Friday morning weigh in

216.8

Week 1 -2.0 lbs
Week 2 -1.4 lbs
Week 3 -1.6 lbs
Week 4 -1.0 lbs
January -6.8 lbs
Week 5 -1.2 lbs
Week 6 -.2 lbs
Week 7 -.6 lbs
Week 8 -1.2 lbs
February -3.0 lbs
Week 9 -1.4 lbs
Week 10 -1.2 lbs
Week 11 -.6 lbs
Week 12 +1.2 lbs
Week 13 -2.2 lbs
March -3.4 lbs
Week 14 -.4 lbs
Week 15 -1.0 lbs
Week 16 +1.0 lbs
Week 17 -.2 lbs
April -1.0 lbs
Week 18 -1.8 lbs
Week 19 -1.6 lbs
Week 20 -.6 lbs
Week 21 -.8 lbs
May -4.8 lbs
Week 22 -1.2 lbs
Week 23 -.2 lbs
Week 24 -.8 lbs
Week 25 -1.0 lbs
Week 26 -.4 lbs
June -3.2 lbs
Week 27 +.4 lbs
Week 28 -1.0 lbs
Week 29 +2.0 lbs
Week 30 +2.4 lbs
July +3.8 lbs
Week 31 -.8 lbs
Week 32 -.6 lbs
Week 33 -2.0 lbs
Week 34 +1.0 lbs
August -3.6 lbs
Week 35 -1.0 lbs
Week 36 -1.6 lbs
Week 37 +.8 lbs
Week 38 +.6 lbs

Total -22.0/50 (44.0%)

Total mileage:
Week 1 26.0
Week 2 28.5
Week 3 27.5
Week 4 34.0
January 126.0
Week 5 28.0
Week 6 24.0
Week 7 27.0
Week 8 34.0
February 124.0
Week 9 30.0
Week 10 36.0
Week 11 22.0
Week 12 27.0
Week 13 34.0
March 128.0
Week 14 33.1
Week 15 37.0
Week 16 35.1
Week 17 41.0
April 152.5
Week 18 35.2
Week 19 35.0
Week 20 24.5
Week 21 30.0
May 140.5
Week 22 34.0
Week 23 40.5
Week 24 37.0
Week 25 27.0
Week 26 31.0
June 147.5
Week 27 32.0
Week 28 32.0
Week 29 36.0
Week 30 32.0
July 132.0
Week 31 21.0
Week 32 41.5
Week 33 34.0
Week 34 44.0
August 173.5
Week 35 38.0
Week 36 51.0
Week 37 48.5
Week 38 40.0

Total 1268.5/1750 (72.5%)

keep on trucking

Saturday 9/24
6 mile easy run w/ 6 100m strides
1:08:36 11:26 pace

Sunday 9/25
8 mile easy run w/ 8 100m strides
1:32:51 11:36 pace

Monday 9/26
14 mile long run
2:41:22 11:35 pace

Got out early Monday morning on the greenway trail and had a great long run. The schedule called for 14 miles and I broke it up into 3 loops. I stuck with the water/Gatorade combo for my hydration which seems to be working great. Everything went really smooth, I started out with a pace in the 11:40's/50's and got progressively faster until using the last 2 miles as a cool down. My GPS app got screwy at the very end and was adding distance but I ended up doing right at 14 miles. I was a little fatigued at the end but no real leg soreness at all.

cool.
any tune up races planned?

Yeah gonna try and do 10K's on October 9th and 22nd.

Tuesday 9/27
Off

Wednesday 9/28
6 mile easy run w/ 6 100m strides
1:07:04 11:11 pace

Thursday 9/29
12 miles w/ 7 @ marathon pace
2:10:18 10:51 pace

Friday 9/30
10 mile easy trail run
2:00:50 12:05 pace

Really good week with several tough runs! Thursday I got out early and did 12 miles with 7 @ marathon pace. Started with a 3 mile warm up then started my fast miles. The weather was cooler than last week when I did a similar run and my pacing was a bit faster, 10:11 for the 7 fast miles. It was tough but I felt like I could sustain that pace for much longer. I finished with 2 very slow miles as a cool down.

Friday I wanted a change of scenery and found a natural trail for an easy 10 mile run. In hindsight this was pretty dumb as the risk of injury on this terrain was much higher but I got thru it without getting hurt. The pace was slower due to all of the tree roots, rocks, sand etc. No more trail running until after the marathon!!

