Insectember

[El Gordo]

But you have got to ramp it up slowly - too much too soon and you could easily tweak something. Be careful out there.

Wise counsel Mr Dan. The ole body takes quite a while to recover from such a fearful beating. Think it was EG who posted you need a day for every mile after a biggun. I can see you can't afford a month off, so that's out the window. But tune that injury radar carefully OM. You can ramp it up in mid October to add to the astonishing well of fitness you've amassed over this year.

Probably was me who mentioned it (a long time ago, I suspect) though the origin of the axiom is Hal Higdon. It was aimed at novice runners I think, as I can't see most decent runners taking 2 weeks off after a half, for instance. If I remember rightly, he recommends continuing to exercise and cross-train and stretch post-marathon, but suggests leaving the real hard yards for at least 3 weeks. His view, endorsed by most here I would think, is that a marathon and beyond does things to your body that aren't always immediately obvious, so it's an appeal for caution more than a cast iron rule. But as always, the 'listen to your body' thing is best. As Dan says, ramp up slowly and just be doubly aware of the messages being transmitted from your poor, busted legs....

Good luck!