Irrational thought number one: If I talk about my goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon someday, that will jinx it. Such hubris will be punished by the running gods.
Cliché-filled thought number two: That’s ridiculous! Own your goal! You’ve got to believe it to achieve it!
So, here’s an honest look at what I’m thinking right now. I’m 42 years old and currently need a 3:45 to qualify for Boston.
Previous marathon times:
4:02:39 at the Santa Barbara International Marathon (race recap) in 2012
3:57:29 at the Mountains2Beach Marathon (race recap) in 2013
3:52:42 at the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon (race recap) in 2013
That means I need to cut 7 minutes and 42 seconds off my time to qualify for Boston. That might not sound like a lot over the course of 26.2 miles, but it’s the difference between running at a pace of 8:52 per mile (about 6.8 miles per hour) and 8:35 per mile (about 7 miles per hour) for those 26.2 miles. Take into account that it’s hard to run the tangents perfectly for 26.2 miles, and I really need to hit more like an 8:31 pace (7.04 miles per hour) for 26.4 miles.
How do I plan to do that? Well, I’ve been mixing up my training with more hill training, strength workouts, and speed intervals. Then I tested my legs by training and tapering specifically for a half marathon. I came in at 1:48:02, and promptly plugged that time into the McMillan Running Calculator, which predicts that if I can run a half marathon at 1:48:02, I can train to run a full marathon at 3:47:22 (so close to 3:45)! Adjust for the fact that the half marathon had 764 feet of gain over 13.1 miles, while the full marathon course only has 300 feet of gain over 26.2 miles, and I’m optimistic! But then adjust again for the fact that it’s likely to be hotter for the Santa Rosa Marathon in August than it was for the half in Santa Ynez in May, and adjust again for the fact that it’s a challenge for me to fuel properly for 26.2 miles, and I’m completely humbled and intimidated by the prospect of running another full marathon.
All of those calculations and speculations led me to examine the Boston Qualifying standards again, and something stood out to me. The Boston Qualifying rules state that for the age group qualifying standards:
The qualifying times . . . are based upon each athlete’s age on the date of the Boston Marathon in which they are participating.
Did you get that and what it means? It means that in order for me to bump up to the 3:55 qualifying standard from the current 3:45, I can run a qualifying marathon time for the 2017 Boston Marathon in the fall of 2015 when I am age 44 (because qualifying times for the 2017 marathon must be run on or after mid-September 2015). Right?
So, to put it another way, I realized that if I don’t qualify for Boston 2015 at Santa Rosa in August or for Boston 2016 at Surf City in February with a 3:45, I could go for a Boston 2017 time at a fall race in 2015 when I’m 44 but will be age 45 at the time of Boston 2017, which pushes my necessary qualifying time to 3:55. So that means if I can hang on to or better my current PR of 3:52 for another year, I might just make it! Of course, the rules and standards for qualifying could change between now and then, but it seems encouraging to me.
Am I looking at this correctly? Have you qualified for Boston and/or are you currently targeting a BQ at an upcoming race?
When I was in the finishing chute of the LA Marathon, I was talking to a man who had just finished with me about this same topic. He was talking how you can possibly squeeze in but I think it does not work for me since I have an early September birthday. If I don’t make it to Boston until I am 45 I am perfectly okay with that. My last three marathons have been 3:49, 3:52 and 3:53 so if I can just hang on I will be right there! I have yet to attempt a BQ so maybe this fall will be my first try which makes me really nervous!!
LikeLike
Hmm, my birthday is August 28 and I think that means we’re the same with your early September birthday. To qualify for Boston 2017 when both you and I will be 45 on the date of the April 2017 race, we have to run a BQ of 3:55 on or after mid-September 2015. At least that’s how I read it! Maybe I am still confused.
LikeLike
I love all of your thought process on this!! I think that you could probably get the qualifying time even before you bump up into the next category!!! Who knows, maybe we will qualify and go the same year!!
LikeLike
I hope you are right, both that I could qualify with a 3:45, and that we could both qualify and meet in Boston! How fun would that be?!
LikeLike
Leave it to my logical, think-it-through-thoroughly no matter the quest daughter. This process has helped you since you learned to tie your shoes, found your mate, handled stress and then enjoyed the results. Good luck on this goal also!
LikeLike
There is no doubt in my mind that you will one day qualify for and run in the Boston Marathon. You continue to establish personal records and have an excellent training plan. All the best to you, Sandy and Kim!
LikeLike
[…] Sub 3:55. The best thing about aging is bumping up an age group, and with that wacky Boston Marathon Qualifying math, even though I turn 44 in August, this is the year I move up to the 45-49 group for Boston 2017 and […]
LikeLike
If I want to cross the Boston Marathon finish line in 2017, then should I qualify at a fall race in 2015? Thank you!
LikeLike
Yes, sometime after mid-September although I don’t see the exact date yet: http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/qualifying/qualifying-standards.aspx Good luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] I now consider a difficult downhill course (race recap). Fortunately there’s a benefit to the Boston Marathon qualifying math, and at age 44 I had bumped up to the 45-49 age group for Boston 2017 with a 3:55 qualifying […]
LikeLike