Week 10/18
44 miles

Less than 60 days until the marathon! Another great week in the books...10 down less than 8 to go.

Thursday I did my first interval run in almost a year. Started with a 3 mile warm up then did 5x800 (half mile) intervals with 2-3 min of rest in between. I did them slightly faster than my 5K pace and it went great..they were tough but manageable. Ended up with splits of 4:13, 4:11, 4:12, 4:09 & 4:10.

Saturday was the Harvest Hustle 10K at Silver Springs. The weather was decent, around 70 and not crazy humid. I did this race last year in 54:01 and was hoping to be under 56:00 this year. My plan was to start at around a 9:00 pace and see how I felt. The course was pretty flat, a mix of hard packed trails, wooden boardwalks and asphalt. It's a 5K course so the 10K is just 2 loops.

I felt good from the start with splits of 9:00, 9:01 & 8:58 the first loop. I never really dropped off at all and was able to maintain my speed throughout. After an 8:56 and 9:01 in miles 4 and 5 I caught up with a good looking woman in her late 40s. She encouraged me to run with her the rest of the way so I stayed with her the last mile until she broke away at the finish.

My official time was 55:17, the GPS showed 6.15 miles, exactly the same as last year. There's no year long race series in the area like there was last year so the field was much smaller. I finished 17/50 overall and 2/6 in my age group. I'm extremely happy with my result...I'll be doing the half marathon in Pensacola in 3 weeks then set my goal time for the marathon based on how I do there.

I finished the week with a 14 mile long run Monday. The humidity was back but I had a consistent run. There was a cold front that came through Monday night and the lows will be in the 50s the rest of the week! I lost another 3 lbs this week, closing in on the 220s again!


Tuesday 10/17
Off day
2507 cals
136g protein


Wednesday 10/18
8 mile easy run
1:32:00 11:30 pace
2164 cals
108g protein


Thursday 10/19
8 miles w/5 x 800 intervals
1:25:55 10:44 pace
2210 cals
117g protein


Friday 10/20
Off day
2259 cals
119g protein


Saturday 10/21
Harvest Hustle 10K
55:17 8:54 pace
2880 cals
144g protein


Sunday 10/22
8 mile easy run
1:33:49 11:43 pace
1743 cals
83g protein


Monday 10/23
14 mile long run
2:42:57 11:38 pace
2421 cals
131g protein
Weight 233.2

After an 8:56 and 9:01 in miles 4 and 5 I caught up with a good looking woman in her late 40s. She encouraged me to run with her the rest of the way so I stayed with her the last mile until she broke away at the finish.

Sounds like a clock tease to me.



Keep it up!!

Haha no doubt! I did chat with her a little after the race, total MILF!

Week 11/18
55 miles

I smashed it this week and set a personal best with 222 miles for October! Thursday I had a great tempo run of 11 miles with 5 @ half marathon pace. The fast miles were 9:35, 9:31, 9:32, 9:28 & 9:29.

Friday was a 12 mile medium long run. I’m actually starting to enjoying these mid week long runs and this one was very consistent. I feel like I’m definitely in better running shape at this point compared to last year.

A cold front blew through on Sunday and when I woke up for my long run Monday it was 42 degrees! I actually had to wear long sleeves and it felt amazing. This was my second attempt at 20 miles this training cycle and I was confident I could pull it off this time.

I started out a little faster than I intended but it certainly didn’t feel like I was pushing it at all. I started on the Greenway trail but ducked into a couple of the neighborhoods that connect to it and found new areas to run which kept it from getting stale.

I was able to comfortably go 9 miles before taking a break. I tried a Clif chocolate energy gel and it actually tasted great! Chased it with water and I was back at it and feeling great. I got faster the second half and never slowed down at all, consistently cranking out 11:20 miles with a few even faster.

I felt like I could’ve pushed it and finished the last 11 without another break but didn’t take any chances and stopped after 17 for some water and Gatorade. My legs felt a little stiff but I was able to maintain my pace and finished the last 3 without any issues at all. This was for sure my best training run ever and gives me a ton of confidence heading into the last 7 weeks before the marathon!

I had a break even week with the weight loss which wasn’t surprising after 2 straight weeks of posting 3 lb losses. Hoping to be in the mid 220s by December.

