15 replies to this topic

[HughB]

I need to make a decision soon if I'm going to get serious about the training necessary ... the Melbourne Marathon (11th Oct) and the Around the Bay in a Day bike ride (18th Oct) are one week apart this year.
In 2008 I did a half marathon (21.1km) and then one week later I did the Around the Bay bike ride (210kms). Apart from a temporary case of "Runners knee" from the run I managed the two events OK.
I have never done a full marathon before - therefore is it realistic for me to aim for a full marathon this year and do the significant level of training for both a marathon run and a long distance bike ride ?
Is this something heaps of people do ?... or is it a silly thing to aim for ?... I have to confess to being nervous at the prospect and challenge of trying to achieve both ....
Cheers,
HughB

[brettsrun]

YES
go for it HB

[Nature Lover]

Go for it HughB! I did the marathon and then the 250km ATB a couple years ago and it was awesome, though they were two weeks apart when I did it. Training-wise I was doing pretty low milage for both cycling and running but I did make sure to build up my long rides and runs. I'd probably take the intervening week off completely, maybe just some very gentle recovery rides and runs.

Good luck!

[M12]

I'm planning to do the half and then the 250km ride this year. I think I can get away with one road cycling session a week ranging from 100km to 250km. I think you can do the marathon then the ride. After the marathon, make it an easy week, one or two short rides and then you'll be right.

[HughB]

Brett, Nature Lover and M12,
Thanks for that. I guess I was heading in that direction - deciding to do both the Marathon and the ATB. You have at least made me feel that it is not such a stupid idea.
Perhaps because it was just such a nice day today, that I was always going to come up with the answer that I was going to go for it. Today was one of those fantastic days – sunny, blue sky, mid-20s temperature. If you know Melbourne – I did a casual bike ride from Hawthorn out to Williamstown and return via the small Westgate Bridge Punt across the mouth of the Yarra river (I was so glad to see that the Punt is still operating as I heard it might get closed down). Then I did some swim training at the local pool this afternoon (my weakest leg in tri’s - I am sooooo hopeless at swimming). It’s still a glorious evening so now I’m thinking of BBQ outside – sausages and red wine – undo all that good work today !! ....
Anyway, I will have to now start to do my homework on figuring out the logistics of Marathon training plus some bike work (as you say M12 - I think the bike work is probably the lesser need over the next few months). Somewhere in there I need to also fit in work, eat, sleep, etc...
Final job for tonight is to register for this coming Sunday's TriSeries race at Brighton. Although I did my first Gatorade last month at Elwood it was only a 500m swim (plus 20km bike/5km run) and the Tri this weekend is a full Sprint Tri (ie. 750m swim / 20km bike / 5km run) and it will be my first Sprint distance Tri - nervous knocking of kness can be heard ... ....
Anyway - cheers and thanks for the encouragement about the Marathon & ATB,
HughB

[EatEm]

HughB ... I have done the 'double' for the past three years ... full marathon and 210 km ride... (one year I wil do the 250 ride)
Twice the events have been two weeks apart and once there was only a one week gap.

If you get the training balance right then this is very doable ..

From June / July onwards I ran 4 days and rode two days each week ...
For three weekends I would do a long run on a Sunday with just a middle ride ( 60-70kms) on the Saturday before ...
On the fourth weekend I would do a long ride (120+kms) on the Saturday and a middle run (15-20kms) on the Sunday

There are also some 'fun rides' you can do as part of your training ... 120km Sram Whittlesea ride, The Shepparton Fruit Loop ride (50 / 100 / 200 kms) that you can work into your traing ...

All the best for your training ....

Edited by EatEm, 10 March 2009 - 12:24 PM.

[KevinCassidy]

The late Barbara Dalgliesh did the double each year without problems. She was in her late 60's

[walker1st]

there is lots of people who do it both in 1 day (although in reverse order) and do it in wet undies,
having some nice bath before.

Just check their websites how do they train for it.