Friday morning weigh in

215.4

Week 1 -2.0 lbs
Week 2 -1.4 lbs
Week 3 -1.6 lbs
Week 4 -1.0 lbs
January -6.8 lbs
Week 5 -1.2 lbs
Week 6 -.2 lbs
Week 7 -.6 lbs
Week 8 -1.2 lbs
February -3.0 lbs
Week 9 -1.4 lbs
Week 10 -1.2 lbs
Week 11 -.6 lbs
Week 12 +1.2 lbs
Week 13 -2.2 lbs
March -3.4 lbs
Week 14 -.4 lbs
Week 15 -1.0 lbs
Week 16 +1.0 lbs
Week 17 -.2 lbs
April -1.0 lbs
Week 18 -1.8 lbs
Week 19 -1.6 lbs
Week 20 -.6 lbs
Week 21 -.8 lbs
May -4.8 lbs
Week 22 -1.2 lbs
Week 23 -.2 lbs
Week 24 -.8 lbs
Week 25 -1.0 lbs
Week 26 -.4 lbs
June -3.2 lbs
Week 27 +.4 lbs
Week 28 -1.0 lbs
Week 29 +2.0 lbs
Week 30 +2.4 lbs
July +3.8 lbs
Week 31 -.8 lbs
Week 32 -.6 lbs
Week 33 -2.0 lbs
Week 34 +1.0 lbs
August -3.6 lbs
Week 35 -1.0 lbs
Week 36 -1.6 lbs
Week 37 +.8 lbs
Week 38 +.6 lbs
Week 39 -1.4 lbs
September -1.4 lbs

Total -23.4/50 (46.8%)

Total mileage:
Week 1 26.0
Week 2 28.5
Week 3 27.5
Week 4 34.0
January 126.0
Week 5 28.0
Week 6 24.0
Week 7 27.0
Week 8 34.0
February 124.0
Week 9 30.0
Week 10 36.0
Week 11 22.0
Week 12 27.0
Week 13 34.0
March 128.0
Week 14 33.1
Week 15 37.0
Week 16 35.1
Week 17 41.0
April 152.5
Week 18 35.2
Week 19 35.0
Week 20 24.5
Week 21 30.0
May 140.5
Week 22 34.0
Week 23 40.5
Week 24 37.0
Week 25 27.0
Week 26 31.0
June 147.5
Week 27 32.0
Week 28 32.0
Week 29 36.0
Week 30 32.0
July 132.0
Week 31 21.0
Week 32 41.5
Week 33 34.0
Week 34 44.0
August 173.5
Week 35 38.0
Week 36 51.0
Week 37 48.5
Week 38 40.0
Week 39 46.0
September 200.5

Total 1314.5/1750 (75.1%)

Good week to close out the month and I crushed my August total and hit 200 miles! It's 6 weeks until the marathon and time to get serious about dropping some weight. I'm gonna start logging in here again every day until the race. My goal is to be 205 by race day, a loss of 10 lbs in 6 weeks. No reason I can't pull this off with all the miles I'm putting in.

Saturday 10/1
Off

Sunday 10/2
5 mile easy run
58:06 11:37 pace

Monday 10/3
20 mile long run
3:55:00 11:45 pace

Got out early Monday morning on the greenway to attempt a 20-mile long run. The weather was great, high 60s at the start with low humidity and a light breeze, so that was a big plus. I decided to start out with a longer than normal loop because of the favorable conditions. I did my first 4 miles in the 11:40's and was feeling pretty good...sped up a little to the 11:30's and took a short hydration break after 6.5 miles.

I was still feeling really good so I decided to add a little more distance to the second loop. I kept up the 11:30's pace but started feeling some soreness in my legs at about 10 miles. I'm assuming it's from doing the trail run on Friday...I normally don't experience this kind of soreness during an easy paced run. I slowed down a little and was at just under 14 miles when I finished that loop.

After a short break I went back out and had to decide wether to try and knock out the last six miles in one loop or break it up. I got a bit of a second wind and decided to just try and finish it without stopping again. I slowed down yet again and plowed through it. The last 3 miles weren't pretty but I finished it in just under 4 hours!

Awesome work. Is this your longest run before the race?

I've probably asked this before but do you have a target time for the marathon?

great job & great september!