Tuesday 10/24
Off day
2464 cals
122g protein


Wednesday 10/25
7 mile easy run w/6x100 strides
1:19:26 11:21pace
2505 cals
144g protein


Thursday 10/26
11 miles w/5 @ HM pace
1:55:48 10:32 pace
2383 cals
120g protein


Friday 10/27
12 mile medium long run
2:17:03 11:25 pace
2521 cals
151g protein


Saturday 10/28
Off day
2251 cals
118g protein


Sunday 10/29
5 mile easy run
57:28 11:27 pace
2249 cals
110g protein


Monday 10/30
20 mile long run
3:46:32 11:19 pace
2533 cals
148g protein
Weight 233.6

Week 12/18
46 miles

Had another good week but I feel like I’m on the verge of over training. I juggled the schedule a little because my weekend was crazy busy and ended up doing 8+ mile runs three straight days.

Wednesday was 8 miles with 5x600 intervals. I ended up doing them as .4 mile intervals to make it an even 2 miles of sprints. I felt good and did them in 3:16, 3:13, 3:14, 3:12 and 3:08, so right at 8:00 pace.

Thursday was a 12 mile medium long run which went fine. Friday was an easy 9 miles but when I ran I noticed a tinder spot on the top of my right foot. It went away after a few miles but my legs were pretty sore after.

I decided to skip a 5 mile recovery run scheduled for Sunday to give myself 2 days off before the long run Monday. It was 17 miles and I nailed it but the foot issue was there again the first few miles. I ran negative splits the first 12 miles then finished the last 5 around 11:30 pace. My legs were pretty sore again after.

This week is a little lighter then Sunday I’m doing the half marathon in Pensacola. The online calculators predict I should be around 2:03 but I’m gonna run pretty conservatively at the start. I’ll try and be around a 9:30 pace (2:05) the first few miles and if I’m feeling good maybe pick it up a little. The weather should be good, high 50s forecast for Sunday morning.

I’m now 2/3 of the way thru the program and extremely happy with my results so far. I’ve ran 56/58 scheduled days for a total of 513.8 out of 533.3 miles.

Tuesday 10/31
Off day
2737 cals
133g protein


Wednesday 11/1
8 miles w/5x600 intervals
1:25:32 10:42 pace
2290 cals
121g protein


Thursday 11/2
12 mile medium long run
2:14:40 11:18 pace
2524 cals
132g protein


Friday 11/3
9 mile easy
1:43:37 11:31 pace
2379 cals
122g protein


Saturday 11/4
Off day
2167 cals
106g protein


Sunday 11/5
Off day
3243 cals
176g protein


Monday 11/6
17 mile long run
3:11:26 11:16 pace
2713 cals
153g protein
Weight 233.2

222 miles / month. Full beast mode!
What is your time goal again? Should be well below 4 hrs with that mileage.
Great work!

Thanks! Goal time for the marathon is gonna be around 4:25 this year. I’m doing a half marathon this Sunday and that will give me a much better idea of what to shoot for.

How did your latest marathon go?

I had a somewhat tough race, finished just below 3h20m, but actually wanted to be faster than 3h10m.
It was a bit warm for my taste and the course was more hilly than expected. In the end I was not in the right shape that day, but nevertheless happy when I crossed the finish line.

Week 13/18
36.1 miles

I had another great week that ended with the Pensacola half marathon on Sunday. I’m very happy with my results and had a solid race!

Thursday I did a 9 mile run with 4x1200 intervals. I rounded it up to .75 miles and finished them in 6:23, 6:21, 6:09 and 6:22. The minor issue with my foot was still there but not really a problem. The discomfort would always go away after a couple miles and by the weekend it was gone completely.

I did an easy 6 miles Friday and took Saturday off to be ready for the race Sunday. The weather was near perfect, 60 degrees and overcast with a light breeze. My strategy was to start around 9:30 for the first few miles and if I was feeling good get a little faster and try for negative splits.

The start was a little slow until I was able to navigate through the log jam but I quickly settled into a nice pace and finished the first mile in 9:31. Mile 2 featured the first uphill climb but I was still able to maintain my pace with a 9:32.

