I would say that's too much too soon. (Meaning 17 miles of the Hills in the park...not the 17 miles) Just my thoughts. The hills out there are going to beat you up. You need to do some hill work in prep, but you don't need to be doing all or most of your long runs at the park. You want to make sure that you make it to the start of the race feeling good and healthy...because you won't at the finish! I will most likely do the 11.2 + 5.8 at some point...but I won't be doing it in September. One thing I did on my long run the other weekend was do an easy 10 somewhere flat that leads into the park, and then I added on another 6 in the park on those hill. So I feel like I got the benifit of running some hills while being tired, but only had 6 miles worth of real pounding on my legs. I'm thinking that's the best of both worlds! So maybe you can do the radnor lake run (10ish) and then add on the 5.8 + luke lea or something for your long run on 9/13. I would think that's a better idea. But that's just me.

I can really only run a long run every other weekend because of my schedule. I ran the 11.2 two weekends ago. This weekend I had a triathlon so didn’t do a long run. Here are my remaining opportunities for long runs: 9/13; 9/27; 10/11 (I’m running the Middle Half, but I could add some miles at the end of it… not sure if I want to do that though); 10/25; 11/8 So I really have only 4 weekends to do long runs in the park. I think I would like to work up to doing the 11.2 twice as my last long run. Maybe I need to do something like this then: 9/13 – what Thunder said. A 17 mile run with the last 5.8 or so in the park. 9/27 – a 19-20 mile run with the last 11.2 in the park 10/25 – ~20 with the last 17 in the park 11/8 – 22.4 (double the 11.2) What thinkest thou?

Swamp Mom wouldn't approve.

But if I don't...won't that just be denial?

Maybe I need to do something like this then: 9/13 – what Thunder said. A 17 mile run with the last 5.8 or so in the park. 9/27 – a 19-20 mile run with the last 11.2 in the park 10/25 – ~20 with the last 17 in the park 11/8 – 22.4 (double the 11.2) What thinkest thou?

Ahhh geez Tony. Candice is 100% correct. I don't approve at all. People who don't run at the park all the time don't realize what sort of pounding it puts on the body. Doing the 11.2 X 2 would take more of a physical toll on your body than doing an easy marathon. (We all know that running a marathon 2 weeks before a marathon is a dumb idea....wait a second...) Okay, back on point...I think your 9/27 plan is about the biggest toll you should put on your body. I like your 9/13 okay, I'd do 18-20 on an easy flat course on 9/27 (just to put the miles and time in), then 20-22 on 10/25....also doing that somewhere other than the park, and then do your 9/27 plan on 11/8. Or you could switch that with your 10/25 run. Yeah I like that better, cause it gives you more time to recover from that tough 20 miler w/ over 1/2 in the park. You could get away with doing 11.2 + 5.8 and another easy 3 if you feel like you have to...but I'd do that on the 25th, and NOT do the double for sure. That's just asking for pain you don't need.

But 2X11.2 is blasphemy.

I have done 11.2 x 2 once. That was before Las Vegas last December. I should have been able to run better than what I ran in Las Vegas...and back when we were dissecting my training over in the swamp it was brought up (by swamp mom of course) that I probably could have ran a better time in Vegas had I not doubled the 11.2.

I've always figured 16 miles in PWP is equal to 20-21 miles in the real world.

Sweet. My first marathon will double as my first ultramarathon.

Andrew - is this better? 9/13 – A 17 mile run with the last 5.8 or so in the park. 9/27 – 20 (none in the park) 10/11 – RACE (MURFREESBORO HM) 10/25 – 20 (with the last 11.2 +5.8 in the park) 11/8 – 20 with last 11.2 in the park Tanya - Do you think I should run in the park FIRST and do the easy part of the long runs last? (I was actually thinking about doing Rocket City 3 weeks after the Monkey. If I change my mind about that is it what you folks are calling "tweaking"?)

Hell yeah. Most of my life, I've done things by the book. This is me stepping out and flipping the bird to common sense. Time to live a little. Y'know, before I die at mile 19 or whatever.

All right man. Now you're living Marcus style. I think we are brothers. My second triathlon was a 1/2 IM....6 days after my first tri which was an Olympic Distance. Sometimes you just gotta say "what the fuck" and get on with it. Woohoo!!!!!