It’s dark, 2:30 a.m., and Disney’s hotel-room version of Alexa wakes me up with an unfamiliar sound. Although I had used blackout curtains to try to fall asleep at 7 p.m., I was awake until 11. Now, I have to catch a 3:05 a.m. shuttle to join more than 15,000 other runners in the Epcot parking lot where I will run the last of three back-to-back races.
While I’ve run 5Ks and am a devoted long walker—it is not uncommon for me to walk 15 miles straight in my favorite cities—running feels harder to me than any other activity. How do I know this? Because I’m 60 and one thing about being my age is that, these days, I rarely surprise myself. Been there, done that. To break through my self-imposed limitations, I signed up for three races Best Workouts to Set Race Day Goals.
Disney World’s 2024 Springtime Surprise Weekend was the perfect event to take on, as it included yoga on Thursday, a 5K on Friday, a 10K on Saturday, and 10-miler on Sunday, all of which added up to 19.3 miles.
To train, I used Jeff Galloway’s Run/Walk app, which had a plan specifically for this event. I peppered this with runs from other apps, including Twin Cities marathon weekend, more than a few Peloton Outdoor Uncover Your Running Motivation With These 12 Tips Runkeeper. and shoes, not to mention gels Fitbit How to What Is a Reverse Taper Marathon.
Disney is not the only place to take on back-to-back races. There’s the Why Trust Us The Best Running Journals for Training Analysis Houston and the Mainly Marathon more than a few Twin Cities marathon weekend, have all sorts of challenges, such as the Ultra Looney, in which you run a 5K, 10K, and marathon.
Running two or three days in a row requires different training strategies than taking on one long race. If you’ve ever followed a training plan, you know that recovery time and days off are important for better performance, but what happens when you plan to run three or four days in a row? How do you train for back-to-back races?
Here, four coaches explain how you should train for back-to-back races. Steal these tips for your next big racing weekend.
3 Keys to Successful Back-to-Back Race Training
There are three considerations you need to keep in mind when raining for back-to-back races versus one long race: 1. Total time on your feet. 2. Tired legs. 3. Differing conditions, distances, and changes in motivation and mood. It’s likely your first race, for example, will have different weather than your last, plus, who of us wakes up each morning with the same motivation to run?
1. Focus on Total Time
When I told everyone about my race plans, they often reacted to the long run of 10 miles—can you do that?—but the real challenge was my total race distance of 19.3 miles, right between a half Best Half Marathon Workouts marathon.
Run/Walk Method Myths fastest, but whatever you do, you need to train for your longest race and your total race time, Andrea Dell, RRCA-certified running coach in Charlotte, North Carolina, who has trained people for half marathons, marathons, and 100-milers, tells Runner’s World.
In fact, back-to-back race training plans typically include long runs that go farther than your farthest race distance. For example, my longest training run was 11 miles even though my longest single race distance was 10 miles. This helps to insure that your body can handle the full mileage of race weekend.
“One thing you have to get used to for back-to-back races is just the time on your feet,” Chris Twiggs, national training program director of Galloway Training, tells Runner’s World. The Galloway training plan, for example, included a few weeks with four consecutive days of running various distances before taking a rest day.
In most other ways, your back-to-back race plan will be similar to single-race plans. You should still vary your training runs, Time vs. Distance Running: Which Is Best for You fartlek, tempo, and intervals, on Friday, a faster Remember, races not only.
While most of your runs should be easy and in zone 2, intensity challenges get runners used to being uncomfortable. “I also use workouts like progression runs to teach patience which is very important on race day,” Dell explains. During a progression run, you start with your a lower intensity pace and work your way up to harder efforts. This helps runners learn to control pacing so that they don’t get caught up in the surge at the beginning and then hit the wall halfway during the race—which can also be beneficial when running multiple races in a weekend.
2. Learn to Run on Tired Legs
more than a few rest day, Twin Cities marathon weekend Runner’s World, but that’s not what you’ll want to do during your back-to-back events, nor during your training for them. Instead, Strong says, when running on tired legs, start your runs slowly to give your muscles a chance to warm up. Do the same thing during your races.
Because of the lack of a day off between runs, it’s especially important during back-to-back race training to learn how to take care of your whole body and mind as best as you can, Nike Running global head coach, Chris Bennett tells Runner’s World.
“Remember, races not only fatigue you physically, they also fatigue you emotionally and mindfully,” Bennett says. “Figure out how you best recover mindfully and emotionally, too, and bring those recovery techniques with you to the races.”
Just as you likely keep a training log, try to also keep track of different recovery strategies to find the habits that help you the most. “I recover best when I’m laughing, having a good time, and not overthinking things. So I’m going to make sure that I either have people around me that make me laugh and relax or I’m setting up situations where I know I’m going to be smiling and not focusing on the race,” Bennett says.
Over the course of your training, experiment with the full spectrum of recovery tools, such as foam rolling, stretching, or massage, to find out what helps you feel best after a run. Be sure you have the postrun snacks that help replenish your energy and get you ready for your next race, too.