I was feeling great and started getting slightly faster, going 9:30, 9:29, 9:28 & 9:28 through mile 6. I ate a Clif chocolate energy gel at the mile 6 water station and kept up the pace. Mile 7 was another 9:28 and the end of mile 8 was straight downhill before the most significant uphill climb of the race. I flew down the hill and finished in 9:21. After the uphill climb I made up the deficit and put up another 9:28 for mile 9.

I was still feeling strong and never felt like I needed to slow down. We made the turn back towards downtown Pensacola and I finished 10, 11 & 12 at 9:27, 9:24 and 9:27. The start of mile 13 was a nice downhill and I really turned it on. We made the final turn towards the finish and mile 13 ended up being my fastest of the race at 9:05! The GPS showed 13.28 miles when I finished so the 9:27 pace on my app turned into 9:34 with an official time of 2:05:19. I ended up finishing 191/631 overall and 18/34 in my age group.

I knocked over 4 minutes off my personal best and feel like I could’ve gone even faster. I didn’t wanna overdo it and derail the marathon next month. Less than 5 weeks to go!


Tuesday 11/7
Off day
2438 cals
126g protein


Wednesday 11/8
8 mile easy run
1:30:56 11:22 pace
2640 cals
155g protein


Thursday 11/9
9 miles w/4x 1200 intervals
1:33:18 10:22 pace
2459 cals
143g protein


Friday 11/10
6 mile easy run
1:08:15 11:22 pace
2287 cals
118g protein


Saturday 11/11
Off day
2876 cals
167g protein


Sunday 11/12
Pensacola Half Marathon
2:05:19 9:34 pace
3520 cals
180g protein


Monday 11/13
Off day
3209 cals
169g protein
Weight 234.8

good job on the race...nice even pace. the half should have felt fairly easy with the mileage you've been running. the 9 miler w/intervals on Thursday seems a tad aggressive three days before the race, but that's me.

the gps readings are always off, especially on routes with a lot of turns. we can't run the same line that they base the measurements on. point to point routes always much closer from my experience.

keep up the good work.

Thanks! Yeah this course was a big loop that started and ended at the same point but definitely lots of turns along the way. I agree the interval run was probably a bit much but it worked out ok in the end. I was scheduled for another interval run today but my legs were stlll kinda stiff so I just did 8 miles at my easy pace instead.

Week 14/18
52 miles

Less than 30 days until the Jacksonville Marathon! I feel like I’m in the home stretch now. I’ve gotten through the toughest part of the schedule, aside from another 20 mile run this coming week.

I changed the schedule a bit this week as Wednesday called for an interval run. My legs definitely weren’t up to that after the race Sunday so I just did easy paced miles Wednesday thru Friday.

Monday was the toughest run of the program, 18 miles with 14 at marathon pace. The weather was perfect, a brisk 45 degrees at the start and mid 50s by the finish. I started with a 3 mile warm up and was aiming for around a 10:00 pace for the faster miles.

The first 8 or so fast miles felt great, then I started to get a little fatigued. I ended up stopping after 12 marathon paced miles and finishing with a 3 mile cool down. The 12 fast miles were all between 9:50 and 10:02 for an average pace of 9:58. I was very happy with the run and although my calves were pretty sore after I felt fully recovered by Tuesday.

I might do another 5K race Thanksgiving morning, still on the fence about it. If not I’ll replace it with a 6 mile easy run.


Tuesday 11/14
Off day
2241 cals
109g protein


Wednesday 11/15
8 mile easy run
1:31:30 11:26 pace
2857 cals
161g protein


Thursday 11/16
11 mile medium long run
2:04:18 11:18 pace
2380 cals
122g protein


Friday 11/17
9 mile easy run
1:42:11 11:21 pace
2107 cals
98g protein


Saturday 11/18
Off day
2420 cals
133g protein


Sunday 11/19
6 mile easy run w/6x100 strides
1:07:12 11:12pace
3962 cals
188g protein


Monday 11/20
18 mile long run w/12 @ marathon pace
3:08:10 10:27 pace
2590 cals
138g protein
Weight 233.2

Just catching up with the thread, great job! Congratulations on new hm pr, perfect pacing!
Just continue with the running, steadily lose weight and imagine how fast you'll be with 180 lbs or whatever the goal is. (and don't stop for half a year after the marathon, hehe)

Week 15/18
49 miles

Fifteen weeks down, less than 3 to go! My legs are definitely ready for the tapering that’s for sure.

