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Marathon Before Ironman? Jen Says 'No'....

Wednesday, 25 February 2015 00:10

By Jen Rulon (jenrulon.com)

It is December and it is off-season triathlon training. A lot of athletes will do a variety of activities during their off-season: mountain biking, lift weights (YES!), yoga, mobility work and run a marathon.  Here is a conversation between a coach and their athlete, who is doing their 1st Ironman:  

Athlete: “I am going to do a marathon before I do my Ironman.”

Coach: ”OK. Why?”

Athlete: “I want to see how fast I can go and run the distance.”

Coach: “Do you think you can run your best alone marathon time after you swam and bike in your Ironman? I don’t believe Christian Bustos* did that in Kona in 1992.”  ...

Athlete: ”Well, I have never done a marathon before, so I feel that I need to do one before my Ironman. There is a marathon in the Ironman.”

Coach: ”I realize that. I understand that reasoning. My concern is the recovery time from the marathon, along with possibly injuries.”

Athlete: “What do you suggest? To do a marathon or do not do a marathon?

Coach: “No, I don’t suggest a marathon before your Ironman.”

That coach is me. Here are my reasons of why athletes should NOT do a marathon before their Ironman:  ...READ MORE