority of people who are pursuing this are doing so out of enjoyment knowing the risks. There are benefits and drawbacks to every sport some of us just love to run.
The body is meant to be utilized - you will have breakdown from playing too many rounds of golf, too many miles cycled, and too many yards swam. However, ask anyone that's pushing the limit...it's for the love of the sport.
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@Coach Andrew - Not advocating sedentary lifestyles - I've been a competitive distance runner - but simply suggesting that as in so many aspects of our culture, we seem to love binging. More of a good thing doesn't automatically make it better physiologically. And last time I checked, folks who "only" run a few marathons a year do not represent a high risk population for diabetes et al.
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For three years straight before my twins were born, I ran NYC marathon, Philadelphia marathon 2 weeks later and a spring marathon. 3 marathons in a year. Next up is my own 50K (31.1 miles) ultra marathon in my own neighborhood
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Ran the Marine Corp this year, then NYC the next week, took a week off and have the NYC 60k this weekend. 64 yrs old and still groovin’. I know many folks that make me look like a lightweight.
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I ran Chicago 10/7, Marine Corps 10/28, and NYC 11/4. That’s 3 marathons within 28 days, and I just turned 67 in September. Last week, I came home still high from the wonderful time I had in NYC, a friend said, why not sign up for Philadelphia for 11/18. I thought for a moment, and went straight to my computer and signed up. So, Philadelphia will be my 4th marathon within 6 weeks, and it will be my 124th marathon in 17 years. I ran my first marathon at age 50. Feeling better than ever!
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@Lien James
You are a beast! See you in Philly this weekend! Pacing 5:00 group this time!
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@Lien James
More impressive than completing 3 or 4 marathons in 30-45 days is managing to get registered for Chicago, Marine Corp, & NYC all in the same season! Those are 3 high demand marathons with extremely low acceptance rates.
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Thanks for drawing attention to this growing trend!! Would be interesting to see stats on the number of people running multiple fall world marathon majors (I imagine it would be difficult to find stats on people running more than one local marathon in a short period of time)- and how these numbers have changed over time.
Also your characterization of lactic acid is misguided - but almost everyone makes that mistake!
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I did Chicago and NYC this year too. About 23 minutes slower but did a lot of sightseeing and walking the two days before NYC. Glad I did both!!!!
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Great article. Many in my network thought I was out of my tree when I ran the 2018 Marine Corps Marathon and New York City marathon a week apart. I did in 2016 too. Seemed normal at that moment in time with no injuries . . . Soreness, yes, but that's normal. A human body is not meant to be in continuous motion for 26.2 miles LOL :-)
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