@weight: it's too late to focus on that. sure, you can still lose a little bit over the next few weeks, but
a) it's a bad idea to massively change your diet right now.
b) you need to eat properly if you train @ that level. you're doing big mileage and need to eat accordingly
c) you shouldn't diet at all the last ~10 days before the race and focus on making healthy & good food choices instead .together with the high amount of carbs you'll eat, this normally leads to slightly higher water retention / higher weight in the last few days before the race

so my recommendation: just keep doing what you're doing until 2 weeks out and then start to eat slightly more. reaching 205 is unrealistic // not a good goal. going for 210 (and then maybe racing at 212 or so) is realistic. but it won't make a big difference anyway...

Yeah this is the longest run before the race and the schedule calls for one more 20-miler Oct 24th. Based on my best 10K time (~56:00) the race predictor is showing a projected marathon time around 4:17. I know I'm in better shape now so with favorable conditions I think 4:10 would be a good time to shoot for. I'm gonna be doing two 10K races this month so I'll get a better idea where I'm at. What do you think? Earlier this year Tron predicted 3:41:18 but I think that's a huge stretch for me.

hehe, yeah, that's very far off on my part

let's see how the two tune up races go. that should give you a better feel. right now my feeling (for whatever that's worth) is that 4:10 is too fast.

Logging

Saturday 10/1

B-Special K protein flakes w/ 1% milk
L-Baked chicken breast w/ yellow rice, green beans
D-Chicken quesadilla
S-Pretzels, Ice cream

Calories: 2628
Protein: 201g

Sunday 10/2

B-Special K protein flakes w/ 1% milk
L-Baked chicken breast w/ yellow rice, green beans
D-Special K protein flakes w/ 1% milk
S-Pretzels, chocolate milk

Calories: 2340
Protein: 195g

Monday 10/3

Pre run/run-Clif bar, Gatorade
B-Special K protein flakes w/ 1% milk
L-Baked chicken breast w/ yellow rice, sweet peas
D-McDonald's Double QPC
S-Cracker Barrel pancakes (1/2 order), sausage

Calories: 3383
Protein: 197g

I don't have anywhere near enough experience of this kind of distance to be able to give much of an opinion other than combining how you feel on the 20 mile runs and your 10k time.

The other option is to have a go at some Yasso 800s: http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/yasso-800s

Ever heard of that tron?

yes, but i'm quite skeptical of using them as a guide. (of course that's just based on reading stuff). i think it can make sense for a "developed runner" that trained for a few years and did enough mid-distance stuff so that 800m repeats are representative. but i don't think it's useful for OP.

Yeah I was wondering about that after reading the article. Back when I was doing half mile intervals on a fairly regular basis I got down to just under 4:00 so it may not translate exactly the same for me but it's not too far off.

Logging

Tuesday 10/4

B-2 cliff bars, Gatorade
L-Baked chicken breast w/ yellow rice, green beans
D-Special K protein flakes w/ 1% milk
S-Oatmeal pie

Calories: 2344
Protein: 147g

Wednesday 10/5

B-Special K protein flakes w/ 1% milk
L-Checker's chicken bites box
D-KFC famous bowl
S-Cookie

Calories: 2141
Protein: 91g

Thursday 10/6

B-2 cliff bars, Gatorade
L-Special K protein flakes w/ 1% milk
D-London broil, baked chicken breast, red potatoes, green beans
S-Clif bar

Calories: 2513
Protein: 212g

Tuesday 10/4
Off

Wednesday 10/5
7 miles w/ five 600m intervals
1:15:39 10:48 pace

Thursday 10/6
5.2 mile easy run
58:55 11:22 pace

Had a good interval run Wednesday. I started with a 4 mile warm up then did five 600m intervals. My legs were still a little sore from the long run Monday but nothing too bad. I rounded it up to .4 miles each and had times of 3:20, 3:11, 3:12, 3:11 and 3:10. Finished with a one mile cool down.

Thursday I was scheduled to do an 11-mile easy run. I got started late and ended up getting caught in a couple of heavy downpours from the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew. I was forced to cut it short after 5.2 miles.

I was planning on doing a 10K race Sunday but it was postponed due to the hurricane. I'll have to try and find a race to do next weekend.

