The Road to Boston

I've always dreamed of running the Boston Marathon, but I never really pursued it until about 3 years ago. Even then I was so unsure about my ability to qualify that I never really got specific. I had had success at shorter distances that indicated that I could possibly run a marathon fast enough to qualify. Running fast at shorter distances, even up to a half marathon, while a predictor of performance, is no guarantee of marathon success. The marathon is such a challenging beast, physically and mentally.

I'm not blessed with a lot of nature ability, so I have to work hard to get where I need to be. I decided about 2 years ago that I might try to qualify at the Monumental Marathon. I was not totally focused or prepared. I failed. Badly.

Here is the account of my first attempt.

I came out of that experience embarrassed and lovingly harassed by my running friends. Those two things served as great motivators for me. I worked really hard all winter to get ready to run the Louisville marathon in late April. I was in really good shape for it, but it turned out to be a very humid and warm day. I am not a good heat runner. Heat, humidity, and hills, lot of hills, did me in. I finished, but it was ugly. Several people thought I was a "special needs" runner, if that tells you anything.

Here is the account of my second attempt.

I came out of that experience even more determined. I trained hard all spring and summer, and if you remember the summer of 2010, you remember that it was incredibly HOT. I ran lots and lots of miles that summer. As the fall came, everything started to get easier, but I still had several huge doubts. I had some really bad runs in the last 4 weeks leading up to the marathon (which is not unusual). I was really unsure if I could qualify.

"Trust your training," was the mantra that I used leading up to the start line of the Monumental Marathon in November of last year. I knew that I had put in several 50+ mile weeks. I had done speed work. I had trained properly. The weather was perfect for me: upper 20s to start and upper 30s to finish. I wore shorts, a long sleeve shirt and a vest. I ran much better in the cold/cool. It turned out to be an awesome day.

Here is the account of my third and successful attempt.