[HughB]

Well - one down ... one to go.
I managed my first Marathon run on Sunday (3hr 57min) and felt OK afterwards apart from some very stiff legs.
Now for the ATB 210km bike ride this Sunday ..
HughB

[EatEm]

HB ...

Great work to run sub 4 hours in your first ... and sore legs are to be expected.
I missed out on the marathon but went one better (or worse) by doing the GOW 100km trail run last Saturday (Apollo Bay to 12 Apostles) so I figure I can take the 'soft' option of 210km on Sunday.

Hope you have a good & safe ride ... weather permitting ....

[HughB]

Thanks EatEm ... well I managed the ATB ride yesterday, but I have to say that it was harder work then it was for me last year. My thigh muscles started protesting very early on (even before I got to Geelong !); I reckon it is either because I didn't do as much bike training as last year because my prime focus this year was training for the marathon, or it was still a hang-over from the marathon run the previous Sunday ie muscles hadn’t recovered fully .... probably a bit of both I guess. At least I finished the 210km ride and the weather was OK with the rain staying away ... even if it was a bit on the cold side....
Now I have to renew the swim training as the first Gatorade Triathlon is on 22nd November and if I was worried about the marathon run or ATB bike ride, then those concerns pale in to insignificance when compared to how hopeless I am at swimming ...
Cheers, HughB

Edited by HughB, 19 October 2009 - 10:48 AM.

[wobbly man]

Well done Hugh. I saw a few people on my way through town heading home mid-afternoon. Most were avoiding their saddles - I could relate to that!!

How did you go EatEm? I agree, the 210 for you is soft.

Sorry I missed it this year - might be back next year for the 100k sprint from Sorrento to Melb.

[HughB]

EatEm .. BTW; I had not heard of the GOW before so I just googled it and found the website www.gow100.com ... 100km or 100 miles on a rough trail behind the Great Ocean Road; that is very impressive !! That is a league beyond me. I'd be too worried about twisting an ankle on the rough tracks - let alone worried about covering that sort of distance !!
After doing the Bellarine Rail Trail run (Geelong to Queenscliff) back at the end of August and watching the post-run video that "Digger" [?] showed of the Comrades run in South Africa, I think if I was ever going to try an ultra run of any sort I might go for that - it looks absolutely awesome.
Cheers, HughB

[OscarZarate]

Great HughB,

I didn't see this topic before, I could share my pain with someone :-)
I did my first Double Melbourne this year as well (MM 2:59:36 and ATB 250Km = 8:43:XX)

Cheers,

[HughB]

OscarZarate, on Oct 20 2009, 01:51 PM, said:

Great HughB,

I didn't see this topic before, I could share my pain with someone :-)
I did my first Double Melbourne this year as well (MM 2:59:36 and ATB 250Km = 8:43:XX)

Cheers,

Well done OscarZarate.
Yep, the MM-ATB double was a real "learning experience" which is a euphuism for “.. pain and suffering..”.
The question is; will I do it again next year.... and of course like many other CoolRunners who probably have a similar mindset I suspect I will be targeting to do it all again next year ... but telling myself that I’ll fit in more bike training this time. In the lead-up to the MM-ATB double this year I did a reasonable amount of bike training (even including the 120km Degani Kinglake ride which I had no problem with) but as I mentioned, the protests from my thigh muscles during the ATB ride suggest that I didn’t do enough.
Cheers, HughB

[EatEm]

HughB .... thanks
GOW was my first 100km event. The trail wasn't to rough but yes you had to watch out for tree roots in places.
I was at Bellarine also - a great fun outing.
Comrades would indeed be a great event - good luck with that.

Wobbly ... thanks for the support
I ended up doing about 7h 35m (ride time) for the 210km trip - the last 30km up from Mordy to the finish was a real struggle ..

Next year will be interesting with three events in three weeks ....
Yurrebilla 56km trail run / GOW 100 trail run / ATB 210km (maybe 250km0 just for fun.