Friday morning weigh in

214.6

Week 1 -2.0 lbs
Week 2 -1.4 lbs
Week 3 -1.6 lbs
Week 4 -1.0 lbs
January -6.8 lbs
Week 5 -1.2 lbs
Week 6 -.2 lbs
Week 7 -.6 lbs
Week 8 -1.2 lbs
February -3.0 lbs
Week 9 -1.4 lbs
Week 10 -1.2 lbs
Week 11 -.6 lbs
Week 12 +1.2 lbs
Week 13 -2.2 lbs
March -3.4 lbs
Week 14 -.4 lbs
Week 15 -1.0 lbs
Week 16 +1.0 lbs
Week 17 -.2 lbs
April -1.0 lbs
Week 18 -1.8 lbs
Week 19 -1.6 lbs
Week 20 -.6 lbs
Week 21 -.8 lbs
May -4.8 lbs
Week 22 -1.2 lbs
Week 23 -.2 lbs
Week 24 -.8 lbs
Week 25 -1.0 lbs
Week 26 -.4 lbs
June -3.2 lbs
Week 27 +.4 lbs
Week 28 -1.0 lbs
Week 29 +2.0 lbs
Week 30 +2.4 lbs
July +3.8 lbs
Week 31 -.8 lbs
Week 32 -.6 lbs
Week 33 -2.0 lbs
Week 34 +1.0 lbs
August -3.6 lbs
Week 35 -1.0 lbs
Week 36 -1.6 lbs
Week 37 +.8 lbs
Week 38 +.6 lbs
Week 39 -1.4 lbs
September -1.4 lbs
Week 40 -.8 lbs

Total -24.2/50 (48.4%)

Total mileage:
Week 1 26.0
Week 2 28.5
Week 3 27.5
Week 4 34.0
January 126.0
Week 5 28.0
Week 6 24.0
Week 7 27.0
Week 8 34.0
February 124.0
Week 9 30.0
Week 10 36.0
Week 11 22.0
Week 12 27.0
Week 13 34.0
March 128.0
Week 14 33.1
Week 15 37.0
Week 16 35.1
Week 17 41.0
April 152.5
Week 18 35.2
Week 19 35.0
Week 20 24.5
Week 21 30.0
May 140.5
Week 22 34.0
Week 23 40.5
Week 24 37.0
Week 25 27.0
Week 26 31.0
June 147.5
Week 27 32.0
Week 28 32.0
Week 29 36.0
Week 30 32.0
July 132.0
Week 31 21.0
Week 32 41.5
Week 33 34.0
Week 34 44.0
August 173.5
Week 35 38.0
Week 36 51.0
Week 37 48.5
Week 38 40.0
Week 39 46.0
September 200.5
Week 40 47.2

Total 1361.7/1750 (77.8%)

Friday 10/7
5 mile easy run
57:03 11:25 pace

Saturday 10/8
Off

Sunday 10/9
Off

Monday 10/10
17 mile long run
3:16:05 11:33 pace

I took an extra day off over the weekend and was back at it Monday with a 17-mile long run. The weather was magnificent, low 60s at the start with no humidity and a nice breeze. I didn't control my pacing the way I would've liked to but felt pretty good throughout. I'm having an issue with the second toe on my left foot, the nail is separating and it was tender and a little painful at the end but nothing that really affected the run.

I did longer loops with the cool weather, starting with 8 miles before stopping to hydrate. I did 7 miles on the second loop and ended with a 2-mile cool down. My legs were pretty sore after but I think I'll be fine to get back at it Wednesday.

how do your legs / body feel in general? you often wrote that you have "sore legs" during or after a run. but don't you mean "tired legs"?
at least afaik:
sore == specifically having DOMS
do you really get sore during runs? that would be strange.
or do you have tired legs? do you have any pain? imho it's important to differ between those things. (obviously it doesn't matter how you call it specifically, but at least mentally you have to differentiate between different kinds of "pain")

shoes: you have already a little over 1000 miles on your new shoes. IF you want to change to a new pair before the marathon (and i would recommend it), now is the time to do it. (maybe switch between the two pairs for a few runs)

keep it up, great job

Tron,

Yeah I guess most of the time it would be "tired" legs but right now as I sit here my calves are really tender after my run this morning (easy 10 miles). When I walk my left calf especially feels really tight and "sore". It's not excruciating pain or anything like that but during my run this morning it felt tight and never really loosened up.

