Dear readers, I need your input.
As you know, I am running the Army Ten Miler this October. It is a bucket-list race for me, more so because I’ve DNSed it twice before. It is, without doubt, my target race for the fall.
This past weekend I started my training group, which targets the Baltimore Half Marathon. Due to financial restraints, I decided I wasn’t going to run Baltimore this year. Plus, ATM is WAY flatter and I really kinda love the idea of not having to run hills in the brutal heat of the summer.
But talking with the girls in my group on our run really revived the Baltimore bug. I would love to run the race with the people I am training so hard with rather than just sitting on the sidelines cheering (not that there’s anything wrong with that). The financial cost is too high so I am thinking about joining a fundracing team again, but that’s really kind of moot for this post.
My question to you: Am I taking an unnecessary risk by running a hard, hilly half marathon the weekend after my target 10 miler? I really want to do Baltimore, but I also don’t want to risk season-ending injury. I plan to truly race my annual winter 5 miler in mid-December and hope to stay conditioned enough to run a spring half or two.
Run Doodle Run 
July 17, 2014 at 7:27 pm
It depends on your goals. If your goal is to run a fast 10 miler, then you should make the half marathon very slow. If you just want to finish the 10-miler, hen you can pick up the pace for the half. So long as your goal for the second race isn’t to PR or push too hard, you can make it a fun day. I ran a half marathon easy one week before a marathon this year and I also ran a 5&10k the day before a half. It all worked because of the adjustment of my goals for each race to accommodate running all he races. If you think of the half as a training run, you shouldn’t have any issues.
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July 18, 2014 at 9:15 am
I know it’s tough to skip a race but that sounds pretty risky – it might work out but it might give you an injury or set you back a few weeks – probably not worth it in my opinion. Whatever you decide, best of luck!
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