I had another successful week, including a 5 mile run in the rain Thanksgiving morning. I decided to skip the 5K even before the poor weather came through.

Monday was my second 20-mile long run of this training cycle. The weather was perfect, low 50s at the start with just a light breeze. I felt great at the start and purposely slowed myself down, starting around 11:30 and getting slightly faster the first 8 miles.

I settled in around a 11:10 pace and never really slowed down the rest of the way. I took a quick break after 10 miles for an energy gel and water. My body felt great but my legs were starting to feel it. I pressed on and maintained my pace but was very glad when I finished.

My calves were hurting pretty bad after but after resting in the afternoon I was fine. I’m now only 18 days from the marathon with really only 3 intense runs left: a 16 mile long run and 2 interval runs.

I ate like a madman over the holiday weekend so my weight isn’t where I’d like it. Gotta rein it in and drop a few more lbs before the race...


Tuesday 11/21
Off day
2341 cals
117g protein


Wednesday 11/22
7 mile easy run
1:18:17 11:11 pace
2592 cals
143g protein


Thursday 11/23
5 mile easy run
56:12 11:14 pace
???? cals
???? protein


Friday 11/24
11 mile medium long run
2:03:26 11:13 pace
???? cals
???? protein


Saturday 11/25
6 mile easy run
1:07:41 11:16 pace
2747 cals
155g protein


Sunday 11/26
Off day
2421 cals
112g protein


Monday 11/27
20 mile long run
3:45:02 11:15 pace
2470 cals
123g protein
Weight 235.2

Week 16/18
44 miles

Less than two weeks to go! Had another good week but during my long run Monday my legs felt stiff and tired the last 10 miles or so. I finished it but will probably take it easy and maybe skip a run or two this week.


Tuesday 11/28
Off day
2523 cals
128g protein


Wednesday 11/29
8 miles w/4x600 intervals
1:26:37 10:49 pace
2319 cals
109g protein


Thursday 11/30
6 mile easy run
1:07:27 11:14 pace
2707 cals
154g protein


Friday 12/1
5 mile easy run
55:47 11:09 pace
2231 cals
103g protein


Saturday 12/2
Off day
2374 cals
122g protein


Sunday 12/4
9 mile easy run
1:40:53 11:12 pace
2659 cals
134g protein


Monday 12/5
16 mile long run
2:59:59 11:15 pace
2555 cals
138g protein
Weight 232.4

Week 17/18
22 miles

Race week!! I took it easy in week 17, taking an extra day off to rest my legs. Felt much better Saturday morning after two days off! Monday’s 12 miler was the last long run before the race and I felt pretty good the whole way. My legs got a little tired the last few miles but an epsom salt bath after really helped.

There’s only two more runs before Saturday, an easy 6 miles on Wednesday and 7 miles with 2 @ marathon pace Thursday.

The weather forecast Saturday is looking perfect, high 40s at the start getting into the high 50s at the end. I’ve decided on a goal time of 4:25, which is a 10:06 pace. My plan is to start a little slower than that around 10:10 and attempt to run slightly negative splits. I’ll have 4 energy gels to take every six miles or so. Hopefully I can avoid the fueling issues that hampered my first marathon last year!


Tuesday 12/5
Off day
2631 cals
144g protein


Wednesday 12/6
5 mile easy run
57:00 11:24 pace
2105 cals
98g protein


Thursday 12/7
Off day
3108 cals
171g protein


Friday 12/8
Off day
2572 cals
141g protein


Saturday 12/9
5 mile easy run
55:15 11:03 pace
2537 cals
135g protein


Sunday 12/10
Off day
2320 cals
118g protein


Monday 12/11
12 mile long run
2:12:33 11:03 pace
2708 cals
150g protein
Weight 233.0

good luck and enjoy it!

Thanks Tron!

Good luck FL Pkrdlr. You the man!