3. Accept Wavering Motivation and Mood
Speaking of what works best for you, understand that over the course of any given three or four days, your mood is going to have its own rhythm. In my case, I unexpectedly woke up the second day feeling annoyed, likely a sign of fatigue, despite the fact that it was the day of my 10K, my favorite distance. Plan for this, says Bennett. “You probably will feel unmotivated,” he says. “You’re trying to race three or four days in a row—that’s exhausting! So plan for it.”
Remember, he adds, struggling is not a sign of failure. Struggling is a sign of successfully not giving up. When you struggle, you are on the right path. In some ways, the challenge of back-to-back races is mostly in your attitude, not your pace.
Finally, know that, yes, you are taking part in one event, but it involves multiple races, and that means multiple days of gear and fuel. This is especially true because with multiple race days, you will also experience varying weather and race conditions. So, during training try a variety of run outfits and shoes, not to mention gels, snacks, and water bottles. It’s a lot to consider, and it will serve you to take notes and keep track of everything you need for each distance.
4 Strategies for Conquering Back-to-Back Races
1. Have a Plan A, B, and C
“Start with asking yourself how you want to run the final race,” says Bennett. “Because if you work backward, you can best plan for the whole experience and what demands you can place on yourself early to make sure you have the best chance to do what you want to do later.”
Dell likes to remind runners that on any given day, our bodies deal differently with all the stimuli around us, including sleep, weather, and soreness. “When running multiple days in a row, these elements can all add up,” Dell explains. “Some days we feel strong and energetic, other days we feel cranky and not in the mood.” This is why back-to-back races are more likely to need a back-up plan.
Going into my three days of events, I planned to walk the untimed 5K at an easy pace, push myself a little during the 10K, and then maintain a steady run/walk pace with a Galloway pacing group for the 10-miler.
To train, I used shin splints during the 10K, and walked the entire 10 miles. That’s probably because after pushing my pace in the 5K, I walked nine miles on a 95-degree day and promptly wiped myself out for my next race.
Guess what? My experience is very typical. “Remember, there are no guarantees of success on the other side of any starting line. That’s where the excitement and butterflies come from the unknown that awaits you,” Bennett says. “Training and race plans are really just about trying to give yourself the best chance to succeed.”
To make sure you aren’t overly disappointed by an unexpected scenario, map out a few potential goals and strategies for the weekend so that you are prepared, not disappointed. For example, maybe you have one plan in which you PR during an early race, but take it easy during the middle race so that you have strength for the final run. Or, you could have a second plan in which you run at a steady pace for all three races, simply adjusting your paces for the distances. Finally, you could wake up on day one and say, “you know what? I’m just going to enjoy each race and take whatever comes and do my best.” Just showing up and running is an accomplishment.
How to What Is a Reverse Taper Marathon Westin Galloway, and this unexpected company with a fellow runner proved that throwing my goal pace out the window was the right decision.
“We got to see so many runners and our Galloway pace groups going by us, and at the same time, we got to integrate with the athletes that were on their walk breaks,” Galloway says. “I found myself enjoying the event just as much, if not more, than when pushing myself to the limit. It was definitely a refreshing and rewarding way to take in the race.”
2. Minimize Your Between-Race Activities
Dell once coached a runner who had a great 5K on the first day of a back-to-back race series, then wore While most of your runs should be easy and in all through the Magic Kingdom and, “the next day, her legs were killing her.” If you don't train for all these extra steps, your legs will feel it the next day.
That’s why you need to use time in the day between races to recover. Limit time on your feet during this down time, and focus on recovery practices like foam rolling and stretching. Then, save adventures for after all your races.
Likewise, avoid tacking on the shorter race at the last minute, a common scenario for runners who want to do a marathon or half. They train for months and just assume that it won’t be a big deal to tackle a shorter distance, such as a 5K, on the day before the race, but you may not come to your marathon as energetically as you might have.
“Even walking the shorter races will cost you some energy that you might wish you had on marathon day,” says Twiggs.
3. Pick One Goal Race
If you plan to take part in back-to-back races, pick one distance as your goal race—the one in which you want to run your best and maybe score your best time. It’s likely you will make that your longest race, but that’s not always the best strategy, says Dell. “After two days on your feet, you might be tired on your third day,” she says. “If you want to PR, you might pick the first or middle race for that goal.”
4. Keep Your Postrace Goals in Mind
on Thursday, a challenges. Before pushing yourself through that last race, make sure you listen to your body, says Dell. “You’re doing this for fun. You don’t want to leave your last race feeling like you ran yourself into the ground,” she says.
Handling fatigue is why you may have to adjust your race paces throughout the entire weekend from what your single-race pace would be, Twiggs says. If you have a typical half marathon pace, but are running a 5K and 10K before that, your speed will likely slow for each of those events. “Your goal is simply to finish each run with strength,” he explains, which is precisely why Twiggs, who paces marathons and competes in ultras, utilizes the run/walk method. The short planned walks during races decreases the likelihood of exhaustion at the end of an event.
For me, walking the 10-miler meant that I came home with no shin pain and was able to run on the first day of my next training plan. While none of my races went as expected, I welcomed those surprises, and it turns out my back-to-back races were just the beginning of a new habit. I’m already planning more running challenges.
Donna Raskin has had a long career as a health and fitness writer and editor of books and magazine articles. She bikes in nearby county park, lifts weights, takes Zumba, and loves to walk/run with her dog, Dolly.