I'm definitely getting new shoes soon. I've been rotating between 2 pair of the same style shoe since March but they're showing signs of wear on the bottom.

Tuesday 10/11
Off

Wednesday 10/12
10 mile easy run
1:57:06 11:42 pace

Thursday 10/13
9 mile run w/ five 1000m intervals
1:33:49 10:26 pace

Friday 10/14
12 mile easy run
2:20:00 11:40 pace

This week has been tough. I had to go back to Pensacola Tuesday due to my father having surgery so I was back on my old running trail Wednesday and Thursday. I've had lots of tenderness in my legs, especially the top of my left calf. It hasn't stopped me from running but my legs just haven't felt good all week.

Thursday I did an interval run and it went well despite the leg issues. The weather was absolutely perfect, low 60s with no humidity. I started with a 4 mile warm up then went into my intervals. I rounded down a little and did .6 mile sprints with 2-3 minutes of slow walking in between. I started a little slow but ended up doing them in 5:00, 4:44, 4:54, 4:47 & 4:52. Ended up doing 3 miles of sprints at a pace of 8:03, 8:05 & 8:05.

I finished with a 2-mile cool down and was definitely feeling it in my legs after. Friday I did an easy 12-mile run and my left calf was pretty tight at the start but did loosen up after a couple miles. Both legs were tender the last few miles and I'm definitely looking forward to a rest day and might even take an extra day off again Sunday.

Friday morning weigh in

215.8

Week 1 -2.0 lbs
Week 2 -1.4 lbs
Week 3 -1.6 lbs
Week 4 -1.0 lbs
January -6.8 lbs
Week 5 -1.2 lbs
Week 6 -.2 lbs
Week 7 -.6 lbs
Week 8 -1.2 lbs
February -3.0 lbs
Week 9 -1.4 lbs
Week 10 -1.2 lbs
Week 11 -.6 lbs
Week 12 +1.2 lbs
Week 13 -2.2 lbs
March -3.4 lbs
Week 14 -.4 lbs
Week 15 -1.0 lbs
Week 16 +1.0 lbs
Week 17 -.2 lbs
April -1.0 lbs
Week 18 -1.8 lbs
Week 19 -1.6 lbs
Week 20 -.6 lbs
Week 21 -.8 lbs
May -4.8 lbs
Week 22 -1.2 lbs
Week 23 -.2 lbs
Week 24 -.8 lbs
Week 25 -1.0 lbs
Week 26 -.4 lbs
June -3.2 lbs
Week 27 +.4 lbs
Week 28 -1.0 lbs
Week 29 +2.0 lbs
Week 30 +2.4 lbs
July +3.8 lbs
Week 31 -.8 lbs
Week 32 -.6 lbs
Week 33 -2.0 lbs
Week 34 +1.0 lbs
August -3.6 lbs
Week 35 -1.0 lbs
Week 36 -1.6 lbs
Week 37 +.8 lbs
Week 38 +.6 lbs
Week 39 -1.4 lbs
September -1.4 lbs
Week 40 -.8 lbs
Week 41 +1.2 lbs

Total -23.0/50 (46%)

Total mileage:
Week 1 26.0
Week 2 28.5
Week 3 27.5
Week 4 34.0
January 126.0
Week 5 28.0
Week 6 24.0
Week 7 27.0
Week 8 34.0
February 124.0
Week 9 30.0
Week 10 36.0
Week 11 22.0
Week 12 27.0
Week 13 34.0
March 128.0
Week 14 33.1
Week 15 37.0
Week 16 35.1
Week 17 41.0
April 152.5
Week 18 35.2
Week 19 35.0
Week 20 24.5
Week 21 30.0
May 140.5
Week 22 34.0
Week 23 40.5
Week 24 37.0
Week 25 27.0
Week 26 31.0
June 147.5
Week 27 32.0
Week 28 32.0
Week 29 36.0
Week 30 32.0
July 132.0
Week 31 21.0
Week 32 41.5
Week 33 34.0
Week 34 44.0
August 173.5
Week 35 38.0
Week 36 51.0
Week 37 48.5
Week 38 40.0
Week 39 46.0
September 200.5
Week 40 47.2
Week 41 41.0

Total 1402.7/1750 (80.2%)

you skipped the first tune up race, right? the one this weekend still on?
long run looked good on strava! happy with it?