Official time 4:47:49. First 18 miles went perfect, even/slightly negative splits all between 9:58-10:07. Legs started to give out in mile 19 and I hit the wall in mile 21. Had to start walking some in mile 23, alternated slow jogging and walking the last 4 miles. Finished 10 minutes faster than last year but was completely wiped out after. The last hour plus was pure torture! Full trip report later...

Congratulations, I look forward to seeing your trip report.

I know this is slower than your goal time, but congratulations anyway. Running a marathon is a huge achievement, no matter what. Be proud of yourself!

You still in a hot tub?

Looking forward to trip report.....

Jacksonville Marathon
12/16
4:47:49

I’m proud to say I’m a multiple marathon finisher!! I got in town Friday night and got a decent night’s sleep and was up early at 5:30 for the 7 am start. I ate a cliff bar, granola bar and drank a 20 oz bottle of Gatorade. Parking was a nightmare and it was 6:30 by the time I picked up my race packet and hit the bathroom line. The race started and ended at Bolles High School. I ended up having only a few minutes to stretch and get lined up before we were off! There was a huge crowd as the marathon, half marathon and 5K all started together.

The weather was perfect, 49 and overcast at the start with just a light breeze. The course was very flat but also not very scenic at all. I started fairly close to the front and it didn’t take long for traffic to thin out. I quickly settled into a good pace and actually had to make myself slow down just a little, posting a 10:07 for the first mile. The course went out 1.5 miles then back towards the starting line and the 5K was finished. Everyone else continued on and we settled in for the long grind. Thankfully the sports drink they offered was Gatorade, much better than the crap I tried to choke down in Pensacola last year.

After about 4 miles I had to pee and was lucky enough to find some bushes I could duck behind quickly. I easily made up the time and finished the first 6 miles with splits of 10:07, 10:06, 10:06, 10:04, 10:05 & 10:04 and was feeling great. I ate my first chocolate Clif gel and had no issues with my stomach at all. I sped up a little in mile 7 to get around a pacer group from the half marathon that was doing a 90 second run/30 second walk. It was slightly annoying as there was about 20 in their group and they were clogging up the whole course at times. They separated in mile 8 though and the course got a lot more lonely. We were running in residential neighborhoods at this point with very little elevation change and I continued my steady pace, going 9:58, 10:04, 10:05, 10:05, 10:04, 10:05 & 10:02 for miles 7-13. I reached the halfway mark at 2:12:25, just under my 4:25 goal pace. I ate my second gel around this time also.

Things continued to go well the next few miles as the course looped back and we headed for home. Miles 14-18 I finished in 10:04, 10:04, 10:04, 10:05 and 10:06. I noticed it was more of an effort to keep the pace up and feared my legs might be giving out. The end of mile 19 confirmed that as it ended with a slight elevation climb and I just didn’t have enough in the tank to hit the pace anymore and put up a 10:20.

I continued to slow down and was helpless to do anything about it so I didn’t panic and just tried to keep running as long as I could. My legs started to ache and by the time I finished miles 20 and 21 in 10:42 & 11:30 they were on fire. Every stride was painful now and I knew it was just a matter of time before I’d have to walk. I reached the end of mile 22 and just couldn’t run anymore. I knew my goal was out the window now but I tried to walk as fast as I could and was determined to beat last years time. After a few minutes of walking I was able to go back to a slow jog and continued that pattern the rest of the race.

The last 6 plus miles were not pleasant at all and I couldn’t get to the finish line soon enough. I continued the walk/jog routine and finally saw the last turn that would lead to the track and a half lap sprint to the finish!! Of course there was no sprinting for me but I did run all the way through and crossed the line with an official time of 4:47:49, almost 10 minutes faster than last year. I was completely wiped out after and in really bad shape. It took about 30 minutes of sitting/laying down before I could make it over to the massage table to get stretched out. I was incredibly sore Saturday night but did manage to soak in the hot tub several times and even stood in the ice cold hotel pool for a few minutes which really helped my legs quite a bit.

By Tuesday I was feeling much better and I managed to do an easy 4-mile run Wednesday morning. I’ll take it easy the next few days then start prepping for the Ocala Half Marathon January 14th! As far as future marathons it’s really up in the air right now. I’m not sure it’s worth devoting all the training time only to feel so much pain and misery the last few miles.

Sounds awesome. Congratulations!