Ask The Experts

Answer:
The "safe" frequency for repeat marathons is related to how close you came
to an all-out performance. After working with over 100,000 runners, here
are my recommendations:

* If you ran as fast as you could have--or close to this, there should be
4-6 months between marathons.

* If you ran one minute per mile slower than you estimate your top
performance (and recovered within a week or so), wait 2-3 months before your
next one.

* If you ran two minutes per mile slower than you could have run, or slower,
(and recovered within 3 days or so) you can run a marathon every 3-4 weeks.

- Jeff Galloway