+15-20 lbs, 5 years removed from 2:41 mar. what can i run in november

pardon the excel copy/paste. html not my forte

That was an impressive mileage buildup back in 2011-12. What were your workouts during that period? Any racing? Your peak mileage was during the final few weeks when you probably should have been tapering, so I suspect your potential was 2:40 or faster at the time.

With only 10 months to train, and 20 pounds to lose, you probably can't return to PR fitness by November. But I think you could get close. There is time to build a decent base before starting a specific marathon program. The 20 extra pounds will disappear quickly as you build mileage.

A November goal of 2:45 may well be achievable. And sub-2:40 in the spring, I would think.

My experience is with low-mileage training, so I may be wrong about how a higher-mileage guy will respond after a long layoff. My PR is nearly identical with a similar buildup in my 20s, but peaking at only 70 mpw, with an average of just 42.

As an old man, after establishing a 12-month "base" of less than 20 mpw (and running a 3:25 marathon), I added workouts and doubled the mileage for 10 months and ran 3:07. That "age grades" to a 2:36 equivalent, so a new "PR" -- sort of. That took nearly two years, but was 35 years after the youthful PR. It's only been five years for you! Best wishes!

Thanks for the response/insight.

No formal workouts, i'd say once a week/biweekly fartlek or tempo runs. I ran a half in september in 1:19 ish (first half of my marathon the next month was 1:17 -PR) and I actually ran in March about 6 months before a 5k @ 610 pace, the same pace as my marathon. Not the most structured....

You obviously have a good deal of natural talent. I would plan three 12-week phases. First phase - gradual mileage buildup, all easy miles. Second phase -- add progression runs, some strides or short hill sprints, and increase the weekly long run to 16-18 miles. Final 12 weeks -- follow a marathon plan (like Pfitzinger's).

Good luck. All through my mid- and late 20s, and 30s, I repeatedly planned serious comebacks. All the while certain that I would soon be setting new PRs. But I never successfully strung together more than a few weeks of consistent training (long work hours, kids, houses, etc). I was finally competitive again for a couple years in my 40s (5Ks, anyway -- only managed a 2:56 marathon). Then inconsistent again until my mid-50s.

Hopefully you will fare much better!

Thanks again. I was surprised by the overall mileage when I actually quantified it. I knew it was inconsistent but I thought the volume/average was higher. So, that's promising I suppose.

At this time my plan is to get back to consistent running (1 week in - woo...) with an eye on a fall marathon - late oct/early nov for more time. I have a few months to see if I can get into it before diving in and registering. If so, I'll try to update this and see how I progress.

1/25/18 - 1 week every other day, total of 11 miles. 154 lbs.

We'll see!