When should you do your last run before a marathon? As always, it’s a matter of context and individual goals, so here’s my take and what you might want to consider in the final week of your taper.
Social marathoning or no time goal
If you’re doing a marathon where you’re not bothered about the time, then you can run whenever you like. Whether you’re supporting a friend who runs slower than you, you’re doing it for charity and it only matters that you finish, or if sightseeing and making it a holiday is more important to you, then you can get out and enjoy the city you’re in with a run on any day up to marathon morning.
Looking for a PB
If you’re aiming for a PB, or just the best possible performance you can achieve, then having your last run 3 days before the race is a good choice.
Studies have shown this to be the optimal timing to ensure proper recovery. Assuming a Sunday marathon, this means your last run should be done on Thursday. If we were to be picky, I’d suggest Thursday morning where possible, rather than an afternoon or evening.
Shake out runs
Having covered the bases for those racing vs running, let’s now look at why you should probably skip the shakeout run.
Running somewhere different is great. New sights and sounds, and even just the novelty of a different route can make running more enjoyable. Add in the prospect of a bit of Parkrun tourism, or some nervous energy, and it’s not uncommon to see people hitting 3-4 miles on the Saturday of a marathon weekend.
I get it, I really do, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for anyone with a time focused goal for the marathon the next day. If you’re like me, and your body responds better to movement than being static, do some technical drills, light mobility exercises for 10 minutes or walk for 1-2 miles instead.
Why you shouldn’t run late before a marathon
For faster runners, a Parkrun is going to take 20-25 minutes when taken more steadily. If you’re normally running 5k in around 25 minutes at race effort, you might look to ease back to 28-30 minutes. I say that because I know a lot of people won’t slow down enough still.
In both cases, you’ve just run 12% of the marathon distance, which has two impacts. Within the next 24 hours, you now have to repair the small amount of muscle damage that’s been done, and you’ve used around 300-400 calories, which you need to replenish during a carb load which is already either A) insufficiently done by most people, or B) you’ve planned well, but now will be 300-400 calories down on race morning.
Both of these WILL slow you down. It might only cost you a few seconds, but it could still be enough to miss a qualifying time, goal time or PB. If you’re someone who tends to fall apart mentally when you fall behind your target pace, I beg you, please don’t take the risk, because it just isn’t worth it.
So when should your last run be? It really depends on your goals, but for the vast majority of people, I’d say to skip the Parkrun, race organised social run or pasta party run. Head out for those final miles on Thursday to have the best, and/or most enjoyable marathon experience that you can.
Written by Kyle Brooks, Running Coach based in Norwich, Norfolk